# Does your dog know when you are sick?



## lisgje (Sep 3, 2010)

My previous Shepherd, Shane, always knew when I was sick and would try and cuddle, be very attentive and loving, even as a puppy. However, Chance, is not like that. He seems to be the opposite when I am sick. He is now 15 months old and am wondering if this is inherited behaviour or if he will learn as he gets older to pick up on this. He wants to guard, but will not calm down when I am sick,(ie. sitting on me while I am in bed trying to sleep and sitting straight up and barking at anything outside) I end up having to put him in his crate or I get no rest. Is that his way of taking care of me? and if it is, how do I get him to be a little more gentle? We have no other behaviour issues.


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## Elaine (Sep 10, 2006)

Fortunately, my dogs are good about knowing when I'm sick or have a migraine and quickly go lie down and are quiet. Even my fosters always seem to pick up on it right away; maybe they are just copying my dogs reactions.


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## lisgje (Sep 3, 2010)

I wish Chance would learn that. Hoping it is just because of his age. Does anyone else have this problem? How can I teach him to be more "sensitive" to when I am sick.


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## DCluver33 (May 27, 2010)

i'm with Elaine, Dodger always knows when I have a migraine or am sick. Molly not so much, she still barks and that makes my Migraine worse usually.


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## ZebsMommy (Dec 4, 2010)

Zeb has always been aware of me, even as a puppy. This normal bundle of energy will lie down with me, put his head on my chest and not move for hours. When we had the baby he knew she was sick before I did. He just laid next to her and whimpered at me, I felt her and she had a fever! Brought her right to the doctors but would not have known as soon as I did had it not been for him. 

I would just pet him and tell him it's ok very softly while you are not feeling well, feed treats for calm and praise softly. that is what I do. I will talk with him inbetween sleeping when I'm not well. He just listens to me while I talk and it soothes both of us.


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## Stosh (Jun 26, 2010)

I've had bronchitis all week so Stosh knows I sound really weird. I never ever sleep during the day but on Wed I had bad chills and felt cold so I got in bed to warm up. Stosh just sat at the door staring at me-- he couldn't figure out what was going on! He finally laid down with his chin on his paws watching me. He's been very protective and checks me out all over to make sure I'm ok. Such a sweet boy--guess he's paying me back


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## lisgje (Sep 3, 2010)

So nice to hear those stories! Thinking Chance just needs to grow up a bit and I will try soothing him by talking and treats next time I am sick. He just gets so wound up when our routine changes if I am sick. I think he gets overly protective and maybe confused. He was sick for so long and I was always taking care of him, it may be hard for him to deal with me being "weak" and he is being overly protective and maybe a bit stressed when I get sick?


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## Caitydid255 (Aug 28, 2010)

Freyja seems to know when I'm sick. She gets extremely clingy and protective. I usually have to make sure she understands that my mother's bumbling collie is of no danger to me. In December I had a sinus infection that spread until I blew an eardrum. Freyja was always by my side and would place herself between me and the wall so I wouldn't slowly drift into it from my lack of balance. I ended up using her to guide me through the house until I regained a sense of balance.:wub:


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## doggiedad (Dec 2, 2007)

i think some can tell when we're sick and others not so much.


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## Lilie (Feb 3, 2010)

lisgje said:


> So nice to hear those stories! Thinking Chance just needs to grow up a bit and I will try soothing him by talking and treats next time I am sick. He just gets so wound up when our routine changes if I am sick. I think he gets overly protective and maybe confused. He was sick for so long and I was always taking care of him, it may be hard for him to deal with me being "weak" and he is being overly protective and maybe a bit stressed when I get sick?


In the world according to 'Lilie'....I think that your Chance does know that you are feeling poorly, but it confuses him. He might think that if you follow his lead..jump up and play..you would feel better. He doesn't know how to fix you, although he really wants to. So he gets nervous and acts even worse. Try to follow his thought process, and see if you can reassure him that you are ok. See if that settles him.


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

Last night at training the instructor started choking. Karlo went over immediately to her and checked her out. We have only trained with her 2 times and he was just warming up to her finally last night. This is private lessons/ in a quiet venue. It was amazing how he keyed in on her. He is usually very aloof. 
I am never sick, but if/when I take a nap the dogs are all on the bed with me knawing on a bone or ball so I can't rest at all! Though there presence is comforting to me regardless!!


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## FG167 (Sep 22, 2010)

Madix definitely knows when I'm sick. I got viral meningitis earlier this year and was out for the count for about 3 weeks. So, we went from going to the park just about every day for at least a half hour to an hour - plus obedience during the day etc - to absolutely nothing but potty breaks. And I mean nothing - outside on leash, potty, back inside. He was an ANGEL the entire time. Both him and my Lab spent 95% of their time snuggled up on the bed with me. Madix is very high energy and by the time I was feeling better I could tell he was about ready to explode - but he never got into any trouble - no destroying, no being naughty. I was very thankful :wub:



onyx'girl said:


> Last night at training the instructor started choking.


What other class are you taking? Where at?


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## Syaoransbear (Sep 25, 2008)

Nope, not at all. When my boyfriend let chrono into the bedroom when I had swine flu chrono took a running jump for the bed, landed on my stomach, and dropped a bone on my head. Ugh.


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## FG167 (Sep 22, 2010)

Syaoransbear said:


> Nope, not at all. When my boyfriend let chrono into the bedroom when I had swine flu chrono took a running jump for the bed, landed on my stomach, and dropped a bone on my head. Ugh.


LOL fantastic visual!


