Do dogs have panic attacks?

Dr. Marie replied:

Sorry to hear that Bambi is having these incidents. These can sometimes be difficult to figure out, but I'll give you my thoughts.

We don't tend to see panic attacks in dogs. I'm sure they can happen, but usually the type of thing that you are describing can be connected to some sort of a physical problem.

One possible physical problem could be some back pain. Do you ever notice Bambi having trouble jumping up onto things or doing stairs? It's possible she has some mild back pain and then occasionally has some spasms.

The next possibility is if Bambi has a problem with her anal glands. These glands sit on either side of the anus and can fill up with debris. Sometimes they can make a dog feel very uncomfortable.

Some type of stomach cramping is possible as well. Can you connect the incidents to happening after she has had a particular type of treat or new food?

It's a difficult problem to pinpoint if it only happens once every few days. I think it if continues it's probably a good idea to have your vet take a look at her. They can check her thoroughly for anything that could be causing sporadic pain such as a back or anal gland problem.

Dr. Marie

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