BehavioRx Case of the Month
for March 2001

Let Sleeping Dogs Lie, but that's not all.

The clients were young newlyweds who had gotten a male Jack Russell Terrier as a 6-week old puppy. When he was 9 months old, they were referred by their eveterinarian for help. The complaint: "Hondo's" constant spinning and his general behavior, which they said was "virtually uncontrollable." When he was about 7 months of age the dog started having what the couple called "nightmares." He would whine, yip and wretch about as he slept on his little bed next to his owners. The husband found the only way to get a night's rest was to wake up the dog, which he did for about 6 weeks. During this period the dog developed the problem behavior. He also started barking excessively when left alone in the apartment. His veterinarian said Hondo, who was not neutered, had no health problems.

When we first visited them, the husband had been sleeping with the dog on the floor for three weeks! The dog had been put into a closet in preparation for my arrival. When the closet door was opened, I witnessed a genuine canine Whirling Dervish; Hondo spun, raced over to me, jumped on my lap, then onto the wife's lap, then the husband's, then got down for some more spinning, etc., etc.  When Hondo's dreaming came up during the consultation, the cause of the problem began to emerge --- the husband had been systematically driving his dog nuts! When the couple appreciated the need for uninterrupted REM sleep, they wisely suggested they try some ear plugs for a week or two.

The Nutritional Connection

Hondo was also eating a high-carbohydrate (mostly corn) diet, which we switched during four days to a high-protein/low-carbohydrate diet, supplemented with the recommended daily allowance of vitamin B-complex and 500mg of niacinamide, a key amino acid constituent in treating pellagra, a disease associated with Black Tongue in dogs, but which also has mental side-effects in dogs and humans. Nervousness, irritability and anxiety are among pellagra's symptoms. After three days on the new diet, Hondo calmed down markedly during the day. During the week the spinning and barking stopped. After ten days, the couple couldn't stand the suspense any longer... they left their ear plugs and enjoyed a good night's rest. Hondo's prolonged, noisy dreams stopped, too; although he did show some normal rapid eye movement.

The message is clear: Let dreaming dogs lie; and feed your dog like he/she is just that, a dog... a meat-eating carnivore!

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