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## arycrest (Feb 28, 2006)

I think a lot depends on the individual dog. I had surgery last month and Faith and Mac were all clingy and snuggly like "Mom what's wrong?" Slider and his evil spawn, Bruiser, were like "Hey Mom, it's getting late ... what's for breakfast ... get up and get crackin' we're HUNGRY, you can't stay in bed all day!"

The most obvious example of a dog concerned about me when I was sick was back in '91 when I was spayed. 

After I got home from the hospital I was in mega pain and also had an intestinal blockage and threw up whenever I tried to eat or drink anything (throwing up after major surgery is agony) ... it wasn't treated for over a week when they finally put me back in the hospital. Anyway, I had Echo, Yukon & Too stay boarded at the kennel and had the kennel bring Tex home since I could only care for one dog.

Tex was a bullheaded dog, I always called him a cement brain. He was always the center of his own world, only cared about himself. _But this time was different._ 

When I dropped my shoe trying to put it on, Tex would pick it up and hand it to me time after time until I could finally get it on my foot ... he had _NEVER_ been trained to do a take it/hold it/give, he just did this naturally. 

When I needed help getting up, Tex, who had major juvinile arthritis, stood by my side so I could use his back as support to stand up! 

When I dropped something on the floor he was Johnny-on-the-spot to pick it up and hand it to me. 

Whatever I needed he was right there ready to help. After he finished eating his meal, he'd pick up the pan and hand it to me so I could wash it. 

When I filled the water bowl I had to stand straight up and pour it into the bowl using a pitcher and then throw down a rag down and wipe up the spilled water with my foot ... Tex would then hand me the wet rag when I was thru.

Once I got well and back on my feet, Tex went back to being the same old Tex ... he'd look at me if I asked him to pick something up, give me the canine version of the bird, get up and walk off. 

FWIW, despite the fact that he was extremely intelligent, it took us until he was over seven years old to earn his AKC CD title. 

But when the chips were down, he was there for me and amazed me that he knew so many things to do that he would never do at any other time in his almost 13 years of life!!!

He was a cool dog!!!


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## King&Skylar (Jun 3, 2010)

Skylar is very good at knowing when i'm sick. I was _really _sick once when she was 4 months old, and she stayed quiet in her crate all night and through until 1pm. the doors were open so its not like she couldn't have left, she just wanted to stay near me. If we're out somewhere and i have a dizzy spell, even if i'm not really acting different (that i can tell, anyway) she'll be on alert and watch _everything_ going on around her (she's not usually like that).


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## Stevenzachsmom (Mar 3, 2008)

My girl is very sweet. She stays with any family member who isn't feeling well - like it is her job. 

My son had chronic ear infections from infancy through about age 6. My dog always alerted to an ear infection. I guess she could smell it, but she always knew, before anyone else. She even knew before my son. She would sniff whichever ear was infected. I would promptly take my child to the ENT and tell him the dog said his ear was infected. She was always right. The ENT got quite a kick out of that.


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## Rosa (Sep 18, 2010)

Hachi always knows when i'm sick, when i was ill just over a week ago, he jus sat by my side keeping an eye on me all the time giving me kisses all the time..when he usually never sits still for a second

Roku/ Missy / Tyson however was different story it was business as usual with them, what are doing, when are you going feed me? i need to go for a walk lol..


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## CassandGunnar (Jan 3, 2011)

I think they all know when we're sick, some of them just choose not to "do" anything about it.

In 2003, I stepped on a nail and had a severe infection, that eventually attacked my kidneys and pancreas. 
I became diabetic and had to take insulin. I also had to start dialysis, 3 times a week. Rocky knew what was up. At first, I had a lot of problems with low blood sugar after finish a dialysis run. Twice I had to go by ambulance to a hospital because I passed out.
After the second time I passed out, whenever my blood sugar would get low, Rocky would sit in front of me and bark his head off. I could normally feel them coming on, but after dialysis, I was so exhausted and sick that I would fall asleep and "miss" the early signs and then fall into the danger zone. With Rocky there, if I was asleep and started to get low, he would bark me awake and I could treat myself. It took him 2 episodes to catch on, but after that, he always knew.
I eventually got a kidney transplant, I recieved a kidney from my wife. (She still claims the right to take it back whenever she wants it......lol)
When I came home from the hospital and was recovering, Rocky was awesome. He would also help me get out of bed by standing there so I could steady myself on him. If I had to get up in the middle of the night, he was there. When people would come and visit, he would always be between us, just to make sure I didn't get bumped. It was incredible.
I still miss him every day.


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## DanielleOttoMom (May 11, 2010)

Otto my sweet boy. He always can tell when I'm not my self. When I lay down he always lays on me like in a spooning position lol... With his head on my chest/ shoulder. If I try and get up he paws at me. Room to room he follows me. His big brown eyes read " If you fall I will catch you." His mind set changes to a sweet easy softy. He only is like this with me not the hubby or the kiddos when there sick. But when I'm better he
back to being his crazy goofy self. Love him so.... Some has take care of momma... Right??


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## lisgje (Sep 3, 2010)

Wow, some of your stories brought tears to my eyes. Just goes to show how each dog is different! Amazing what they will do for you when you lease expect it. Please, keep the stories coming. Wonderful to read. Lisa


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## lisgje (Sep 3, 2010)

I mispelled least, oops.


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## vat (Jul 23, 2010)

Kaycee and Rio were always good when one of us was sick. During this past holiday both of us were sick. Max still insisted I play with him every evening, he is just 1 year old though. I am starting to see some changes in him now that he is getting older so perhaps someday he will be like the others were.


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