Dramatic doodle question

[Rebecca bratter]

Has anyone experienced a very dramatic reaction coupled with loud whining when your doodle is injured or thinks she's injured?  My 5 month old aussie doodle Madiba has had this issue almost since we got her at 10 weeks . The first 2 weeks we had her my husband stepped on her paw by mistake while playing around and she sat down on the ground wide eyed and started shrieking to the point where people thought we were abusing her.  She soon calmed down but she would forget her paw hurt and when she ran on it it hurt her and she would go through the same routine.  It has happened to us in a few other instances.  A dog rolled her in the dog park and she wasn't hurt but did the same routine and everyone came running and all the other dogs started barking.  Once when she was sleeping under a table, we moved a chair and it did not land on her paw but it grazed her paw and woke up shrieking the point where someone threatened to call the police on us for abuse.  The she stopped and was fine.  

Today in the dog park she was doing her usual crazy herding run in the puppy area, one dog got rough with her rolled her and as she was running away she wasn't looking and ran right into a park bench.  She fell on the ground and started shrieking and whining and basically shut down the dog park, everyone came running and all play stopped.  She was obviously stunned from the impact.  We took her to a quiet space so she could calm down and we could check if she was injured but I didn't want to take her out of the park immediately so she wouldn't associate it with bad things or being fearful.  

We let her stay a while longer but she was limping so we left.  She walked ok just a slight limp but she wanted to run again and chase balls, when let her run on the carpet in our hall but she started shrieking again so we know her paw hurts.  Now we are home and I have put pressure on her bad paw, she doesn't react but she still has a slight limp.  We will take her to the vet tomorrow when we see if she feels a bit better but does anyone else experience this shrieking heart breaking cry when your doodle experiences pain or maybe a sensation that she has never experienced before?  It can happen anytime and besides feeling heartbroken that she could be in pain, it's really embarassing. 

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I think you have two issues here. One is that your girl is a drama queen who makes a fuss over every little bump or owie. I had a miniature poodle just like that. 

But just because a dog always makes a huge fuss over everything doesn't mean that sometimes she isn't really hurt. In the case of the limping, she may have pulled or even torn a ligament or tendon in her leg or knee. The shrieking doesn't mean it's the paw that's hurt, it means that it hurts her to run. Pressing on the paw itself wouldn't necessarily produce a reaction, since it would likely be the leg rather than the paw that's causing pain and producing the limp. I'd try to limit her activity overnight and if she's still favoring the leg and not putting weight on it (limping) tomoroow, I'd get her in to the vet. Hope it improves by itself.

[Ricki and Tara (doodle)]

Tara is a sensitive girl too. When she was a pup she shrieked if she was injured and also if she was scared.  It was hard to know how bad she was hurt at times and I just hated that she was so terrified.  We had our neighbors come flying out of their houses a time or two thinking that she was being killed but she never did have a serious injury.   She is 4 years old now and has only shrieked once in the last few years when she run into some cement blocks with her shoulder.  So Madiba may outgrow it somewhat too as she matures and life isn't so scary to her.

I agree with Karen that the leg may require a vet check if she continues to limp on it but I hope it resolves on its own soon.

[Nancie & Gracie Doodle]

When my Gracie Doodle was a pup and she collided with another dog, wall, chair or something unexpected she would fall to the ground, act paralyzed and scream to the point you thought she was dying!  The first time she was 9 weeks old and my friend scooped her up and jumped in my car and I ran her to the vet (just a few blocks from my house).  By the time we got there she was walking fine.  The vet thought maybe she had stepped on a bee on our lawn where we were playing. It wasn't a bee sting though.  This would happen again periodically when she was playing rough and we figured out that she was scared.  I think an initial "bonk" hurts and they don't know what pain is yet so they over react by shreaking.  I eventually would just go to her and reassure her she was fine and then she would get up and continue where she left off.  It was sort of like she had the wind knocked out of her and reacted to it.  When my daughter brought down her Rhodesian Ridgeback puppy the same thing.  Gracie and Luna were playing and Gracie got a little too rough and Luna froze on the ground shreaking.  My daugher was ready to go into panic mode and I told her to wait a minute and she would be fine...because I had seen the "bonk" and knew there was nothiing wrong with her other than fright because of the sensation of momentary pain.  I have since seen this many times with puppies.  My neighbor has a new Visila and the same thing.  She ran into Gracie's leg and had the same reaction.  You do always want to make sure they are not really hurt, but most of the time you can see it coming.  If play gets too rough, then give them a time out for a while.  Gracie outgrew this...it was just a puppy thing.  But, I guess if you were to coddle and over react every time, it could become an attention getter!

[Christine & Camus]

I had a male "Drama Queen," named Einstein.  One time while playing and jumping he started to cry out in what seemed to be obvious pain.  I rushed him to the vet and everywhere the vet touched him cried, so he was taken in for x-rays.  The vet came out and said "I have good news and bad news.  The good news is Einstein is fine, he probably pulled a muscle, the bad news is you have a rather big bill for x-rays."  He also said that Einstein was a very sensitive dog.  No kidding!  Camus, on the other hand broke a bone in his paw and never even whimpered.  So my advice is to error on the safe side and go to the vet.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I have the same thing, Christine. Last dog put on an Oscar winning performance if you bumped her slightly. JD tore off all of the pads on both front paws at the dog park and I discovered it when we got home an hour later and he couldn't walk. 

[Christine & Camus]

JD's paws had to hurt.  I know dogs do not reason, but sometimes I have to wonder.  Both JD an Camus were rescued as older dogs and neither cried out when in pain. 

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

JD will do anything to hide it when he is in pain. That's a survival instinct in dogs, but it makes me very sad. My miniature poodle was the most confident dog in the world, and she had no problem complaining. 

[Lonnie & Libby Lu]

Karen, Libby does the same thing.  If she gets hurt,  stepped on, etc. she immediately comes to us and gives us kisses and kisses and paw hugs like she has done something wrong.  One night I accidently rolled on her side in bed ( I know she sleeps wih us) and I felt I really hurt her stomach and she yelped very strongly and got right up and started kissing me like crazy and once again like she had done wrong.  This makes us both feel so bad for her and guilty.  Is this normal?

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Yes;  In the wild, being sick or injured makes a dog vulnerable, as it makes them a liability to the pack. So when she kisses you she is trying to make sure you know she's okay.

[Lonnie & Libby Lu]

 Thanks Karen, that makes me feel better!  I have never had a dog do this before, but then again I have never had a Doodle:)  

[Christine & Camus]

I didn't think of the survival instinct, but it certainly makes sense.  Camus is not the most confident dog.  I wish there was something more I could do to build his confidence, but he is more confident than he use to be. Several people have commented on what a happy dog he is.

[April Cliber]

This doesn't really answer your question but is important to note.  Karen touched on it when she said, "JD will do anything to hide it when he is in pain. That's a survival instinct in dogs...."

I would not take her to a dog park again, at least not until/if she stops screaming when she is hurt.  It's a big risk, IMO.  When a dog is shrieking, it puts all other dogs on high alert and can start a "survival of the fittest" fight.  Bigger dogs can attempt to "take out" a smaller dog that is hurt.  Once this starts, it is very difficult to gain control of the situation.  I saw this happen once at a dog park.  It was awful!!