Whimpering for attention

First, hey everybody -- I'm the same puglouie from PV.

Second, my oldest pug, Louie, is on a medicine that makes him slightly jumpy. It's a bronchodilator and he has to be on it because he's having some issues that caused him to cough constantly. This medicine in the current dose has really helped him immensely. However, the side effect is it makes him nervous and on top of that, to help him breathe better, we've put him on a diet. And if there's a pug who is more food-motivated than our Louie, I'd like to meet him him. Seriously, I'm sure he would eat himself to death if given the chance.

The problem is that he's hungry all the time (or thinks he's hungry) and he's also a bit nervous (from the meds) and he whimpers ALL evening. We've taken him to the vet on numerous occasions and he tests out fine -- doesn't seem to be in any specific pain. So we're pretty sure this is a behavioral thing. The question is what do we do about it? I can't go on like this. His constant crying is affecting everybody -- even Chamuco, our younger pug, who has suddenly become more aggressive.

My husband has started squirting Louie with a water bottle when he whimpers. The result is he runs away from him, down the hallway to see me and then runs back into the kitchen (where my husband is either cooking) or the living room (when he's reading the newspaper after dinner) and whimpers again. He gets another spray of water. And the whole thing starts over again. If he thinks you have food, he will RUN not walk behind you or dart into the kitchen like an agility pug so we know he's not feeling that poorly physically. He's always been very pushy and has a very strong pug-like persistent personality -- I'm sure it's also becoming more notable as he gets older just like in people.

Has anyone here experienced this behavior in their pug? And/or does anyone have any suggestions on how to control this behavior or how we can try to convince him to modify it. I've asked the vet for some Xanax but she doesn't want to give him any more meds. He does take a cough syrup that's supposed to make him drowsy but it's not enough to counter this behavior which I think is largely learned now. We're also halving his dose at dinner hoping that will help too. Wondering if there's a natural remedy we could give him to "calm" him down somewhat, especially at night.

One thing that works intermittently is giving him and Chamuco bully sticks, but lately they've been a) fighting over them (even though they both get one each) and b) Louie will give up on them before too long and then it's back to whining again. I wish there was something soft they could chew on that wouldn't add calories or potentially break off and choke them. (I'm going to invent one in my free time LOL).

Your advice/suggestions/etc. would be welcome. Thanks!

This sounds rough. Poor puggie.

I have to say, I don't think the squirt bottle is going to help. I would probably stop that one right away. We have a squirt bottle, but it rarely comes out, and only in instances where the entire pack gets worked up. I would hate to use it daily.

Secondly, have you given him green beans and pumpkin in his dinner? This might help him feel more full, without adding a lot of calories. One of the pugs I fostered, Frank, was obese. I mean, seriously over weight. We had great success with giving him green beans and pumpkin with his kibble, if you use kibble. You could also try a different kind of food.

Are you spending enough time with him, maybe walking him, so he can work on not feeling so anxious? It sounds like he is trying to get attention, and needs to be reassured.

Could the cough syrup be having the opposite effect on him, and making him more hyper? Is there sugar in the syrup? Does he need it for his condition, or are you trying to use it to help calm him down?

He's on a very specific diet as he has food allergies that affect his skin. Yes, he gets pumpkin with every meal. I will try the green beans thing. As far as the squirt bottle, that's not my preference.

Also, I forgot to add to anyone who doesn't already know my Louie, he's completely deaf. I'm sure this is adding to his overall behavior. He's been deaf in one of his ears for years but completely deaf for about a year and a half now. He seems to be find with it but it also makes it harder to control his behavior as we can't talk to him -- we have to touch him (which means getting up constantly to tap him on the butt or the tail to give him some attention and love).

By the way, the cough medicine is part of his daily regimen. No sugar added. It's just the pure meds.

Hey Elizabeth, welcome to PA. I'm the same THMINIS from PV (you probably don't remember me) and am one of Louie's (and Chamuco's) many admirers.

I'm sorry you guys are going through this with him. I know Louie's had some tough times in the last year or so. It's unfortunate that the meds that are helping Louie with the cough seem to be causing other issues.

I don't have too much to offer, but I did also think of the green bean thing to add to his food without adding many calories. My experience with this is both my pugs will not usually eat green beans. If I steam them over water with a tiny (i'm talking TINY) amount of chicken/beef stock/boullion then sometimes they will. I know you said Louie has some allergies (so does my Reggie), so not sure what your options are there. I will say that my two will kill for brocolli. Not sure where the calorie count lies compared to green beans, but I can imagine brocolli is still pretty low.

