Air Snapping

[Guest greytlady]

This is a first! I have a nice red boy, neutered, 4 years old, up to date on vaccines and everything. Recently, in the last few weeks, he has started this snapping thing. He will be sitting calmly, flip an ear and snap like he sees bugs. He will flip either ear but never at the same time and he truely seems to see something. He will look up, snap either once or a couple times then look away. I've checked his mouth, teeth, ears, ect and everything is normal. Is this a type of seizure disorder? Just fishing.....

[TheFullHouse]

That's a hard one because I had a girl who air snapped and I think a lot of greyhounds do it. The only way to tell is to watch and see if it happens all the time or every few days or weeks. Does he respond if you all his name while he's doing it?

[Guest mcsheltie]

Roo air snaps, but it is obvious she is doing it at me. Air snapping or fly catching can be a focal seizure. There could have been initial episodes so subtle you don't even notice it, an eye twitch, leg jerk or a momentary blank stare.

 

If it keeps happening I would go tot he vet. There are other causes for seizures besides epilepsy. Low blood sugar, liver or kidney disease. I have read about allergies (reactions might be a better word) to chemicals and preservatives in food such as rosemary causing focal seizures.

 

I have also read they may be snapping at eye floaters, but this hasn't been substantiated. Wish they could talk!

[Guest mbfilby]

Both our greys air snap when they get excited. However, they are usually already up and playing, and the air snapping is always directed at something (me, toy, other hound).

 

Is it possible he is board and playing? As Judy asked, does he respond when you try to get his attention?

 

If everything else is normal, I wouldn't expect this to be seizure activity, but I am no expert in seizures at all. There are others here who have seizure hounds, and hopefully someone will chime in.

 

Greyhound nervous tick??

[Guest greytlady]

The first time I noticed it he was outside on the deck and I thought then he was really after a bug but I didn't see anything. He was standing then and was pretty alert when I talked to him. Just now he was in a crate. I have some that do happy snapping and this isn't that. He acts like he sees something and he always flips his ears like something is buzzing him... It's happened at different times of day and both inside and outside.

[TheFullHouse]

Next time he does it, try and get his attention. Ask him if he wants a cookie or something that you know will get his immediate attention and a response. If he responds to you like he normally does, I doubt it's a seizure. If you can't get his attention or distract him, then I'd have a vet look at him and run some blood work. It could be anything from low blood sugar as mentioned above or thyroid problems can cause seizures also.

[Sambuca]

I've been known to get an itch that feels like a fly landed on me (I spend time in the woods) and will smack my arm etc. to get rid of it. Maybe he just has a tiny itch and feels like a bug landed and snaps at it without actually seeing it.

[Guest Adrianne]

Chevy does this too, but it's only when he's feeling a bit frisky, and he wants to start a game of play with either me or Ollie.

[greyhead]

Here I go: When Spencer did that, they were mild seizures. In combo with some defensive reactivity that cropped up suddenly and led to growling and snapping AT us, we were told to test thyroid. A full panel showed him to be hypothyroid, and he has never had those snapping-at-nothing seizures since. So I'd have him tested if it were me. (And I'd take numbers from MSU, but not their interpretation necessarily.)

[Guest LokisMom]

Just as a sidenote- I'd check really carefully for fleas. Sometimes they aren't really easy to see(if it's a smallish infestation) and I've had dogs in the past that would air snap at them.