Aging Greyhounds

[Guest JILLBROWN]

My 14-year-old boy has started getting up in the middle of the night and wandering around the house. He comes in the bedroom and wakes me up, but he won't go outside when I open the back door. Sometimes, he just stands in the kitchen for 15 minutes until I come to get him. When he does go outside, he sometimes forgets to do anything. He seems confused and uncertain. When I go back to bed, he comes in again. During the day, he's fine. Is Alzheimer's worse at night? Should I try something like Rescue Remedy at bedtime? (for him, not me!) Neither of us is getting much sleep.

[silverfish]

Is he on any medication? My old Jim got like that towards the end (he was thirteen and a half when we lost him) but not until he was on both metacam daily and heart meds. I think he was bothered by side effects.

 

Jack started to do the same recently after being put on daily metacam for arthritis - he's twelve. He was panting and pacing and not settling, but didn't seem to know what he wanted. He's now on cimetidine (an acid reducer) and he's much better. It's a balancing act sometimes between the advantages of meds and the side effects. We keep the metacam as low as we can, then his eye flares up and he gets drops to cover him till the dose goes back up. But the acid reducers are essential for him - also a nightly dose of natural bio yoghurt, which he now looks forward to, and reminds me about if I'm late.

 

Your guy may have doggie Alzheimers, or he may not. It's worth considering if might be med side effects though.

[Burpdog]

I would ask the same about any meds he is on.

 

Do you have chiropractic or acupuncture available?

 

Personally, at age 14 I would not medicate if he is only having this at times. Have you tried feeding him when he does this? Most of my advanced aged seniors wanted to eat from midnight to 2 a.m.

[Guest Greyglo]

You might want to ask your vet about Cognitive Dysfunction Syndrome. Many have had success being treated with Anipryl. Best wishes for your old gentlemen.

[Guest KennelMom]

You might want to ask your vet about Cognitive Dysfunction Syndrome. Many have had success being treated with Anipryl. Best wishes for your old gentlemen.

 

It does sound likke CCDS. Anipryl is the same drug they use in humans to treat similar problems. Our vet hasn't had much luck seeing improvement with his patients but when Erin got really bad (over the age of 14) he was willing to let us try it. If you google around a bit you'll find the drug manufacturer's site that talks about CCDS and they have a form you can print out to record different symptoms your dog exhibits over a certain period of time. Then take that to your vet to discuss options. It is something I would definitely consider.

 

Increasing anti-oxidents and omega 3 fatty acids in their diet is also thought to help.

 

It was so hard for me to watch Erin go through her confused states. Thankfully she never really seemed fearful or scared (more like happy confusion) until the very end.

Edited September 7, 2007 by KennelMom

[Guest SusanP]

In elderly humans with even mild dementia, there is something called "sundowner's syndrome". They might seem fine during the day and then in the evening be confused and sometimes unsettled.

 

When DH's 91 year old grandma lived with us, she'd be sort of normal all day, and just about the time I cleared the dinner dishes away, she'd look at the clock (6pm) and yell, "Why the H*** did you get me up so early!?" That was the beginning. She was more distrustful and sometimes anxious at night. She's wake me 3x a night to check under her bed to see if "someone else fell out of bed" or cry out that she'd fallen out of bed (when she hadn't) or to say some weird woman was in the room pulling her hair.

 

I understand this is quite common in the elderly. Don't know if dogs go through the same thing?

[grey14me]

I have no advice about what's causing it, but you might want to babygate him in the bedroom with you for safety purposes...maybe add a nightlight, too.

[Greytlady94]

CDS Click on linky and scroll down to "my holistic approach" to CDS and "our answer".

 

It is an interesting article.

[PAWsPups]

My Willow, 14 yrs. 10 months, is experiencing this too. During the day she can sleep 4-5 hours without having to get up for a potty break. At night, however, she's been waking up every 2-3 hours to go out. She will go out to pee pee, but on occasion after wandering the backyard, she will come into the house and promptly poop. I attribute it to 'senior moments'. Then she's up at 5:00 a.m. wanting breakfast. Needless to say, my sleep hasn't been great lately.

[Guest LynnM]

Oh yeah, it happens.

 

As far as meds go, pharmaceuticals like anipryl help some dogs. Others have a good response to supplements of vitamins A, C, E and Choline.

 

As with people, routine is very important. Keep him on as close of a routine as you can.

 

When I dealt with this in my late mix-breed, Madonnna, I pretty much let her wander. I'm a heavy sleeper, though. As long as she was happy on whatever planet she was inhabiting at the time, I let her be. I put her down when she started getting fearful. There was no reason to let her be afraid. Not all dogs get this way- most probably don't.... from what I've seen, most stay in their blissful oblivion until some other ailment takes them.

 

Lynn