Desparately Need Advice

[Guest hattiepumpkin]

Hello,

My grey Hattie seems to be losing her mind, and I, as a result, am losing mine. I posted in another thread that she was afraid of something at least once a day, and that it could be something as minor as a truck driving by, or a plane flying overhead, and you would think it was 4th of July fireworks. The latest thing is that now she won't sleep at night. Starting at about 10:30-11:00, she starts to whine LOUDLY, pant, pace, and tremble. There seems to be no earthly reason for her behavior, and in 3 years, this is the first time she has done this. She has a closet she can go to, as well as 2 bathrooms. The problem is that she won't even lie down enough to calm herself down--she paces and whines the whole night. Usually, with a thunderstorm, she will eventually lie down, tremble and pant, and then calm down. It is not a bathroom issue, she is eating fine, and her poop is solid. The only noticable difference with her is that she seems to be drinking more water, but she could be thirsty from all the panting. She goes for nice walks every day, she is very loved and well cared for. Nothing has really changed in our house. We live next to a rock quarry that has trucks and machinery going every night, but this has never bothered her before. My husband and I have not gotten more than 2-3 hours sleep in several days, and we are starting to freak out. Has anyone ever experienced this before, or heard of this before? What do I do?

[Batmom]

How old is she?

How long have you had her?

Has she had a vet visit with hearing check, vision check, complete blood workup lately?

[DaisyDoodle]

I'd make a vet appoint, then keep a diary of what she's doing and when. When you feed her, how much water you put out, when she cries, paces.

 

I have a few random questions: How is her pee? Yellow, clear or dark? Is she leaking/dribbling? How is her fur? Is it dull, or is she shedding more than usual? Is she tender anywhere?

 

Hope you and the vets can figure things out quickly and easily.

 

DD

[Guest hattiepumpkin]

Hi,

She is going to be 6 in June. We've had her almost 3 years. Her fur is good--someone actually just complimented it the other day. I also use a supplement for her coat--Proderma. To be honest, I haven't really noticed her pee--I have smelled it here and there in times past, but I haven't really noticed it all recently. She is not dribbling, and she does not seem to be tender anywhere. I am taking her to the vet today--she was tested for Lyme several months ago, and the vet checked her thyroid at that point, also. She has been on thyroid medicine since we got her. I don't think he has done a hearing/vision check on her. The vet had suggested a behaviorist, but I don't know if that is the right way to go. There seems to be nothing triggering the behavior--it's not an association thing that seems to be correctable.

[GeorgeofNE]

Thought I would mention that the restlessness at night COULD be something you haven't thought of; an animal if your yard, a squirrel in the attic you can't hear but she can--

 

We had a dog once we thought was going nuts--digging in the floor on our screen porch!

 

Turns out we had a very bad case of TERMITES that he could hear munching our house to bits!!

[Guest Greyt_dog_lover]

Thyroid medicine since you got her... Does your vet see any other greyhounds? Or are you the only greyhound that your vet treats? Reason I ask, is many vets that are not familiar with greyhound T4 values will misdiagnose greyhounds with thyroid issues. You may want to ask your vet when you go again, "how many other greyhounds do you see"? If the answer is none, I would ask for the report on your hounds T4 panel and do some research online to see if they fall within the "normal" range for a greyhound, not a canine, they are distinctly different. I am not saying this is the cause for the current behavior, just an observation.

 

Chad

[Guest NeroAmber]

I don't have any medical ideas here, but have you tried using a de-stressing plug-in air freshener-type thing? Or a handkercheif tied around the neck with bachs rescue remedy sprinkled on, or even lavender essential oil aromotherapy?

Just some ideas because even though it sounds like more than just average stress, it might help...? I hope it's nothing serious and that it goes away soon for you.

[JohnF]

If you haven't already done so, please spend 5 minutes or so on the short article on Calming Signals in this link:

http://www.canis.no/rugaas/onearticle.php?artid=1

It helped my spooky Grey.

