Trouble swallowing - any ideas?

Bran is an old Hound, rescued from Greece a few years ago. He has arthritis which is managed with metacam & supplements. He has fits occasionally and also suffers a sort of spastic response to nerve pain - that is, he`ll jump and fall over sometimes for no apparent reason.
Over the past 6 months he has had increasing trouble drinking. He tries to lap then startles and falls. After a few starts, he drinks normally.
I`ve taken to holding the bowl for him as otherwise it goes all over the place, and now give him warmed milk and water as it seems to help.
He`s too old for intervention or invasive tests and really he`s at the end of his life, but I was wondering what could be the cause. He eats fine - including raw chicken wings - so I`m pretty sure it`s not his teeth.

Hi Claire , it may be cold water makes Bran gasp/alters his breathing and this in some measure affects his intake of oxgen . This in turn could affect his balance particularly if he has a degree on CCD (canine cognitive dysfunction) .

If he will drink it I would certainly give him warm water instead of cold maybe with a touch of honey (not good for the teeth but I wouldn't worry to much about that in an old dog) .

Warming it does help - he has milk and water to tempt him to drink. But it still makes him jump to start off with. What is CCD?

Hi Claire I thought I had posted before in one of your threads about CCD , I can't remember which dog the thread related to..

CCD is the doggy equivalent of Alzheimer in dogs. It has a variety of symptoms some of which a dog may or may not have, symptoms can vary quite a lot. My old dog Amy had it and used to have 'episodes' and to fall over semi conscious.

Here is a link with some info , notice this highlighted quote.

''Is hesitant to take treats, drink fresh water, or eat fresh food ''


http://www.hoppity.co.uk/Homes_gardens/canine_cognitive_dysfunction.htm


CCD can be helped with medication like Vivitonin.


ETA just had a look for one of your previous threads and can't find one mentioning CCD .

Thankyou. I feel it`s a nerve thing (like the Fainting Goats) personally as he still has all his marbles.