Saw a post from several years ago from this site on Google about dogs being suddenly afraid of the TV and thought the advice was good but had more questions. Our dog is 10 years old. Our home flooded about 4 1/2 years ago during a hurricane which was traumatic for him and all of us. During the rebuild process, he became afraid of power tools which was understandable. We've always tried to minimize any exposure to this since then and he will just come inside when my husband uses them.
In the last year or so, he is now totally freaked out and starts shaking whenever we turn the TV on and will try to hide in places smaller than he is, he's 77 pounds. He crawled in the fireplace once - unlit of course, he scratches at random walls or wants to stay outside all the time even in bad weather. We've tried calming meds, taken him to the vet. (Health check fine. Their answer was pain meds or make an appointment with a behavioral specialist.) Any advice?
This sounds really serious and I can understand your concern.
It does sound like your dog does need an appointment with a behavioral specialist but I do not believe these are easy to find and since it will be one-on-one sessions I'm sure this would be very expensive.
Some people say they write to Ceaser (the dog man) and always get answers but I have never tried this.
Your case may be one that he'll look at.
This link tells several ways to try and reach Ceaser:
If this was a human , that person would need to seek help for this issue, that is similar to PSD. A professional for animal psychiatric care could diagnose and help your pet and family cope with a traumatic experience.
I would have the vet put him on medication. His brain may be changing with age.
Phobias in dogs can be quite serious, leading to aggression, destructive behavior, and a decreased quality of life.
Contact a veterinary behaviorist or a professional trainer.