If you can establish that your dog knows that you know what she's saying to you then stress levels from anxiety will fall considerably. It can be so easy to slip into mollycodding them and by so doing confirming to them that their fears are real. They desperately want to make the problem someone else's and who more appropriate than the leader of their family pack.

If you haven't had a full set of bloodwork done recently then now would be a good time for an update, and also Thyroid function. I sometimes hand the vet a print out of typical greyhound parameters just to be sure because as already mentioned in the answers here they are different to other breeds. For example last year I had my grey checked out and the Creatinine (kidney disease indicator) was very high and my vet wasn't aware that she'd been doing zoomies in the park in the morning and that the muscle metabolism had shot the level sky high even for a grey. Subsequent tests and urinalysis showed everything to be normal though.

You mentioned your dog was drinking more than usual, well that would be a good reason to check kidney function and also diabetes.

And what about diet? Has anything changed in the analysis there recently (check manufacturer's packaging)? Maybe your dog has 'grown out' of tolerating the regular food? Try something more natural?

What about topical things like shampoos and flea treatments? - anything changed there?

I hope you can get on top of the anxiety issues really soon, and would be most interested to find out what was behind it really?

Edited April 28, 2010 by JohnF

[Guest hattiepumpkin]

Hi,

Her thyroid was definitely low--it was a .1 or something ridiculous like that. 2 different greyhound-savvy vets said she needs to be on it. Her vet now is greyhound savvy--I actually found him on this website. We live in a townhome that was built in 2004--we don't have a yard or any property, and there's no where for a squirrel to be. I ordered Proquiet (or something like that) over the internet. I haven't tried any aromatherapy things yet, although I am going to PetSmart after school to see if I can get anything. I just don't understand how she seems to have developed a full-blown hysteria over the course of a few days. As I said, she has always been thunder-fireworks phobic, but her behavior at night is unlike anything I have ever seen.

[Guest Tequila]

Hi,

Her thyroid was definitely low--it was a .1 or something ridiculous like that. 2 different greyhound-savvy vets said she needs to be on it. Her vet now is greyhound savvy--I actually found him on this website. We live in a townhome that was built in 2004--we don't have a yard or any property, and there's no where for a squirrel to be. I ordered Proquiet (or something like that) over the internet. I haven't tried any aromatherapy things yet, although I am going to PetSmart after school to see if I can get anything. I just don't understand how she seems to have developed a full-blown hysteria over the course of a few days. As I said, she has always been thunder-fireworks phobic, but her behavior at night is unlike anything I have ever seen.

Hi,

 

I recently went through ()and am still dealing with, somewhat) a very similar problem. My grey was whining, pacing, and panting in the middle of the night for no apparent reason. She tested low thyroid, and we are working on getting the right dosage of meds for her, but in the meantime my vet also prescribed Xanax for her (Alprazolam). She takes 0.5mg twice a day now, and it has made ALL THE DIFFERENCE IN THE WORLD. She is a lot less jumpy, and she sleep through the night. (which means WE can sleep through the night!). It has not affected her energy level or alertness in any way, it just seems to take the edge off and help her to not be so spooky.

 

The Xanax is not meant to be a permanent solution for her, it's just until we can get her Thyroid med dosage correct, and also we have her on an anxiety med called Amitriptyline.

 

So.....WHILE you are working on solving the problem, it might be worth asking your vet if she/he can prescibe Alprazolam (or something similar) to help her sleep through the night. It can't be good for the dog to be pacing and panting all night . I hope this helps, and I sincerely wish you the best, I KNOW what this is like!

