screaming spaniel

[shermaunty]

My roommate's cocker spaniel is about 5 or 6, and generally in good health.  but for the last year, he has had sporadic episodes that occur as follows:
one minute, everything is fine.  the next, he starts to scream, loses bladder and sometimes bowel control, and runs almost blindly until he finds a safe spot to hide, normally under furniture.  then the screaming stops, but he starts to quiver and pant heavily for at least half an hour.  he can't be distracted with treats, or calmed in any way.  there is no aggresive behaviour, although he might bite if you get your hand in the way.  but generally, it seems like an extreme fear response, but we can't figure out what's causing it.  our other dog doesn't react the same way, so it's not likely to be a 'dog' thing that we humans are not aware of.
this has happened summer and winter, indoors and out.  sometimes it happens several times a day, and then we can go several months without it happening at all.  the preceding moments are generally calm and normal with nothing out of the ordinary that we can identify.
we've taken him to a few vets, but because he's never had one of these episodes in front of them, they haven't been able to make a diagnosis.
has anyone else had this experience?  does anyone know what it might be?  does it sound like it's neurological?

[katew888]

these sound a LOT like the kind of seizures my own dog has- please keep a camera closeby to tape the next time this happens.  even taping just a few seconds of the episode will be enough for a vet to determine whether it is neurological or not.  if this has been happening for a year without getting worse or better, it is quite possibly a case of epilepsy, which can be controlled with medicine.  but there are many causes of seizures that your vet can explain to you after reviewing a tape.

[ginger899]

Be careful please. I wouldn't necessarily assume his 'episodes' were behavioural. There could be a physical cause.
Taking a video of him when he's having one of these attacks is a brilliant idea.

[shermaunty]

thanks everyone for your thoughts and advice.  i hadn't really considered pain or behaviour.  and keeping a video camera is a good idea, if either of us can stay calm enough to use it at the right moment.
i'll look into the behaviourist options...
thanks again.

[Thomas Dock, CVJ, Vet. Technician]

Good morning to you...what a bizarre case you have described.   As ginger mentioned, it would be a wise idea to get to the veterinarian to discuss this behavior.   Also, consider keeping a cell phone or video camera nearby so that you can catch this behavior on tape.   That might help the veterinarian's with their diagnosis.

Also, we have pet behaviorists and veterinary behaviorists available in the Ask A Vet Behavior Forum here at Medhelp.   You might pose this question to them and see what they think.

[margypops]

Sounds like a bad stomach pain,you say he has loss of a bowel movement maybe Diarreha ... as it comes and goes definatly take him to the vet for an examination,is there anyone else  around who comes into the room when it happens, what happens prior to the episode.could anything upset him ,any noise , its either pain or fear of something or someone.

[ginger899]

It does sound as though it could be neurological, though I am not an expert, and not a vet. It could be some form of seizure. And it could be genetic, or inherited. From what I do know about Cocker Spaniels, they can inherit a wide range of health problems.

There are a number of tests the vet can run to determine what this is, and what causes it, from blood tests (for hypothyroidism, for example) to brain imaging. Some of these tests may be expensive. But they are the only way of telling what is going on.

I would speak to your vet about it.