Toby's Packmates are Attacking Him

Why were my dogs attacking Toby when he was in seizure?

     
     "I think Toby has epilepsy," Lourdes told me one afternoon. She described a scene I could not fathom: that of our second Dalmatian Toby convulsing on the floor then getting up groggily after the episode. Spot and Toby had been going to the vet at that time because of a persistent ear itch. Spot's ear scratching, it turned out, was due to a fungal infection. Toby's was bacterial.
      But at our next follow-up visit, I forgot to inform the vet about this new development of Toby. I hadn't seen whatever it was Lourdes was telling me about. How could I describe it to the vet?
      One afternoon, however, I saw it. We were downstairs when I suddenly heard Lourdes shouting and shooing off the dogs. I looked in her direction and saw Toby from afar, down on his side, eyes open, legs paddling. I called all the dogs to go upstairs.
      This was a new issue to bring up to the vet, of course, so the next day I loaded the two Dalmatians in my SUV for a trip to the vet hospital (Spot comes along for "moral support"). Toby's case was looked into.

Toby (left) nudges heads with Spot (right) while napping. I hope we find the solution to his ailment. It is heart rending to watch a dog in seizure.

      It's more challenging to subject a sensitive dog, like Toby, to tests. During the blood sampling the timing is crucial. Before the whites of the dog's eyes show up (indicating fear), we have to distract him with a mouthwatering whiff of barbecued meats which we always bring along (our vet survival kit). Sometimes we cover his eyes so he does not see the bending of the vet and assistant around him. We try to keep his nose busy, his mind distracted. I stay apart, giving Dominic instructions, as I see the process from afar so I can gauge the timing of our "barbecue" intervention. Too many heads concerned around Toby could make the dog anxious. I remind Dominic to stay calm.

      Finally, blood sampling, ecg, and x-ray later, we got some analysis. The dog's creatinine level was high. He also had water in the lungs. His heart was enlarged.

      Toby got his first prescription medicine: phenobarbital. He also got some medicines for his heart and a diuretic to make him urinate more often, to get the fluids out of his body.
      The phenobarbital worked well, the dog ceased to have any episodes for a whole month. But the vet had to reduce the dosage after a month because pheno can be addictive and its residues can damage the liver. On a reduced phenobarbital dosage, Toby's seizures returned and I saw one up close.  

      The dog was lounging under my worktable while I was at the computer beside it. Suddenly I heard him shake his head violently from side to side, the way dogs do when they shake themselves dry. I saw the dog on his elbows and flinging his head side to side with such intensity. That caught my attention. Ordinarily, a dog would shake his head 3 to 4 times. But Toby was doing it many times with no slowing down. Then the dog fell on his side and the convulsion started. I called Lourdes to lead the other dogs downstairs.

      I stayed at Toby's side as I watched the seizure. The dog's eyes bulged open in fear. I had read enough about seizures to know he feels no pain. But his joints were locked and he foamed at the mouth as his body contracted with spasms. The convulsion lasted less than a minute. Then the dog drunkenly tried to get up. He was disoriented and his balance was shot. But he strove to find a corner where he could hide or rest, like go to his corner at the back of the house.
     Before he got to the back of the house, Toby saw Lourdes and approached her for assurance, his balance more steady. Soon after that, he seemed alright, as if nothing happened.

Happy times. Spot (left) and Toby (right) chase each other at a friend's farm in Silang, Cavite.

      It was our problem with the other dogs that started my inquest. Lourdes claimed the other dogs attack Toby when he's convulsing. The first time he had an episode, according to her, the dogs were alone in the house and she was downstairs. When she heard the dogs barking in commotion, she went upstairs to see Toby writhing on the floor, the other dogs nipping at his legs. She immediately concluded Toby was having an epileptic seizure and that the other dogs were biting him. She shooed them all away.
   I went online to visit several sites about this. How do you manage other dogs when they see their packmate down with seizure? Toby's episodes were unpredictable. What would happen if the dog has a convulsion and none of us were around? Would the other dogs attack him? I was saddened at the loss of my best mentor, Fred Alimusa, the country's top dog behaviorist who had died two years earlier. I wanted a professional explanation of the dogs' behavior, not just speculation from dog owners.
    The sites I visited had many posts from dog owners claiming their other dogs had gone for the kill when one of their pack members had gone down with a seizure. I was sad to hear that. What will I do with Toby? Rehome him? The dog is attached to Lourdes.