 

Kathy

[Guest hattiepumpkin]

Thanks to everyone for all the advice. She recently had her thyroid levels checked, and they all came back fine. A woman I teach with has had a million greys, and I spoke to her at length today. For anyone familiar with NJ, I live right off Rt 22, and they are doing major construction right by my townhome. Although the construction has been going on for a while now, Ann pointed out that they might be starting something new at night that is causing the floor to vibrate or causing something to happen to flip Hattie out. She says that she thinks it is definitely environmental, and not physical. The rock quarry I live by also does blasting. I assummed I would hear/feel that, but . . . who knows? Maybe not. I am worried that she is going to make a habit out of working herself up at night--how would I prevent that? I have Valium that I give her when I know bad thunderstorms are rolling through--my vet once had a greyhound die of a heart attack during a storm, so he recommended the Valium for her, and it does ease her anxiety. Should I give her that right before we go to bed? Kathy, what about the Amitriptyline you mentioned? Does it have Tryptothal (or however you spell it) in it? Is it prescribed, or is it over the counter? As I said, I ordered her the Proquiet, which, from my undersatanding, is mostly tryptothal. I just want her to feel better (and, selfishly, I am desparate to sleep).

Thanks,

Alex

 

Hi,

Her thyroid was definitely low--it was a .1 or something ridiculous like that. 2 different greyhound-savvy vets said she needs to be on it. Her vet now is greyhound savvy--I actually found him on this website. We live in a townhome that was built in 2004--we don't have a yard or any property, and there's no where for a squirrel to be. I ordered Proquiet (or something like that) over the internet. I haven't tried any aromatherapy things yet, although I am going to PetSmart after school to see if I can get anything. I just don't understand how she seems to have developed a full-blown hysteria over the course of a few days. As I said, she has always been thunder-fireworks phobic, but her behavior at night is unlike anything I have ever seen.

Hi,

 

I recently went through ()and am still dealing with, somewhat) a very similar problem. My grey was whining, pacing, and panting in the middle of the night for no apparent reason. She tested low thyroid, and we are working on getting the right dosage of meds for her, but in the meantime my vet also prescribed Xanax for her (Alprazolam). She takes 0.5mg twice a day now, and it has made ALL THE DIFFERENCE IN THE WORLD. She is a lot less jumpy, and she sleep through the night. (which means WE can sleep through the night!). It has not affected her energy level or alertness in any way, it just seems to take the edge off and help her to not be so spooky.

 

The Xanax is not meant to be a permanent solution for her, it's just until we can get her Thyroid med dosage correct, and also we have her on an anxiety med called Amitriptyline.

 

So.....WHILE you are working on solving the problem, it might be worth asking your vet if she/he can prescibe Alprazolam (or something similar) to help her sleep through the night. It can't be good for the dog to be pacing and panting all night . I hope this helps, and I sincerely wish you the best, I KNOW what this is like!

 

Kathy

[Guest mcsheltie]

I wouldn't give her Valium every night without guidance. There are nasty side effects. But if I already had it, I would try it once and if it helped. Then give that info to your vet. I would talk to my vet about the anti-anxiety medications Tequila suggested. There are other options such as Zoloft, Clomipramine and Prozac if the first doesn't work.

 

You are right in trying to make sure this doesn't become a habit.

 

Since you aren't sleeping anyway, what do you think she would do if you put her bed right next to yours and held her on a leash short enough that she couldn't pace around. I would stay in bed, just let my arm dangle over the side, holding the leash.

[Guest Tequila]

Hi Alex,

 

Amitriptyline is availabel by prescription only. You can read more about it (including reviews) here:

 

http://www.1800petmeds.com/Amitriptyline-prod10480.html

 

