old dog restless at night

meames_2

My sheltie cross dog is about 13. Getting really slow on his legs. he can't get up the stairs by himself anymore, the last few times he has tried he has got stuck halfway and needing rescuing. So I have to carry him upstairs, but he can get down them.

The last bank holiday weekend I did some painting which meant I had to move into the back bedroom for 2 nights, the dog has his own bed upstairs (and 2 downstairs!). This seemed to upset the dog and he couldn't settle. I've moved back into the front bedroom but he won't sleep on his bed, he won't sleep on our bed. Paces around the room and then finally tucks himself into a corner.

The past two nights it has got worse, I have got up to let him out, but its not really that he wants. He has come back in and paced the length of the house, he was panting heavily. Last night I was so tired and fed up of the letting him out, pacing around the downstairs cycle I just shut him downstairs and went to bed and felt terribly guilty.

He was ok this morning, and seemed really pleased to see me, so I felt even worse going off to work.

What can I do to help him?

Faith177

I had a similer problem with my previous dog and I got some calming mixture from Pets at Home that I gave her with a little food at night it's homepathic and is camomile based.

It worked with her and the puppies to chill them out at night so might be worth a shot

krlyr

Restlessness at night can be a symptom of canine dementia, especially if he seems to get into a loop he can't break. Might not be the case here but I would perhaps look up the condition and see if any of the other symptoms ring a bell too. There are medications that can increase bloodflow to the brain to help tackle the symptoms and slow down progress so if that is the cause, it's not hopeless.
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/pic/article.cfm?aid=1346
Trouble with stairs is also listed as a potential symptom there.

I would suggest a vet trip anyway just to try to get to the cause of it. At his age, soreness of joints could be a problem and he may be finding it hard to get comfortable and finding going upstairs more difficult than down them (I have a knee injury at the moment and find going up stairs a lot easier than coming down them, I'm sure the opposite could apply depending on what part of the leg was sore). It could be that some pain relief, anti-inflammatories and joint supplements are all he needs.

meerkat2007

Please may I suggest a visit to the vet? My little dog, who is now 16, started waking me up round 4am (I was getting up at 5.15am at the time), then it got earlier and earlier, to the point where he was waking me up at 1.30am.

A couple of weeks ago, he was sick - this was unusual for him, so given his age, I took him to the vet. The vet did a blood test there and then, and about 15 minutes later, told me that my baby had pancreatitis. He was kept in for a couple of nights, and is currently on a low fat diet, with blood tests every couple of weeks. His enzyme levels are coming down, but slowly.

However, his habit of waking me up in the very early hours has now returned to the earlier pattern of 4am or thereabouts, so I think that the pain and discomfort of the pancreatitis was making him restless.

meames_2

Meerkat, I hope he is better.

Last night, I came around the de of the bed as I was reading and gave me the big sad eyed look and unusually dind't want a treat.

I got up at 3 anyway and he went downstairs and stayed down there. Maybe it is cooler there for him.

I will take him to the vet as I've got a friend coming to stay at the weekend with a teenager and 1 year old baby, I'm worried the baby might catch him and Womble will react ( he never has before to me but as his routine will be upset and the amount of noise they will make will confuse him). When they have been before he takes himself off for peace and quiet.

hethmar

Sadly, it does sound like dementia -my old Lucy was like that at 16 and she also started fitting. She would walk round and round the house like she was panicking after a fit - it was terribly sad.

Hope all goes well at vet

adviceforall

One of our old dogs woke in the night and stood up panting and had trouble with his lungs which affected him when laying down..
Hope the vet check comes back ok and something can be done to help him

Bettyspag

You could try aktivait, it is supposed to help with these sorts of things
http://www.vetplus.co.uk/PDF/LEAF/aktivait_leaflet.pdf.

calicocat

Mine was exactly the same when he was really old,spent hours one time alseep next to the loo as he had followed me in and just nodded off,didn't have the heart to move him so just put a blanket over him.

Mine went quite bonkers for periods of time,we had him on ant-biotics etc in case a UTI , but looking back I think it was dementure,as other times he was fine,and always worse at night.

That really bad winter 2 yrs ago (I live in ground floor flat) , I was sleeping with door open and coat,hat,scalves,and gloves on coz he was always forgetting he had been outside. He was walking in and out half the night bless him,it was awfull as he was knackered poor little thing. He wasn't like that every day,but it was horrid to watch,and he was more clingy to me than normal.....if that was possible.

I feel for you,it's hard.

Appologies if repeating anyone else as haven't managed to read all posts.

Good luck.x