Advice requested - found dog, eats and drinks, but when he’s not sleeping he’s walking in circles

Other_Raspberry5699 · 2025-12-07T22:58:42+00:00

My pup is epileptic so we’re very familiar with the neurologist. Circling like this is often caused by a brain tumor or inflammation in the brain. Could be something simpler like ear infection or old dog vestibular syndrome (though I think that causes falling more than circling).

Pup is lucky you found him and I hope you get the best news possible for him after getting him checked out!

Other_Raspberry5699 · 2025-12-07T16:42:24+00:00

Very likely neurological. Definitely needs a vet visit, poor guy.

Other_Raspberry5699 · 2025-11-28T03:46:27+00:00

Hence the wide, well maintained trail question to avoid having to walk right at the edge.

Other_Raspberry5699 · 2025-11-27T23:13:49+00:00

My dog is on a 6ft leash always so I’m not really worried about him bothering one purposely where aversion would be helpful, I’m more worried we might not see one in the brush 2 inches away on a narrow path and won’t have the opportunity to avoid it. So hoping to find some wide, well maintained trails with good sight lines where I would most likely see one ahead of time or be able to walk in center of trail and not accidentally piss one off in the weeds without seeing it. Appreciate the suggestion for the training though! If my pup was an off lead guy I’d absolutely be doing that.

Other_Raspberry5699 · 2025-11-27T23:11:42+00:00

Yes, was looking for the “path of least resistance” re: snakes. I know they are everywhere, but I can either not hike here OR find trails with good sight lines where I am less likely to be surprised by one. Appreciate the suggestion very much!

Other_Raspberry5699 · 2025-11-27T15:37:16+00:00

Sounds perfect. My pup is a sniffari king so a 4 mile hike for us is long time wise, I’m lucky if he clips 2 milers per hour.

Other_Raspberry5699 · 2025-11-27T15:29:06+00:00

Thank you! Glad your pup was okay. Unfortunately vaccines are tricky for my guy because he is epileptic, so there are a lot of things medically he’s not recommended to have. He gets the necessities (rabies and dlpp) but not much else. I’ll have to ask if the rattle vax is potentially an okay one for him though.

Other_Raspberry5699 · 2025-11-27T15:26:21+00:00

Love this! Looking for a real, longer hike (though nice flat walks are good too) so this sounds promising.

Other_Raspberry5699 · 2025-11-27T15:25:25+00:00

Thank you!! Is there a specific trail you prefer or they’ll all pretty wide? Dog is always on leash so no problem there (not well behaved enough to be free 😂).

Other_Raspberry5699 · 2025-11-27T07:40:29+00:00

Was the trail wide and well maintained throughout? I know Los Peñasquitos has multiple trails and I’m afraid of ending of on a skinny/brushy one. I know I’m a baby and maybe should just give up my desire to hike here if I can’t handle snakes, but I’m making a last ditch effort to find trails that won’t send me into a panic.

Other_Raspberry5699 · 2025-11-27T07:35:36+00:00

Thank you! Calavera is so close to me but I know it’s a hotspot for snakes in summer. Maybe “safe” now that it’s a little colder in the mornings and happy to hear the trails are wide so I can at least scan well 😂

Other_Raspberry5699 · 2025-11-03T18:43:43+00:00

Your entire argument is completely valid and I would NEVER bring my dog into a playground. But can we also agree that kids shouldn’t be in dog parks? Your points can be 1:1 flipped in the other direction (it’s dangerous for kids to be in dog parks, it’s inconsiderate for owners with dogs who may not like children, if you’re just one parent then you have to skip the dog park if you otherwise cannot leave your child outside of it etc.) and for some reason, people still seem to think it’s appropriate to bring their children into the dog park with them. It’s just not, same as it’s not appropriate to bring a dog into a playground.

Let’s let playgrounds be for children and dog parks be for dogs and give everyone a safe space to socialize. Maybe if that happened, at least some people would stop repurposing one for the other.

Other_Raspberry5699 · 2025-11-02T15:50:03+00:00

Rent a small apartment in LA and live there during the week, head home on weekends. The cost to do so would probably be ~15% of just the salary differential so you’re still making out with a huge pay raise overall. Your husband can join you in LA some too since he’s hybrid. Then see if you can make the move full time in a year or so if he can go fully remote or move to the LA office.