The only downside is it will take at least 4 weeks (possibly 6) for it to get into her system and have any effect. That is why my vet also prescribed Alprazolam, to help immediately. At first, we were giving Tequila one 0.5mg tablet of Alprazolam (Xanax) every 6 hours: typically at breafast, midday, dinner, and then one before bed. I actually had to give her one and a half tablets at bedtime for the first week. Then, we weaned her down to 3 tablets a day (breakfast, dinner, and bedtime), then two tablets per day, and that is what she is on righ tnow. I'm a little nervous about weaning her off it completely, because she seems so "normal" now!!! No more whining, pacing, and panting at night....and she doesn't "jump" up and run away any time the wind blows. (Her anxiety reached an all-time high one night when we had high winds, I mean 50mph winds that blow against your windows and "howl" -- that totally freaked her out). Then the anxiety continued, every night, for no apparent reason. I lost sleep, had to take a few days off work (since I was so exhausted). It seemed to happen at night when the house was quiet. So another idea is to leave a TV on overnight. (as long as the sound from the TV doesn't bother you, the TV can help MASK any noises that Hattie might be hearing).

 

So, I would really suggest asking your vet for Alprazolam, in order to keep your sanity, and to help your grey sleep as well. I am NOT a big fan of taking ANY meds -- I myself will only ever take Advil -- but this was a desperate situation, and the only change in her I've noticed is she's more "normal!!!" I was worried the meds would make her sleepy or dopey, but they don't -- not at all. She's just a different dog, in a GOOD way!!! I'll keep an eye on this thread and would be happy to help answer any other questions. This was a horrible, exhausting process for our family to go through, but I feel we are finally on the right track. By the way, the dosage of Amitryptiline she is on is 50mg twice a day (breakfast & dinner) -- but I don't know yet if it's working, or if it's the Alprazolam.

[Guest hattiepumpkin]

Hi Alex,

 

Amitriptyline is availabel by prescription only. You can read more about it (including reviews) here:

 

http://www.1800petmeds.com/Amitriptyline-prod10480.html

 

The only downside is it will take at least 4 weeks (possibly 6) for it to get into her system and have any effect. That is why my vet also prescribed Alprazolam, to help immediately. At first, we were giving Tequila one 0.5mg tablet of Alprazolam (Xanax) every 6 hours: typically at breafast, midday, dinner, and then one before bed. I actually had to give her one and a half tablets at bedtime for the first week. Then, we weaned her down to 3 tablets a day (breakfast, dinner, and bedtime), then two tablets per day, and that is what she is on righ tnow. I'm a little nervous about weaning her off it completely, because she seems so "normal" now!!! No more whining, pacing, and panting at night....and she doesn't "jump" up and run away any time the wind blows. (Her anxiety reached an all-time high one night when we had high winds, I mean 50mph winds that blow against your windows and "howl" -- that totally freaked her out). Then the anxiety continued, every night, for no apparent reason. I lost sleep, had to take a few days off work (since I was so exhausted). It seemed to happen at night when the house was quiet. So another idea is to leave a TV on overnight. (as long as the sound from the TV doesn't bother you, the TV can help MASK any noises that Hattie might be hearing).

 

So, I would really suggest asking your vet for Alprazolam, in order to keep your sanity, and to help your grey sleep as well. I am NOT a big fan of taking ANY meds -- I myself will only ever take Advil -- but this was a desperate situation, and the only change in her I've noticed is she's more "normal!!!" I was worried the meds would make her sleepy or dopey, but they don't -- not at all. She's just a different dog, in a GOOD way!!! I'll keep an eye on this thread and would be happy to help answer any other questions. This was a horrible, exhausting process for our family to go through, but I feel we are finally on the right track. By the way, the dosage of Amitryptiline she is on is 50mg twice a day (breakfast & dinner) -- but I don't know yet if it's working, or if it's the Alprazolam.

 

Thank you SO MUCH, Kathy. You described exactly what seems to be going on with Hattie, and you hit the nail on the head when it comes to how my husband and I are faring with all the anxiety. I actually contemplated calling in sick to work this morning--I was so tired I actually felt sick to my stomach. As you said, she jumps every time she hears a noise, and she has not even been recognizable because of her fear. I want my happy girl back!!! How much does Tequila weigh? Hattie is 62 lbs. She has an appointment tomorrow for a full work up, and I'm going to bring this entire thread to the vet!!!