     One morning, I was taking a shower when I heard a commotion outside. I heard Lourdes yelling and yelling for her son, Dominic. I knew what was going on. Toby was having a seizure. I heard Lourdes screaming at the dogs. Later I heard a loud whacking sound as I heard her continue to yell. She was hitting one of the dogs. Then I heard Toby yelping. Oh my God. He's being attacked.

      By the time I got out of the shower, Lourdes and Dominic were able to separate the dogs. I saw Toby sweaty and bloodied. He was still groggy. Dominic was keeping the other dogs outside.
      Something was so wrong. Now the other dogs seemed to be getting into the kill.

     For several days I thought about what happened and analyzed it carefully. Maybe something was here. I remembered the movie, Eight Below starring the late Paul Walker, about 8 sled dogs abandoned at the South Pole for several months until rescued. The movie featured the life of a pack of dogs left to themselves. There was no violence there. Whenever a packmate was injured one of his pack members stayed behind to keep him company until the former died.

      Then why were my dogs attacking Toby when he was in seizure?

     They didn't attack him the first time when none of us were around. Maybe they nipped his legs to try to make him get up?

      What was the difference now? What made the dogs inflict injury to the downed dog?

      The cause was Lourdes.

      Lourdes was in hysteria. The other dogs had gotten excited because of her and had ganged up on Toby.

      If I follow the oft-repeated teachings of the Mexican dog whisperer in the US, Cesar Millan, dogs reflect the sentiments of their owner. If the owner is emotional, dogs easily get excited under that influence. That's why in the face of a stressful situation, it's extremely important for the owner to stay calm. To show leadership, the owner must stay calm and be assertive of authority. Dogs naturally obey a calm and assertive person, identifying him to be their leader. That's how they are in their natural pack and that's wired in their genes.
     Following that direction of thought, I theorized that the dogs, being highly protective, had gotten excited by Lourdes's hysterical behavior. They got into the kill because Toby's behavior had upset Lourdes and they wanted to "protect" her. Lourdes, meanwhile, in her highly emotional state, was in no position to display the leadership qualities of a calm and assertive authority. She could not control Spot, who had started to inflict serious injuries to Toby in his excitement.

      During the Christmas break, Toby had more frequent seizures, much to my disappointment. The vet had decided to concentrate on the dog's ear infection, a suspect in triggering the seizures. He took the phenobarbital off. One afternoon, I had just arrived when I heard the familiar sound of Toby shaking his head violently a few meters away from me. I saw him fall on his side at the doorway a few meters away from where I was standing. This was my chance to test my theory. I cleared the space around the convulsing dog and kept calm. I called to Dolor to hold off the dogs who were at the back of the house with her waiting for meal time. But Toto came. He saw Toby writhing on the floor and a growl emanated from his throat. He was about to approach the downed dog when I immediately took my stand of authority. "Halt!" I commanded firmly, as I stood straight, holding my palm upwards at him, like a traffic cop.

      Toto backed off.

      Toby was able to pass his episode and later rested on the floor where he fell. I kept him under my watch as I spoke to him soothingly. Later, as he felt better, the dog strove to get up, struggled a bit with his balance, but recovered soon after.

      I hope this theory is the solution. I've read way too many posts in many websites from dog owners claiming their convulsing dog got attacked by their other dogs. But I did read one post about how one owner sent his other dogs to their crates while their packmate was in seizure. The latter was able to pass his episode unharmed. 

      I told Lourdes NEVER to panic when she sees Toby in seizure and the other dogs happen to be nearby. But I don't know if she will be able to do this. I don't know if she will be able to command Spot to back off. I only hope until we find the solution to Toby's ailment, his episodes will occur under manageable circumstances, i.e. when I'm at home to command the dogs.

     

Toby during his younger days. He's a purebred, unlike Spot who has a small Labrador mix, but is also visually appealing. .