So I need all of your help: Ranger has been acting strangely lately. His blood work came back all good except for 2 values but which are only slightly raised and not of concern. He physically checks out as healthy.
A couple weeks ago he suddenly started to be calmer than usual in the house. I assumed it was because we had super hot temperatures, but it stayed even when it cooled off, then it was hot again, etc. It has been an up-down here, so it may still influence him. He seemed to be more active on some days however (like today, for example) and he usually is as active and excited outside as he always has been. We had maybe three or four walks when he wanted to turn around and not continue, but as soon as he realized we were not gonna do that he walked with us happily again; this was a couple weeks ago though.
Unfortunately that is not all, as he suddenly is also suppper noise sensitive. He never used to be scared of thunder or shots being fired. Now he hears even a car door slam in the distance and he absolutely panicks, tugging in his tail and trying to run away. If we are on a walk he pulls on his leash like crazy then, wants to turn around, etc. If we are at home he runs for his crate and stays there. Today, for example, we were sitting on the patio where he is leashed, a car door was closed and he ran towards the door inside and stood there leaning into his harness even though the noise was long gone.
I am not sure exactly what started it, only 2 ideas which may be related: 1) was an incidence when I petted him and suddenly he was not able to breathe right. I am not sure if I stroked his larnyx to hard as he had his neck overstretched or if it was just coincidental, but he darted out of the room once he recovered and was terrified of ME for the rest of the day. I did not have a similar incidence before or after this one. 2) he laid half under my bed and I had the window all he way open and a firecracker went off outside, it scared him and he hit his head when he tried to get up. I am not sure anymore, however, whether this happened before or after he started to show this weird behavior; if it was before there was definitely some time inbetween in which he acted normal.
He has never been a dog that gets scared easily and I never seen him behave this way. I am at a total loss at what to do or how to help him?