Looking for some suggestions in case I have missed something. Will précis what I think are the pertinent points.

My intact male 5 year old is behaving oddly and after 2 trips to the vets I am beginning to wonder if we are missing something as they can't find anything obviously wrong.

We live in a rural area, there are two properties in the middle of a field. My boy is quite noise sensitive and I can only describe him as a bit of a "woose" he is not confident so will bark at something he is not sure of.  We have had no fireworks round here at all.

We lost our 15 year old male followed by our nearly 12 year old female within 8 weeks of each other, the last loss being end of August. We now have the 5 year old male and his mum who is 9, they are a tight team.

They are raw fed and he started to leave his breakfast but would always eat dinner. In the last 3 weeks I noticed he started to drink more and mark outside, he appeared to be more aware of noises and would sit gazing out of window . I took him to the vets, temperature upper end of normal, she gave him a good going over, she emptied his anal glands as she said they were full and I had commented he kept sitting down. She gave him a steroid jab and a short course of antibiotics although bloods had not indicated a problem. He seemed to pick up but after about 10 days he started leaving food again and whining and occasionally howling. I have felt him all over, can't find anything that appears to be paining him.

Off to vets again, she investigated re prostate, all fine, checked anal glands nothing untoward. More antibiotics " just in case" In the last 4 days he has eaten about 5 chicken feet and this morning I got him to eat a small plate of Chappie but as soon as he had eaten and I offered him more he backed off.
It's like he has a fear of the food, you put something down and he backs away.

There are 2 cottages on main road across the field  about half a mile from us, they have a selection of dogs. Yesterday husband saw in distance someone on our track walking a young dog, our boy went berserk, he sniffed his way down the lane, zig zagging from side to side and marking.

We think his behaviour could be due to a bitch being in season, but I am worried we may be missing something.He has been sniffing his mother (she is speyed) and prodding her, she is telling him off. In himself he is bouncy  but appears to be lying down and sighing a lot! He is desperate to get out for a walk first thing as soon as he has woken us with howling. Their routine is they have breakfast, wait an hour and then are walked but he just wants to get out.
I have got a DAP diffuser running, I am forcing malted kelp down him to encourage appetite.I am going to book him in to see a homeopath.
We are meant to be getting a new pup in 2 weeks and I am so worried about him it is taking all the enjoyment away.

Anyone any suggestions re encouraging him to eat please and what may be the cause of the behaviour ? Obviously he will be back to the vet if need be but I am wondering if they think I am fretting over nothing as they can't find a cause.

Really grateful for any input.

In the absence of anything medical,  which seems to have been ruled out,  I would say he's sensing a bitch in season.

Perhaps you or your hubby could try contacting the people with the dogs and ask if they have a bitch in season?

It would at least tell you whether there's any more point in investigating his health further.

Friends of mine have used Tardak successfully to stop their male pining badly when their bitch was in season.

I also used it on a dog I had,  who could sense a bitch in season from a mile away and was constantly pining after some bitch or other and escaping to find them too     He settled very well on it,  and he was later castrated for his own sake when mature,  he would never have been bred from and it was pitiful to see him pining and losing weight all the time.    However,  with hindsight,   I wouldn't neuter today.

I doubt tardak or similar would work quickly enough for this time,  but if your neighbours are willing to co-operate,  maybe you can plan for next time if it's necessary.

Funnily enough I was going to suggest you get a puppy but see you already are.
I've had massive behaviour changes after a death of one of my pack.

>I've had massive behaviour changes after a death of one of my pack.

Me too!  Ever since losing my 14 year old Bearded Collie the dynamics of the pack have altered.  It's as if nobody knows the correct procedure needed to carry on. 

In the last 3 weeks I noticed he started to drink more and mark outside,

Get him checked for Diabetes, this is one of the signs.

Thanks all:
Just an update.
Every time we go to the cottages where we think there could be a bitch in season ( just to ask them) there is no one in.
I got an appointment at a homeopath and she was great, really listened to everything I said. She also went all over him and said she could find nothing physical but I am taking him to a chiropractor as she felt one of the discs in his back near his bottom felt unusual. She feels our bereavements could be affecting him and very diplomatically told me that I am reinforcing his refusing food by offering him too many alternatives.  He's been prescribed Ignatia and this morning ate breakfast :0 He is much calmer, very little whining and I feel a lot better that we are ruling out possible illness.

I asked re us going ahead with our plan to have a new puppy and she said in her opinion it could be beneficial.
Hoping this improvement continues.

> xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">I've had massive behaviour changes after a death of one of my pack.<br />Me too!  Ever since losing my 14 year old Bearded Collie the dynamics of the pack have altered.  It's as if nobody knows the correct procedure needed to carry on.


That is so sad,and some thing that worries me now my boys are more advanced in age.