>   Our little dachshund, Slinky, is almost a year
 > old...and what a year
 > it has been.

 >   First, as per our apartment complex rules, we had to
 > have him
 > neutered...and did so when he was 6 1/2 months
 > old...the earliest we
 > could do it.

 >   But ever since then, he has been terribly skittish.
 > We think it's a
 > severe case of "separation anxiety", but we can't be
 > holding him, or
 > letting him sleep with us 24/7/365. He barks and
 > growls like mad inside
 > the apartment when he hears a strange noise
 > outside...but we have to
 > place him in his carrier when someone comes inside
 > that he doesn't know,
 > as he goes ballistic.

 >   When we try to take him outside to go to the
 > bathroom (he preferred to
 > eat the dog litter rather than relieve himself in it),
 > he panics. Any
 > strange noise...be it a bird chirp, a falling stick, a
 > car door closing,
 > etc...it spooks him where he wants to run back home.
 > Several times, he
 > has pulled the retractable leash out of my hand, and I
 > have to run after
 > him.

 >   As if all this weren't enough, he decided to
 > frequently begin
 > "expressing" his anal glands when we held him. He kept
 > ruining our
 > clothes where we had to continually wash them, so he
 > is at the vet at
 > this typing, getting them removed. While dogs and cats
 > use these to lay
 > down scent marks, etc., the pungent odor is rather
 > disconcerting.

 >   The vet said that he'd obviously be sore afterwards,
 > and he'd
 > prescribe various medicines for his bowel and bladder
 > habits. When our
 > previous dachshund has his removed, our disabled
 > neighbor quipped "it
 > looks like someone painted his butt yellow, and
 > quit!!".

 >   The only real good things about Slinky, is that he
 > is very protective
 > of his owners, our neighbor, and my wifes health care
 > aide...plus, he
 > loves riding on my wifes medical grade scooter, or in
 > our car (he
 > doesn't get carsick, but loves sniffing the air
 > conditioning vents).

 >   If anyone has some advice on how we can deal with
 > this furball with
 > legs, my wife and I would greatly appreciate it.

www.doctormwfox.org is the site of a veterinarian who writes a newspaper
column that is quite informative.  This site might offer specific help or
give you ideas on where to turn.

Part of one of Dr. Fox's Q&A articles had a section that touched on the
fearful behavior and is at http://tinyurl.com/g4bkw from the Washington
Post.  (Scroll down to question below discussion of diabetes in cats.)

Also, check out http://tinyurl.com/p39cw, which is the Feliway home page. 
They have these calming pheromones for cats, dogs, and horses, and its use
might be appropriate.

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