Thanks!

Alex

[Guest Tequila]

Hi Alex,

 

Tequila is a tiny girl, only 56 pounds.

 

I believe the next nighest dosage of Amitriptyline is 75mg. (it goes from 50mg to 75mg). And she is on 50mg. But again, I don't really know if that's what is helping or if it's the Xanax (alprazolam), since she is taking both. I do know that when I tried to wean her down to 1 Xanax per day, she became a little jumpy again. Not nearly as bad as before (with the whining, pacing, and panting in the middle of the night), but she would suddenly jump up from her bed and run from the room for no apparent reason). So we put her back on 2 Xanax tablets a day, of 0.5mg each. One at breakfast, and one around 10pm for bedtime. So far, so good.

 

Also, she WAS diagnosed as low thyroid. Her T4 was less than 0.4, and her "freeT4 was less than 0.2. My vet started her on a thyroid med called Thyroxine (which is a generic), at a dosage of 0.4mg, taken twice a day. With the thyroid meds, they recommend 0.1mg per 10 pounds....and my vet is on the conservative side so he did not want to give her TOO much medication, and opted to begin her on the 0.4 dosage. After 4 weeks, we re-tested, and there was NO CHANGE whatsoever in her thyroid panel. Sooooooo....we increased the dosage to 0.5mg now. AND, I switched to the brand name, and the one that I hear is the best, Soloxine. I ordered it online, and it should be arriving today or tomorrow, so we'll soon be starting her on 0.5mg of Soloxine taken twice a day (breakfast and dinner). Then we'll re-test again in 4 weeks.

 

We are HOPING that we'll be able to take her off the Xanax once the other meds kick in and they are affecting her the way they should. However, for now, we still have her on the following:

 

50mg Amitriptyline, 2x day

0.5 Alprazolam (Xanax), 2x day

0.4 Thyroxine, 2x day**

 

**This will change to 0.5 Soloxine, 2x day beginning tonight or tomorrow (whenever the online shipment arrives in my mailbox).

 

But either way, I would think Amitriptyline or Alprazolan will help Hattie. And if she NEEDS the meds to be "normal," there's certainly no shame in taking them.

 

COSTS:

 

My cost for Amitriptyline was only $18 for 90 pills (my vet stocks the med, and was able to fill the prescription right there in the office).

 

The Alprazolan (Xanax) was approximately $10 for 30 pills (took the prescription to my local CVS pharmacy and they filled it there).

 

The Soloxine was only 9 cents per pill online from Drs. Foster & Smith....so 120 pills was only about $10 !!! That's not a bad deal.

 

Hope this helps!

Any more questions, feel free to ask. I'm no expert by any means....but I have experienced a lot of the same things you are going through, and I've kind of learned-as-I-went-along..

Kathy

[Guest hattiepumpkin]

Kathy, I have one other question. How long did Tequila's night-time insanity go on for before you got the Alprazolam for her? I definitely want to nip this in the bud before, as I said in a previous post, Hattie begins to automatically equate night-time with insanity time. Thanks, again!!!

[Guest hattiepumpkin]

Hattie's T-4 was really low, too, and I believe she is on Thyroxine. She gets 6 mg (or .6--you get the picture) a day, and her levels tested normally a few months ago. After speaking to my work-greyhound expert, I definitely think that Hattie's issues are environmental. My husband said she was fine during the day today, so I think that the rock quarry is either blasting at night, or the construction by our house is going on full blast at night. Hopefully, I can give her the Xanax to get her through the construction noise, and then I can get her on the anti-anxiety meds to help her overall nervousness.

I can't tell you how much your responses have helped me feel better about this situation. Thank you.

[Magdalyn58]

Perhaps a "dog anxiety wrap" would help. I don't know how to properly send links, but the web address is www.anxietywrap.com/

 

There is a lot of information on the website.

