Help!!!! Senior dog is wandering the house at night and won't sleep

[hype]

As I’ve described above our senior dog is wandering the house at night. He whines, he walks into things (He’s almost 100% blind) and only sleeps for about 3 hours at a time.

He wants to eat at 2 or 3am. We are all exhausted!

Any helpful hints of things that might work?

My vet is perplexed. He thinks it is senility. We can’t kennel him because he whines and is miserable. He hasn’t been in a kennel since he was 1 and he’s now 13.

We are giving him benadryl and melatonin at night per the vet but truthfully it isn’t helping at all.

He doesn’t seem to be in pain, the whining is to get food or to get us up. He’s at a good weight and even though he thinks we are starving him, we are not. This is new behavior in the past six months.

[DMK]

canine dementia. Welcome to the final years. They suck, by the way.

When Casey Corgi was in that stage (mercifully short since there was also a brain tumor/seizures involved), I just penned off an area in the kitchen and had it covered with cheap rugs/carpets so I didn’t have to listen to too much “click click click click click”. Still sucked though.

[hype]

I know, it is so sad seeing him like this. The issue is that he whines so loudly and then starts barking that we need to get up with him.

I wish dogs could take Ambien or the like but it isn’t safe for them. That way he’d get some sleep and everyone could be happy.

He seems fairly happy during the day and I don’t think that he is in pain. The whining is more to get our attention.

[StGermain]

I had a senior dog who would wander and get lost in corners, and once got himself wedged in the space between the wall and the refrigerator and couldn’t figure out how to get out. It happened while I was at work and I came home to find him very distraught. I started baby-gating him in an area where he couldn’t get stuck. It’s very sad.

StG

[BellaLuna]

Heartbreaking, isn’t it.

Our senior has responded well to melatonin, 3 mgs. Vet has told us we can go up to 5 mgs. (He is a 95 lb lab) I’m sorry yours hasn’t.

We picked a crappy time to replace the carpet with hardwoods throughout. Click, click, click, pant, pant, click, click.

~sigh~

[Marshfield]

Sam-E or selgeline can help

[Beckham03]

There are meds for canine cognitive disfunction. Xanax or ace are also used. Sad, but sometimes knocking them out a bit helps them sleep and not get hurt and the owners sleep. We see it quite a bit at work. Talk to your vet about trying something else.

Edited to add Trazadone is another possibility.

[S1969]

I’m sorry you’re going through this. I’m not sure there is an easy answer.

I definitely would not give him free range of the house; that’s just inviting him to become confused at night in the dark.

Can you sleep in the same room with him? Is he comforted by your presence? I would definitely look into anti-anxiety meds for dogs.

And, to be honest, if you cannot find a good happy medium - euthanasia is not inhumane. If he is so anxious at night that he cannot sleep, that is enough reason to consider euthanasia. Obviously your own health and welfare is important too - because you cannot be a good advocate for him if you are deprived of your own sleep.

Hugs to you all - my old guy sleeps so deeply it’s scary. I truly hope we don’t end up in a similar situation before his time is up.

Kisses to your boy.

[hype]

We tried Xanax and it actually made things worse. He didn’t react well to it at all.

I’m giving him 6mg of Melatonin per the vet. He’s about 85-90 lbs. It does help but isn’t perfect.

I’m guessing this is just going to be what it is until his time comes.

Thank you for all of your suggestions. He’s safe in the house where he is at night. We don’t have stairs or anything for him to get hurt.

He was sleeping in my daughter’s room but that didn’t seem to help either so we put him back in the hallway. He was getting more confused in her room and if he’s in the hallway we can leave a light on so that he can kind of see a little bit. He’s 100% blind in the dark.

[Crockpot]

I am dealing with something like this. Senior dog very restless and panting at night. Ok during the day.

He’s 100% blind in the dark.

Have you tried leaving lights on for him. Just a thought.