How much does Louie eat a day and how often does he eat? If you're adding green beans, would be maybe be an idea to feed an extra time a day? (Not more food, but add green beans and feed maybe 3 times daily instead of 2). I know pugs generally eat a small enough amount that 3 times may be too small amounts of kibble for them to feel full, so it might be pointless. I also have no idea what this would do to an adult pug's potty schedule.

Can he have low fat plain yogurt? What about freezing some in some sort of kong item to offer him? If he really can't have a lot, could you add water to make the yogurt go further, and rig some freezer item up? You'd probably only want to give him that where he can make a mess (outside, mud room, etc).

So again, sorry if I wasn't much help. I'll definitely keep thinking and let you know if any ideas pop in my head. Good luck with Louie!

Good advice already Elizabeth (and welcome over here!) but I would push the vet for Xanax or something similar. Chamuco would definitely be reacting to Louie's distress, unfortunately. Also, and Blanche should chime in here with her experience with older dogs having anxiety issues - maybe it's a senility thing? I know the meds for this condition seem to work wonders.

As to the hunger, why not make him up a kind of dog "jello". Use a small amount of beef stock and water with gelatine and when it's set, chop it into bite size bits - no calories but a full tummy! You could also mix his normal food in with it to dramatically increase the volume but not the calories.

Good luck, I hope you find a solution!

Oh, I think I like Rona's idea of dog jello...I can't see why he couldn't have that (other than potential allergies).

And to also echo Rona, a mild anxiety medication might be worth a shot (unless it wouldn't mix well with the cough meds). I'm exhausted so I totally didn't think of it, but I have a pug (though she's only 4 yrs old) on an anxiety medication daily. Bella is on Alprazolam a few times a day. She has anxiety for no reason. We've tried the exercise/mental stimulation to exhaustion - didn't work (she's also really fearful of being outside...she has some issues). BUT, at the same time, the biggest reason she's on the meds are so we can actually get her to hear us so we can train her. Up until she was 3 years old, she literally only would learn how to sit. I could *never* get her to learn a lay down command. First night on the Alprazolam, she was focused and learned it in 20 minutes.

Sorry for the semi side track. Rona's post made me think a bit.

Poor guy, deaf and allergies! Sounds like you have put thought into every thing.

Green beans are a good idea, and I love the dog gelatin idea. I've never heard of that.

Good luck with your puggie.

I LOVE the Jello idea! That's a great one!

I would suggest MORE pumpkin with each meal, but if he will eat veggies, that's another great choice. Stay away from carrots though - high in sugar.

Oh, and GREAT to see you here!

Welcome Elizabeth, good to see you here.

Poor little Louie, now you are starving him!!! LOL

seriously though, Bella, our deaf and blind pug whines too. she is not hungry for sure, but she was blind when we rescued her, and when she went deaf about a yr later is when the whining started, unless she is beside me or on the couch. Is there a possibility that Louie is losing some vision? Because the loss of both (or comprised both) would certainly create anxiety. All meds do have side effects though, and giving one to helps his breathing, and then one to calm him down etc can sometimes do more harm than good. I am a great advocate of only giving what is absolutely neccessary.

ON the food, I don't know Louie's allergies, or what diet you have him on now. I do know that mine are on home cooking, and since I have been doing that (3 yrs) I have had much less trouble with weight issues (pugs not me) and can feed them more food and they feel more satisfied.

Hope you get it worked out, Louie has been through enough for sure.

Again welcome. Hugs Joan

I think the addition of green beans is a great suggestion. Tyson is on a daily dose of prednisone, which increases his appetite immensely, so he gets green beans with his dinner.
The other thing I thought of with the anxiety, is possibly going a natural route. I think it was Lisa that posted this a while back: Sleepytime Tonic

Wanted to share an update on this situation. In consultation with the vet, we decided to lower Louie's dose of the bronchodilator to half at night. This seems to have done the trick and Louie is whimpering a lot less than before. He also had a very bad fungal infection on his skin which we've had a devil of a time getting healed up. We decided to be more aggressive about it and we're giving him ketoconazole in pill form once a day for that (as well as weekly shampoos of the specific area with medicated soap). It's cleared up amazingly fast and I can tell he's much more comfortable. Plus his fur is softer than ever. Win-win!

Thanks for your advice. Louie is remarkable. He just takes a licking a keeps on ticking. Lucky for us.

Great news Elizabeth! Louie is such a special little guy.

Excellent news, Elizabeth! Hugs to Mr. Louie.

Good news for you and Mr. Louie! He's such a special guy. I've always had a soft spot for him.

Welcome over here, Elizabeth, and glad to hear he's happier.