Dogs out of control: experts search for causes of "werewolf syndrome"

One day the dog was just as normal, but suddenly it panics, becomes aggressive, howls, screams or even suffers an epileptic fit. Since December, dog owners in German veterinary clinics have increasingly been reporting such abrupt changes in behaviour. This is also happening to animals that had previously been completely unremarkable.

To date, only 45 cases of "werewolf syndrome" have been reported across Germany - but the number of unreported cases is estimated to be much higher. And the intensity is high. "The attacks are really extreme. It's as if the dogs are hallucinating," veterinarian Nina Meyerhoff from the University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover Foundation told GMX. Some dogs get so out of control that they need to be hospitalised. They are treated with sedative, anxiolytic and sometimes epilepsy medication.

Possible link with bovine hide bones

Experts are puzzling over the cause. Vaccinations and tick remedies have been ruled out. However, one possibility has come into focus. In some affected dogs, there was a temporal connection between the consumption of bovine hide bones and the symptoms.

Experts suspect that these could have been contaminated with toxins such as cleaning agents or fungal toxins during the production process. Products from different manufacturers, especially from China, are being tested. It is noticeable that it is mainly medium-sized to large dogs and younger dogs that are affected and that they receive chew bones more frequently than small and older dogs. Several dogs from the same household are often affected.

Cases in Switzerland and further investigations

Cases of "werewolf syndrome" have already been reported - to a lesser extent than in Germany - in other European countries such as Belgium, the Netherlands and Switzerland. An enquiry at the Universitäres Tierspital Zürich shows that the syndrome has occasionally been a topic in consultations. However, not as frequently as in certain German federal states.

Francs Steffen, Head of the Department of Neurology, says: "We have seen a total of six cases ourselves or learnt about them from consulting vets. In four animals, the connection with the chewing bones seems to be quite certain, and in two others at least very obvious." The investigations are still in full swing. Investigations are being carried out in various directions and various feedstuffs are being analysed.

What you should look out for

Dog owners are urged to visit a veterinary clinic specialising in neurology immediately at the first sign of a seizure. These can be, for example:

• Extreme restlessness
• panic attacks
• Uncoordinated, disoriented or hallucination-like behaviour
• strongly increased activity in phases
• Howling, screaming
• Aggressiveness
• Convulsions, epileptic seizures

Until the definitive cause has been clarified, it is recommended that bovine hide bones are avoided and alternative Kauartikel auszuweichen.

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