Cushing’s Disease
Other symptoms include:
If an older dog starts circling, they might be suffering from Cushing’s disease. This happens when a dog’s body makes too much of the hormone cortisol, causing the body to have a negative response.
This often includes excessive thirst and appetite, reduced activity, weight fluctuation, and excessive panting.
The hormone imbalance interferes with your dog’s ability to produce energy from food, which affects all parts of the body including the brain. Behavioral changes often accompany the syndrome, and circling and pacing are among the most common.
Current treatments for Cushing’s disease are largely experimental and it tends to be progressive.
How Do I Stop My Dog From Walking Around In Circles?
If you want to stop your dog walking in circles, you need to determine the cause. It is often a symptom of medical conditions such as an ear infection or brain injury that require professional treatment.
However, circling can also be a sign of anxiety. This is often caused by a traumatic experience or not having appropriate outlets for their energy. If your vet thinks your dog’s circling is caused by anxiety, there are several things you can do to try and improve the situation.
This includes giving them more physical exercise – so more walks – but also more mental stimulation. Invest in puzzle toys to keep them occupied when you aren’t around. If they are confined to a small space during certain periods of the day, see if there is something you can do to move them to a bigger space or have someone come and take them for a walk to shorten their time in confinement.
Pain or Anxiety
If you’re still asking yourself, ‘Why is my old dog walking in circles?’, the answer could be pain or anxiety. Pain can also lead to anxiety which can become especially bad if your dog is the anxious type.
How to diagnose: An old dog walking in circles and panting is likely to be anxious or in pain. Other signs of pain and anxiety are aggression, excessive barking, house soiling, agitation, growling, hiding, and shallow breathing.
Is it serious: Pain is a sign that something is wrong with the body, so your dog’s condition could either be serious or nothing to worry about, depending on the cause of the pain.
How to treat: Let the vet determine the source of the pain and begin proper treatment. Calm anxiety using exercise, massage, and gentle petting. Learn more about senior dog anxiety and natural remedies.
Turning Circles: A Sign of Dementia in Dogs
But it turns out, they’re often just trying to relieve pain in their hips or other joints.