Accepted Answer

Hello and thanks for researching this very important question!

An older dog that is coping with a flea infestation may do this behavior if the spinal cord is arthritic and too painful for the dog to turn and scratch directly.

Dogs can also become obsessive-compulsive...repeating a behavior over-and-over again to relieve anxiety or stress.

However, his hiding behavior is a bit more concerning. Dogs can develop a number of neurologic (brain) "side effects" from illnesses such as hypothyroidism, liver or kidney disease, Cushing's Disease, and diabetes. These illnesses are diagnosed by having some simple blood tests run, and should be ruled out first for a dog whose behavior has changed dramatically. Rapid weight loss when no diet has been instituted can be a sign of illness in the body organs.

Slow-growing brain tumors can also lead to strange changes in behavior and temperament, and may induce the brain to have small seizure episodes. Dogs can have many many kinds of seizures, but they have no complete control over their bodies until an electrical episode has passed.

 

There is also now what we are coming to know as a kind of dog senility called "Canine Cognitive Dysfunction". Symptoms include loss of attention to familiar people, failure to concentrate, difficulty with holding urine or stool (including voiding in the wrong places and/or not alerting you to their need to go outside), and other strange behaviors such as standing in a corner all day, hiding in a strange place, going to the food dish and not eating, inappropriate aggression, or getting "lost" in familiar surroundings. Symptoms are often worse at night, some dogs even switch their entire day-night schedule or cry all night.

 

This condition seems to be caused by a decrease in a brain hormone that can be replaced by giving a medication called L-deprenyl (the brand name Anipryl is quite expensive, but the human generic "selegiline" is very affordable). This condition is progressive and worsens over time; treatment can reverse early signs and slow down the damage so that a dog can live a more normal geriatric life, but the lifespan is considerably shortened as brain systems progressively shut down or become badly dysfunctional.

 

Here is some additional information:

http://www.cdsindogs.com/.

 

If treating him for flea irritation does not help, then do have him re-examined by the veterinarian who can help you figure out why he is getting "stuck" in these behaviors.

 

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Expert:	Gen B.
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Answered:	8/16/2009

Retired Veterinary Technician

Lhasa,Shih Tzu Breeder/ B.A.Neurophysiology & Animal Behavior/I use plain English!