[SquishTheBunny]

Dealing with the same…its tough but I really do think it’s canine dementia that’s setting in. I say she’s doing her nightly perimeter checks, again…and again…and again.

I now keep her in my bedroom at night, she does eventually settle there. Although there’s a lot of standing and pacing and panting before she sleeps.

Robaxin (pure methocarbomol) and gabapentin have helped her stay asleep when she finally does sleep.

[hype]

Have you tried leaving lights on for him. Just a thought.[/QUOTE]

Yes, that’s why he’s sleeping outside of our room so that he can have lights on for him all night.

[jetsmom]

Have you had him tested for Cushing (especially the poster that said he pants a lot at night) ? When my brothers dog had it, that was one of the symptoms…restlessness and random panting even when he wasn’t hot.

[WildandWickedWarmblo]

If your vet is perplexed as you say about your old dog’s behavior, then find another vet who is familiar with senility in old dogs. There are medications that will help your dog sleep at night. He’s confused and worried. Much like humans who are senile.

[Crockpot]

[QUOTE=jetsmom;8250328]
Have you had him tested for Cushing (especially the poster that said he pants a lot at night) ? When my brothers dog had it, that was one of the symptoms…restlessness and random panting even when he wasn’t hot.[/QUOTE]

Yes. She has cushings which is being managed quite well with meds but still has some nght time restlessness.

[Countrywood]

Try a white noise machine…fairly inexpensive, they make soothing sounds that help people sleep, it might help calm him down.

Within reason because he is old of course, but can you try tiring him out a bit before sleep with a walk long enough for him to handle? Change routine up a bit, feed him later if possible.

Agree it might help to keep him in a small room at night, your bedroom if possible rather than let him wander all over

best of luck with the dear guy

[hastyreply]

I have an older dog who is blind. When he stays in at night he sleeps in the bed next to my bed. To stop him from getting up and wandering I have a leash there and it’s attached to a KettleBell (they ARE good for something). It’s enough weight that if he gets up he just stands there and that usually wakes me up. Most of the time he sleeps on the porch with the other dogs on the couch.

[horsenut_8700]

I had an old Lab who would have panic attacks in the middle of the night at one time. She had to be confined to the kitchen due to excessive drinking/peeing and the fact that she could not climb stairs. Gabapentin and an Adaptil collar and plug-in cured the issue in about 3 days.

[whitney159]

Nothing really helpful to add here that others haven’t mentioned. I’ve been through two old GSDs that were up all night panting. Lucky for me they weren’t pacers (at least until the second one developed fecal incontinence and would potty in the night) and having them sleep next to my bed with a nightlight on seemed to help them be as settled as possible. I would turn on the TV to CNN and between Larry King and Anderson Cooper we would all find some peace. I strongly suggest you wearing earplugs to help. I found I just couldn’t sleep peacefully with the thought of them being awake and panting. Eventually I got more used to it and realized that they were sleeping a good bit of the day and NOT having jobs to go to weren’t nearly as bad off as I was working a 40 hour week with a long commute and two kids to take care of.
The senior years are tough. Hugs to you!

[hype]

My dog isn’t panting at night. That is Crockpot’s dog. I’m fairly certain that he is not exhibiting signs of Cushing.

Mine just doesn’t sleep through the night any longer. He goes to bed just fine, he wakes up and wanders around. I can’t say that he’s always hungry or that he has to go to the bathroom or what it is. Different nights are different stories. We’ve upped his food, we’ve experimented with feeding him at different times etc. We stay up later hoping that he will sleep longer but to no avail. He’s up between 2am and 4am every night. Some nights he goes back to sleep and others it takes some time to settle down again.

That’s why the vet said he’s pretty sure that he is experiencing some senility. He doesn’t seem to be in pain.

His kidney functions are not at 100% which isn’t unusual for his age and the fact he’s a large dog but it does limit what meds he is able to take.

I do appreciate all of your input etc on this. I’m confident with my vet, I was just wondering if someone else had some experience with this and a solution that we hadn’t tried yet.