Diet change could help curb ‘bipolar’ dog’s aggressive outbursts
Question: I have a problem with my almost 5-year-old Shih Tzu, a rescue dog. We got him when he was 2 months old: cute and playful. But at about 6 months of age, he became aggressive. At first, it was with food and toys, and I said, “OK, we can train him.” After some training, he was fine with sharing his toys. Then came the aggressiveness when petting him.
If you pet him too long, especially on top of his head, he snaps — and I mean a full-on bite. My vet said four things: Send him back, give him away, put him on meds or put him down.
He attacks my husband and knocked him down twice (with my husband laughing). It’s not really funny; the poor dog seems depressed. I think he is bipolar. Is there help for him? Our last Shih Tzu was a very gentle soul; she passed six years ago from cancer. Our Bo is nothing like her. — L.V., Fort Myers
Answer: You certainly do have an issue living with a “bipolar” dog, as you put it — a diagnosis that is not far off the mark.
There are some breeds and individual dogs who show sudden and unpredictable aggression associated with low levels of serotonin in their brains. So I advise you to raise this issue with your veterinarian.
This should be an interesting educational journey for your family into the relatively new realm of nutrigenomics, as per the review article posted on my website, drfoxvet.net. A change in diet to one with biologically appropriate ingredients that are
USDA Certified Organic and labeled Non GMO Product Verified would be a first step. Freerange organic turkey meat would be especially good for your dog, since turkey meat is high in tryptophan, the biological precursor of serotonin. I also recommend supplementation with synthetic concentrates of tryptophan or theanine, another precursor of serotonin from plants, coupled with nutraceuticals providing essential fatty acids and the building-block for dopamine, another brainand behavior-modulating neurochemical.
You and your veterinarian might also want to consider therapeutic botanical supplements such as St John’s wort, aromatherapy with essential oils of lavender and cedar, and massage therapy as per my book, “The Healing Touch for Dogs.”