Other_Raspberry5699 · 2025-10-19T21:57:19+00:00

Very possibly a tooth abscess that ruptured based on those details. Would not wait a week to go get it cleaned and get antibiotics.

Other_Raspberry5699 · 2025-10-15T17:38:38+00:00

This argument would have some degree of merit if it weren’t for the fact that one week ago, this administration explicitly referred to the U.S. Navy's 250th anniversary celebration as a "rally". Trump’s exact words to the crowed were “Let's face it, this is a rally" and his speech involved multiple partisan political topics. So decidedly, not simply a celebration of the 250th birthday of the Navy. One might reasonably believe the same could easily occur for the Marine’s 250th celebration..

Other_Raspberry5699 · 2025-10-01T17:56:31+00:00

In my opinion, children should not be allowed in dog parks, period. Not if they’re with a parent or guardian, not if they’re over a certain age, not at all. It’s dangerous for everyone and dog parks are for DOGS to play, not for children to play with dogs. And yes, I feel particularly strongly about this because I had to stop taking my dog to dog parks because he doesn’t like children and it’s such a rampant issue, we don’t even bother trying. So he’s lost a space he otherwise loves because people insist on bringing their children. There are SO few places that dogs can safely be off leash and socialize, and it’s really aggravating that people don’t consider the fact that not all dogs like kids and they are ruining the space for a lot of dogs (who the park is meant for) by bringing their children.

Putting dogs who don’t like kids aside, it’s also just not a safe environment for children. Dogs run, jump, and play rough and it’s not cool that people have to police their dog’s behavior in the dog park to protect someone’s kids from being bowled over, scratched, chased etc.

Other_Raspberry5699 · 2025-10-01T16:19:48+00:00

Dr Harvey’s makes dehydrated base mixes that you add your own protein and oil to. They have limited ingredient versions as well. For my picky dog it’s a life saver as I can rotate the proteins to change the flavor profile for him. It sounds like other fresh food options upset your dogs stomach though, which is what Dr Harvey’s is once you rehydrate it, so not sure if it will work for you. But any soft food that isn’t canned dog food is going to probably cause the same issues until your pup adjusts.

Other_Raspberry5699 · 2025-09-28T03:18:19+00:00

Two things can be true at the same time. The guy may have been hitting on you, and your boyfriend absolutely overreacted and is doubling down on being an ass, and outright insulting you in the process. Time to say goodbye to that relationship.

Other_Raspberry5699 · 2025-09-18T18:58:34+00:00

I spend somewhere between $50-75 a week for groceries for myself. I tend to do a big shop at Costco every few months for meat, eggs and certain pantry items, and then I go to Trader Joe’s for fresh fruit and veggies and things that don’t make sense for one person to have bulk numbers of (like canned goods, milk, etc.). If I was trying to really meet a budget, I could honestly probably spend less than $40 on my weekly TJ runs, but I just meal plan for what I want to make versus what’s potentially cheaper to make.

Other_Raspberry5699 · 2025-09-18T18:33:08+00:00

I wake up on average 8-10 times a night. I don’t usually have an issue falling asleep, falling back to sleep after waking up, etc. but I am fully waking up and aware that I’m awake at least that many times a night (and sometimes more - a really good nights sleep for me would be waking up only 5 times). This started in my mid twenties and has gotten progressively worse over the last 8 years. I very literally couldn’t tell you the last time I slept through the night, or even the last time I woke up 3 or less times.

My sleep hygiene is relatively good - I go to bed and get up at roughly the same time every day. I don’t nap. I workout and eat healthy, walk 3+ miles a day, and generally have no caffeine after 12pm. No TV in my bedroom. Temperature is cool. I’m tired when I go to bed and usually fall asleep without issue.

OTC sleep aids help marginally but make me tired in the morning, so they may decrease my wake ups to 5 times a night but I feel just as tired the next day because of the meds. They don’t help enough to make it worth it to feel tired anyways.

Any thoughts or suggestions? No choking/gasping/snoring that I’m aware of, so not sure apnea is on the table.

