Aging And Anxiety (long)

[Guest Rethy]

My childhood puppy, who now lives with my mom and grandparents, is getting older and having some anxiety problems that we believe are linked in part to age. They just recently became a major issue, triggered by my grandmother's three day stay in the hospital. Nic is about 15, so not terribly old for a dog his size. He is also almost completely blind, but manages so well you wouldn't know it.

 

I had my mom outline what exactly is going on in the hopes that someone here would have an idea of what we can do next. Sorry, it's long.

 

"Nic's symptoms started by showing what I would call normal aging signs. Slower movements, arthritic joints, less energy, bouts of panting, coughing, elevated temperature, etc. Those were there for the past year or two. Upon our return from Boise, in October things seemed pretty much the same. Then mom had her heart attack in early Feb. He became very agitated. He paced and wandered and barked all night for the three nights she was at the hospital. He also started climbing the stairs which he had not been willing to do since before the fire. The symptoms improved slightly after her return, but didn't go away. We finally went to the vet for help.

 

First he prescribed Acepromazine (10 mg). It made him very dopey. He still wandered, panted, cried, etc. only in a "drunken type" state. He seemed very drugged and unhappy.

 

Second we tried Torbugesic (1cc). It worked wonderfully for two nights. Then no difference for the next 4 nights, so I stopped giving it to him. (Some improvement in his daytime behavior.)

 

Then we went to Phenobarbitol. It made no difference the first night, but worked the second and third nights....then, no difference. (It did increase his appetite.)

 

We went back to a double dose of the Ace, per the vet and he was soooo drugged he couldn't get up without help in the morning, and would just tip over.

 

Now we are using the Anipryl (5mg). It didn't do anything at first to help the sleeping, but we did see improvement in his daytime energy, participation, less "lost and wandering" behavior. Then we got TWO NIGHTS sleep in a row. It was wonderful. Then gradually back down hill. Up at 3:00... Then up at 1:00... for many nights. Then TWO NIGHTS in a row of sleep again....But now....Back to awake at 3:00....then 1:00.... and last night he didn't go to sleep until 2:00. I held him in the chair and he panted from 11:30 until 2:00. Mom got up, unable to sleep, so I laid him down next to her side of the bed and he went to sleep next to her.

 

What do we do? I can't keep this up.... "

 

If he were here, I would take him to my vet and get things figured out. Unfortunately their vet is pretty bad, and the only vet in a tiny town. Between getting no sleep and taking care of my grandparents during the day... it's just not working for my mom. I offered to take Nic, but she doesn't know how she would get him out to me. If anyone has any ideas, we would be so grateful.

[ahicks51]

I'm no expert at this, but let me throw this out- have you tried a diuretic like lasix? Just a stab in the dark- if the anxiety, diminished energy, panting, etc. is the result of congestive heart failure (a bit of a stretch- more likely, he's just getting old), it could be a relatively simple fix. I don't think it likely, but I thought I'd mention it.

[Batmom]

Does he sleep during the day? If he paces and wanders and cries then, too, he might be in pain and need a pain reliever. Poor little bug. Will he sleep in bed with them?

[BootsyCollins]

In my experience, Ace does not work for anxiety. It doesn't stop their brain from working, it just dopes them up, so their brain is still going a mile a minute but they get even more anxious because they're all drunk. Ace is good for keeping a calm dog still after surgery, etc., but not for a situation like this. I would look into a pain killer, in case he's pacing because of discomfort or pain.

 

My dog did the same thing when he aged. He was 12 and went blind and every noise he heard set him off on this crazy cycle of panting and pacing and whining. He was a great dane mix, so 12 was pretty old for him. He'd also pee the entire time he was pacing. It turned out he had Cushings as well as a host of other problems related to his age.

 

I think they make calming diffusers and collars, but I don't know much about them.

 

Good luck!

[DaisyDoodle]

If he's okay when he's around your grandmother and she's okay, then I wonder if he isn't being sensitive to her needs/problems. Some dogs can smell/sense when their human isn't well (even if the human can't). If he's regularly calm when he's with your grandmother, then I might have her checked. Or, he could just be worried that she's going to go away again. Does he rely on her a lot, spend his days with her? Poor little guy.

DD

[GeorgeofNE]

My vet stopped giving my dog (a non-Grey (pit bull/shepherd) Ace when he was 10. I was told it was NOT for elderly dogs.

 

 

[Guest Rethy]

Does he sleep during the day? If he paces and wanders and cries then, too, he might be in pain and need a pain reliever. Poor little bug. Will he sleep in bed with them?

 

Yes, he does sleep during the day, although on the anipryl for the last two weeks it has been better. He has been more active and alert, where before he was very difficult to wake up during the day. This has been a very positive thing. However, yesterday he slept all day and, according to my mom "it was almost scary how much he slept." Fortunately he slept through the night last night. They have tried letting him sleep in the bed, but it doesn't seem to make any difference to him. The best solution so far has been on my mom's lap in the recliner. This will sometimes help him calm down enough to sleep.

 

Today he started the hyper vigilant cycle during the day. This is the first time he has done this during the day since my grandmother was in the hospital. Even when the whole family was at the dinner table together this evening, he was pacing and whining from one person to the next.

 

He is definitely very tuned into my grandmother, whose health is failing. Unfortunately, at this point it is a matter of waiting and letting the doctors do what they can do for her. My first thought was that perhaps she was experiencing sleep apnea and Nic was waking up when he heard her breathing stop. She would then think she was waking up because of him and not because of the apnea. My mom may be able to drag her to the doctor to get that checked, although it is unlikely.

 

I relayed the DAP collar suggestion and the thought about congestive heart failure. Thank you!

 

He has also lost his appetite again over the last week. He has always been a picky eater, but this week he hasn't been interested in food at all.

 

Any other thoughts? Would clomicalm potentially be helpful in this situation?

 

[Guest Rethy]

Also wanted to add, mom's going to experiment with the pain killer option as well and see if that helps!