 

 

 

[Guest Tequila]

How long did it last ..... let m ethink......I actually went through a few mis-diagnosises before finally getting it sorted out. I'd say it started as an intermittant problem -- only when there was a "reason" for the fear (such as high winds howling against the window at night), and then one night she was just anxious all night for no apparent reason. I stayed up with her all night (and was exhausted as a result), and then for the next couple nights it continued. Then she peed in the house (which she NEVER does) and I knew something was really wrong, so I ended up bringing her to the emergency vet because it was a Sunday and my regular vet was closed (read: expensisive visit!) and they diagnosed her with a UTI. Gave me an antibiotic (Cephalexin) and that ended up giving her diarrhea (so I had yet another problem to deal with), and after about 4 days, she was STILL whining and crying in the middle of the night, so we knew it couldn't be a UTI since the anti=-bilotic would have helped within 24 - 48 hoyrs. (sorry for the typos byt he way, can't see my text!)

 

Then, it just got SO bad that I called my vet and said "PLEASE, we have to do something, her little heart is beating so fast and she's shaking and I'm worried she's gonna have a heart attack if she doesn't calm down." And she was also beginning to lose fur on her butt and her thighs. So... to answer your question....overall, I'd say it was about a 2-week period with some REALLY bad nights, and then some nights that she'd only keep me up for about 2 hours (as opposed to all night), but she ONLY calmed down when she got the meds. The first time I gave her a Xanax (0.5mg), it seemed to do nothing, so my vet set it was okay to give her one and a half. I split the pill and tried it (giving her one and a half) and THAT did the trick. OH it was so wonderful to see her more relaxed!

 

If you'd like to take a trip down my horrible 2 weeks, here's the thread from when I was going through that whole thing:

 

http://forum.greytalk.com/index.php/topic/250808-anxiety-between-2-am-5-am/

 

It's kinda long....and it's exhausting to read....but you'll get the idea of how difficult this entire process was. And I tried EVERYTHING. Rescue Remedy, a "Calming Collar" -- none of it had any effect.

[Guest mleekramer]

I'm just scanning here because my daughter's communion is tomorrow and my guy is gonna lose his marbles with 50 people here anyway I saw your post. I apologize for not reading completely, but we had a night noisy situation recently. He had lived with another family for 2 yrs and we took him in as a foster. The first week or 2 he cried, to be expected, and he wasn't crated at his old place. He seems to do well in the crate here after we got him to trust it. After 3 months here he started nightly crying and squeeking. My husband got up to let him out, since this is new for him. It went down hill from there. For 3 weeks happened at 5:30ish, then in short order started happening at 3. Just started to progress back slowly. We could not figure it out. We were dead tired and my kids started to do poorly in school. So I read about behavior training. A lot of folks use those clickers. I was desperate now and remembered my other hates the grill tongs and the snap they make. So everytime he is squeeky or crying I give a snap and we use "no bark" in a loud tone. That was the last night he did it. Hates the tongs too. He is still anxious in the day, which is why I'm looking for drug ideas tonight. Heck, I took those tongs to bed so if he tried at 5 or 6 I'd just snap from the bed, LOL! I wish you the best of luck! I know the no sleep feeling from doggie keeping you up all night. It's worse for my kids though. They are 4 and 7, yikes!

[Guest tore140]

Hi there,

 

How is this going since you last posted? I searched "amitriptyline" and found your post. My greyhound is doing some of the same stuff!!! Chaos- whining and barking through the night, I look at him and he is panting/shaking/drooling/flipping out....where he used to rest calmly in his crate. About 6 months ago he got very sick and underweight, and we assumed all this middle of the night drama was from his stomach infection/diarrhea/painful gas. It was all identified as a number of things: 1) irritable bowl disease, 2) Colitis, 3)Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth, 4) Protien loss Entrophathy, 5) as a result of a Helicobacter stomach infection. (Not a cheap vet bill!!) But once he got better, and his intestinal sensitivities were now controlled by hypoallergenic food and probiotics, he still continued to throw a fit every night. We couldn't get any sleep for the longest time (and neither did he). My vet finally prescribed acepromazine for him to be sedated and sleep at night (we'd used xanax before and he had an adverse effect-more excitement). Now 6 months later his anxiety has gotten worse, and anytime he goes into his crate he suffers severe anxiety, freaking out and trying to break the bars of the cage. This is a dog who used to nap all day in an open crate happily!

