.Star Gazing Syndrome { Also called Fly Catchers Syndrome } is a form of compulsive behaviour which you can sometimes see in the dog. In the past I have both diagnosed and treated it on a number of occasions. However it is quite a variable disease and it can be very demanding for the vet concerned both in terms of diagnosis and treatment.
In my experience this disease seems to affect small dogs as opposed to large breeds, the breed I have personally seen it in most in is the King Charles but I have also seen cases in Chihuahuas and various small terrier type breeds. The origins of this disease are often unclear in individual cases but some authorities are suspicious that this may be an inherited disease but as far as I know this has not been verified. The symptoms of this disease are very striking and can be disturbing to watch. In its classical form these dogs appear to be staring fixedly at objects far in the distance or watching imaginary flies buzzing in front of their faces and then trying to bite these imaginary flies. When they are having an attack they can spend a considerable amount of time engaging in this behaviour even to the detriment of eating, drinking, socialising and sleeping. On a lighter note I have occasionally known owners concerned that affected dogs are staring at some supernatural phenomenon which humans cannot see!
From the literature the possible listed causes are :
1. A compulsive disorder of some kind, this could be treated with behavioural therapy or drugs such as prozac or other tranquilisers. While worth a try I have to say that behavioural therapy would be unlikely to succeed in most cases.
2. Some form of petit mal epilepsy or other primary brain disorders, this could logically be treated with anti-convulsive drugs such as phenobarbitone.
3. Some form of neck / spinal problem, the disease syringomyelia has been implicated in some breeds such as the King Charles. There would be some scope in trying to treat this form with anti-inflammatory drugs.
While the above are all the listed causes I know of, from my personal experience this can be a very difficult disease to treat. There is not really any scope for home treatment here so my advice has to be that you should run this possibility past your vet who if appropriate will prescribe some treatment. Where my treatment failed in the past I have in a few cases referred affected dogs to specialists but unfortunately at the end of the day sometimes this is just a condition which affected dogs have to live with.
Not found what you were looking for? Search again using the search box below.
Or have a live consult with an online vet right now!
This article was brought to you by David Ainworth. If you have found it to be interesting or of value please share it with your social media using the buttons below.
