The Wandering Pug

I think Jake is an epileptic. I'm sort of freaking out right now.

In the past few days, his demeanor has changed completely. He's restless, he barks randomly in the middle of the night, he licks compulsively, and he appears confused. As I write this he's walking around the living room in circles. Anyone who knows my dog knows that he spends at least 15 hours a day cuddled up next to me on the couch. He's NOT an active dog at all. He's not acting like himself at all and I'm very concerned.

We're going to be taking him to the vet to get him checked out, but I have a feeling that we already know the answer. He's had some seizures in the past. He got a particularly nasty head injury after falling off our bad a few years ago, and ever since he'll get about one or two seizures a year. The vets have always said this can be somewhat normal with pugs and that it's by no means an emergency. It's almost like he KNOWS it's going to happen...does that make sense?

This dog is my baby. He's been my mama's boy since we got him. I cannot bear the idea that he's in pain. I hope he's not. More to come after we can get him into the vet. Keep your fingers crossed. Be sure to send Mr. Pigwidgeon all the pixie dust you can muster!

GPS: Grumpy Pug Syndrome

Greetings Mousekateers!

Tonight I'm going to go a little OT (off topic) to ask a question to my dog owning friends.

I'm starting to notice a little trend in my beloved Mr. Pig. We've had Jake since February of 2007. He was a rescue from the Northern IL Pug Rescue (which is absolutely amazing. Please consider adopting one of their fantastic pugs or making a donation- they really are just a fabulous rescue.) He was 8 years old when we adopted him and was already owned by 2 different families. While we don't know a ton about his first home, we do know that he was abused. He is blind in one eye due to a wood object (stick, pencil) going through his eye. In his second home, he was dearly loved, but since he had marking issues, they had to give him up. Apparently people don't like having their baby twins peed on for some reason.

I say all of this because I think it may have something to do with this new little streak I'm seeing in him. When we first got him, he was incredibly social. He loved everyone and would happily play with our nieces and nephew with no hesitation. He's let them pull on his ears and tail with no problem at all. However, in the past few months he's become even MORE of a Mama's boy. Now, this isn't too big of a deal for me- I love cuddling with my sweet puggy. The downside is that I've noticed that he has virtually no interest in anyone who isn't Chad or myself. He's become a lot more protective of us and barks at everyone (including the other animals) who dares come near us while on his turf. He's becoming what I never thought he would: a crotchety old man.

Has anyone else experienced this with their dog? He's now roughly 12 years old, so he is an older dog. He would love nothing more than to cuddle up to Chad or I all day and not move a muscle, when he used to love to play and chase his tail. Summer had even stopped trying to play with him- she probably figured out that she's barking up the wrong tree (get it?).

So, is this to be expected? Should I be concerned? Any advice is appreciated!