 

He's on thyroid medicine for hypothyroid,probiotics, and anti-acids. Two weeks ago he stopped eating and acting anxious around his food bowl. This dog loves food...very uncharacteristic. As the night panic persisted and his appetite failed, my veterinarian scoped him and found an irritated esophagus, in an attempt to identify his continuous issues. We thought maybe he was now suffering from heartburn and acid reflux, and he was just uncomfortable so he panicked; since then we've added metocloprimide, pepcid AC, and priolsec to his daily routine. His appetite has slowly returned, but he still has panic attacks daily. His stress is off the charts!

 

I'm at a loss. We've tried fluoxetine with no effects, so we are considering amitriptyline. How are your results going with your dogs? I hate giving my dog acepromazine everyday, but it's the only time when he acts "normal" and we can get any sleep. We walk 3 miles every night, so I know he's not got pent up energy...

 

Thanks in advance,

Victoria

Edited January 2, 2012 by tore140

[Batmom]

How was he diagnosed as hypothyroid, and what dosage of meds has he been taking for how long? Could well be that he doesn't need them at all -- his symptoms are those of hypERthyroidism.

 

Also, is there a reason he has to be crated at night? If he's fussing that badly in the crate, I wouldn't put him in it.

 

Oh, I see your other post in Health. Yeah, I'd get him off the thyroid meds ASAP.

 

There are some folks who end up giving their dog thyroid meds AND antidepressants/sedatives. I don't know a single reputable vet who would sanction that. If the dog needs antidepressants/sedatives, s/he doesn't need thyroid meds too -- contradiction in physiological terms.

[Guest tore140]

How was he diagnosed as hypothyroid, and what dosage of meds has he been taking for how long? Could well be that he doesn't need them at all -- his symptoms are those of hypERthyroidism.

 

Also, is there a reason he has to be crated at night? If he's fussing that badly in the crate, I wouldn't put him in it.

 

Oh, I see your other post in Health. Yeah, I'd get him off the thyroid meds ASAP.

 

There are some folks who end up giving their dog thyroid meds AND antidepressants/sedatives. I don't know a single reputable vet who would sanction that. If the dog needs antidepressants/sedatives, s/he doesn't need thyroid meds too -- contradiction in physiological terms.

 

I'm glad you mentioned about the thyroid and sedatives at the same time: I was reading about it today on the forum and that's how I came to meet you nice people

 

I've already started tonight with the lower dosage of thyroid medicine in the weening off process. He has been on 0.7mg twice daily for about six months.

 

I guess I should have mentioned that I was not crating him before, but his pacing and panicking was all over the house. I figured if I could get him to stay in one spot he'd rather sit down and rest than walk the halls and scratch on doors all night. He originally started off in our bedroom but the whining and pacing began there, then to the whole house, etc. I've got another dog (not a grey) who is also crated at night too. They both were in the bedroom together for a while, but then as this anxiety persisted my other dog tried to take it upon himself to "correct" this behavior. So, if my eyes can't be on them they don't spend alone time together.

Edited January 2, 2012 by tore140

[Batmom]

Might be worth using an exercise pen or else a baby gate to keep him in the bedroom with you (is there room for the other dog's crate in there too?). Will keep fingers crossed that it's just the meds making him so restless and he'll settle once that's taken care of.

[Guest tore140]

I probably should try something like that. I really hope he'll improve once off of the medicine also. Thanks a lot for your advice!