Leaving the room when the TV gets turned on, suddenly at 3.5 years old.

[Melissa & Porter]

It's been a long time since I've been here.  Hello :-) 

I can't seem to find an explanation for Porter's recent behavior, and I thought maybe the doodle people would have some ideas or similar behavior. 

First off, I took Porter to the vet today and am waiting on "paranoid dog-mom" bloodwork to come back, but in the meantime, I figured I'd describe his behavior and see if anyone has a clue.

For several weeks, Porter has been skulking up to my bedroom during the day.  I work from home and this is not normal for him.  It is actually hotter up there because we have two zones of AC and I leave upstairs hot when we're not up there.  I usually fold a load or two of laundry while watching TV at some point during the day, too, or my kids watch a show.  He always leaves at this point, but he leaves at other times too. 

This dog is usually umbilical-cord dog.

Okay, just got the call from the vet.  Porter's cortisol is below the normal range.  But his electrolytes are fine.  Next week we're doing a cortisol provocation test to see if he has atypical Addison's disease.  It might come out fine.  But, I guess I am sharing my odd story that something can be wrong in your dog with odd clues.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

My first thought was something physical, then I saw that his cortisol is low. Sudden unexplainable behavioral changes in an aduIt dog are often the only indiciation of a medical problem. You were clearly not being paranoid, you know your doodle!  I hope that further testing will give you some answers and that hopefully whatever it is can be easily treated. Hugs to you and Porter, please keep us posted.

[Melissa & Porter]

Thanks, Karen.  The test is Tuesday.  I'll let you all know how it goes.  The vet has been noting this is common in Standard Poodles for years...since I first brought Porter in with gastritis one month, mysterious inability to jump on the bed for weeks a few months later, etc.  But overall Porter's been fine in between the mystery stuff that goes away on its own, and this is the first time the bloodwork is off. 

[Bonnie and Kona]

Please post an update after Porter's testing. Worrying with you. :(

[Jennifer and Jack]

Jacks cortisol level is 1 ..anything below 1 is considered abnormal....he had the ACTH stim test and it came back within normal limits with his response.

Jacks is 3 1/2 years as well. All his electrolytes are normal. He just runs a lower cortisol......I recently changed vets because my vet and I were a. Ad pair, me paranoid, she over tester.

Jack just sleeps a lot too. he also lost his ability to jump up on my bed. I noticed a change in him but most likely I just think I was used to the puppy madness and whe that ended I was sure something was wrong.

I hope all goes well! I still have e paranoid feelimg in my head that his low cortisol and stuff is going to lead up,to Addison's but that is me, paranoid.

[F, Calla & Luca]

I hope all turns out well. Let us know.

[Allyson, Peri & Taquito]

I hope you get some answers and treatment options soon!  Keep us posted.  And THANK YOU for sharing this important reminder to trust your instincts and when behavior "seems off", do bloodwork, go to the vet, etc...

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

We know our dogs better than anyone, and so we need to trust our instincts.  I always opt for the Vet visit when I'm concerned.  Usually they're fine, but you never know.  Here's hoping that you get good results next week.

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

Thanks for sharing.  You are doing the rest of us a service by telling us about Porter.  Keep us updated.  I hope the tests come back normal.

[Melissa & Porter]

Thanks, Jennifer, F, Allyson, Jane & Nancy & Karen again :) 

I hope the test comes out normal too, but I'm feeling a bit pessimistic because of how lethargic he is acting.  He still got up in arms today about the mail carrier and hyper-alert when my son walked in the door with a bag of fast food.  But he is not doing the little things he did úntil just a couple weeks ago: whacking his tail on the floor when I walk by, greeting me at the door like I've been gone a week when it's been 20 minutes, hanging out in the kitchen until the last piece of food is put away, initiating play with shoes and dish towels. 

I'll be keeping a close eye on him this weekend -- a balance between not freaking him out with odd behavior on my part, and not missing some escalation of this.

[BG and Gavin]

Glad you went with your gut.  Hopefully you can get whatever issue addressed and he is back to his old self soon.

[Maryann,Roo and Tigger]

I hope all is well with Porter.  Roo does have Addison's.  He was diagnosed last January at just over 4 years old, after similar syptoms to Porter's - just sort of odd behavior which got more frequent until he stopped eating completely and didn't even want to go on a walk.  Once I got over the shock and the thought that he might die everything was okay.  He goes in every 25 days for a shot in his rear.  He does not seem to even notice and now loves to go to the vet because he gets all the attention and not Tigger.  Some dogs I think can manage with just cortisol pills, but Roo has no function in that little gland at all.  We have pills to give him when extra stress ( Fourth of July - which he turned out not to notice), when I clip him, etc.  All this just to help you be okay with it if it is Addisons - hopefully not.  But if it is, he will be okay.

[Melissa & Porter]

Thank you everyone for your well wishes and concern.  I'm so sorry it has taken me this long to post an update.  I had to travel a few days after getting Porter's results -- to visit family, a long-planned trip, and figuring out what to do with Porter (bring=stress, leave with neighbor=stress) kinda overwhelmed me.  I ended up leaving my husband behind to watch the dog and to catch up on work), which was good for Porter.  LOL then all the stress of driving for hours and hours on end with three kids made me start up a lung exacerbation (basically gave bacteria I harbor a chance to get ahead).

ANYWAY, the IMPORTANT INFO IS: Porter is borderline so we are watching and not treating for now.  The day of his first test, his cortisol level was 1.  The day of his stimulation test, it was 3.3, which is normal, and it rose to 5.8.  The vet said a rise to anywhere from 6 to 18 is normal.  So, he's not quite normal.  But the lab also said that now they prefer the second blood draw to be after an hour.  My vet did after two hours, so it is possible that after 1 hr, he was in the normal range.  Either way, he has been perkier and not vomiting. And I'm going to monitor his stress and be aware that illness or stress could throw him into an adrenal crisis.  I am explaining his slump to myself as the stress of our early-July vacation (to the other side family's relatives).  He comes with us, but it is lots of driving and being somewhere he's only at once or twice a year.

Thanks for sharing Roo's situation, Maryann.  Grooming is definitely high stress for Porter too.  And like Roo, he's fine with fireworks?!  I'm glad the shots work well for Roo.