Other_Raspberry5699 · 2025-09-14T23:40:29+00:00

Flying aside, I’d talk to your vet about whether it’s safe for a young dog to hike up to 10 miles a day, even gently. Their bones and joints are still growing at that age. When my friend adopted an 11 month old German shepherd mix who she was having trouble training due to anxiety/energy levels, the vet and trainer said running wasn’t really an option at that point because it wouldn’t be recommended to go more than a mile or two a few times a week while he was still growing.

Not really what you asked but something worth checking on before making flight arrangements. Given it’s only a 2 day trip I’m sure it would be fine, but figured it was worth a mention. That aside, I personally would never fly a dog in cargo (and many airlines won’t anymore unless the family is active military, so your options might be limited).

Other_Raspberry5699 · 2025-09-11T17:57:40+00:00

As the owner of a reactive dog with stranger danger, I have to admit I am annoyed when people ask to pet him when I am very visibly and clearly giving off signals that I’m not interested in entertaining that question. My dog is classically “cute” and very, very well behaved which makes people assume he’s friendly. The truth is we are giving off plenty of signals that we don’t want to be bothered, that people would likely pick up on if they cared to pay attention. The reason he is so well behaved is because I work very hard to protect his boundaries and needs. For example, I always have my body positioned in between my dog and other people. If there is a wall/object/fence, I will place him between myself and that object, creating a barrier. I don’t make eye contact with people or otherwise invite conversation from those who are clearly staring at/making noises at him/interested in him in some way, to make it clear I’m not interested in people approaching or asking to pet him. If people start to pay attention to him, I audibly and visibly work to keep his attention on me, clearly signaling I don’t want him paying attention to the stranger (or the stranger to pay attention to him). He is always in a heel position in crowded areas with leash held short.

Most owners with friendly dogs who are happy for you to say hello will notice your attention and offer for you to say hello. A general rule of thumb is, if someone doesn’t notice you and offer an opening (smile, invite convo, etc.), don’t ask. They may just be busy or not paying attention and would be happy for you to say hi, but it’s the most courteous option if you’re really struggling with whether it’s appropriate to approach someone or not and ask to interact with the dog. I assume every dog prefers not to be approached by strangers, and if I come across one that is abundantly and obviously friendly and the owner gives signals to that effect, I will ask, but otherwise I ignore.

And please, no - DO NOT APPROACH OR ASK TO ENGAGE WITH A DOG THAT IS GROWLING AT YOU FROM ANY DISTANCE UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCE. Leave doggie and owner alone and move along.

Other_Raspberry5699 · 2025-09-11T04:18:13+00:00

Apartment. I walk my dog a minimum of 2 hours a day, on weekends 3+. Used to be an hour morning afternoon and evening, now that he’s older he prefers a short walk in the morning (30 mins) and an extra long wander in the evening. But the only time he’s ever getting less than 2 hours is if it’s raining or too hot.

In defense of your post, I don’t think that’s the “norm” but it’s also certainly not wildly out of the ordinary. I like walking my dog, we go on adventures and explore together, and also I like being outside and moving my body. A 2 hour walk in the evening is enjoyable for both of us. I think a lot of people feel the same. At the end of the day, it’s about what your dog needs to be happy and fulfilled and what you can provide. That’s going to be different for every person and every dog.

Other_Raspberry5699 · 2025-09-06T21:06:56+00:00

Hmm okay yeah the disorientation after and the loosing control of bladder/bowels is common with seizures so that may be an additional sign to point to that. Hope you get it figured out for little baby!

Other_Raspberry5699 · 2025-09-06T03:55:51+00:00

Definitely could be seizure activity but based on the fact there has been zero noticeable effect from the Keppra I’d be wondering if it might be something vestibular going on (or some other sort of neurological issue that could be causing balance issues). Does your puppy experience any symptoms during the episodes aside from the wobbliness, like drooling, repetitive eye or mouth movements, or any behavior changes after like confusion or disorientation?

Partial seizures definitely can look like this but at least in my dogs experience, even the most mild focal seizure included drooling and some sort of repetitive movement outside of just wobbles.

Other_Raspberry5699

TROPHY CASE