I would try giving him Zantac before feeding to see if it has to do with his stomach. Casper takes it and it helps him. Has he lost any weight? He looks fine in the videos to me.
I had a dog that acted like that. Not about the food, but so sensitive. Correct another dog verbally and she acted as though you were beating her. Drove me nuts. She had severe separation anxiety on top of it and I couldn't deal with her. Sometimes she acted normal and then other times she wasn't No brain tumor or anything. It was just the way she was. Her littermates were fine. Her parents were fine. She outwardly looked fine, just something wasn't wired right somewhere. I ended rehoming to a retired couple who had nothing better to do than dote her hand and foot and never left her alone. Best solution for both of us.
I hope you can work something out with Sako though!
He's lost a few pounds, he used to be pushing 60lbs. and last time I weighed him he was 56. Zantac isn't a bad idea, certainly can't hurt him. I'm assuming you just give the human kind?
That's exactly how Sako is; sometimes he's normal and great, easy to deal with, other times I'm trying not to rip my hair out because he can be SO frustrating and stressful to live with at times. I find myself counting to 10 to calm myself often these days.. really try not to let him know that *I'm* also a little stressed/frustrated.
I love him though, he's MY dog.. Eric (my husband) says he's not enjoyable to live with a lot of the time
But I'll do whatever I can to make him comfortable. It's just concerning because all of my trainer friends I talk to, and people that have met him that are in the veterinary field say that most dogs with his type of behavior/personality tend to get worse as they age.
Do you have cats? I am really reaching here but cats can be sort of "silently" intimidating/bullying.
Another thought I just had is that sometimes focal seizures can look like bizarre behavior. Unfortunately there isn't really a "test" for that other than a trial of anti-seizure medication but that wouldn't be what I would leap to immediately.
Back to your original question... even if this is 100% some sort of situational anxiety, it's hard to say whether medication would help and choosing an appropriate medication might be difficult. Personally, if this were my dog and I was confident everything was medically ok, rather than a daily medication at first I would probably start with short acting medications like alprazolam (xanax) or trazodone before mealtimes and work hard on counter conditioning. Maybe for a week or so and then re-evaluate. But I wouldn't be afraid to do a treatment trial with a daily medication, either.
I do have two cats, whom he LOVES and are rarely around during feeding time, so I definitely don't think they're a problem.
I agree that it's hard to say if meds. would help him. I've just never dealt with a dog like this so I'm kind of grasping at straws here..
Have you always fed him in the same spot in the house? Could you maybe try to move him? Feed him in a crate? Will he eat out of a Kong (I know you mentioned he ate a touch out of the green ball)?
Just things I thought of while reading through... After turkey necks, did he have any changes in his poop? Was he constipated at all?
Has anything changed with his routine stuff, like flea and tick or heartworm prevention?
I don't know if any of this helps either. Vibes for Sako to feel better!
Yes he's always eaten in the kitchen, or outside (I always fed turkey necks to everyone outside) on the deck. I've tried feeding him in his crate multiple times and he won't eat at all. It's interesting to me that he seems more comfortable eating outside since this all started. Not sure what's going on there.
Have tried feeding out of the green ball again (which is his favorite toy ever, it never leaves his side) and he will push the food out (like in the video) but won't eat it.
Never had any issues with the turkey necks. No change in routine whatsoever. I give HW meds monthly, but that's nothing new.