Middle Of The Night Whining

[Guest MinisMom]

Hello houndie lovers,

 

Perhaps you might help ease my mind and give me a decent night's sleep. My 6 year old grey who we have had for over a year has suddenly taken to getting up at 3 o'clock in the morning. She paces and whines, makes noise and won't settle down. Three nights ago I got up and hung around in the yard with her. She ate grass, but didn't throw it up. Her stomach sounded like a train was passing threw it (gurgles)! I read on this greyt site that I might want to try Pepcid and a little food, which seemed to help since she fell asleep promptly after eating. She was a bit tuckered out the next day, but noting unusual.

 

I thought all was well but again night before last and then again last night she got up at 3-ish and started whining and pacing again, even though we gave her a Pepcid with dinner. I took her outside and she only peed, and there's been no unusual poo upset whatsoever. I haven't changed her food and she really isn't into eating or chewing on things, so what gives? Is she just reverting back to her old track days when she got up at 5 am? (We know this because she was a VERY early riser when we first got her.)

 

Anyone know what we might do to get a decent night sleep? I am worried about my girl, but she seems fine except for this darned insomnia.

 

 

Thankzzzzzzzz,

 

Mini's Mom

[Guest Ola]

Have you tried giving her a cookie or two before bed? It may also be a little tummy bug or some stress affecting her.

[Guest sheila]

I'm just wondering if she DID have some tummy issues at first that are now resolved. However perhaps she learned that if she paces and whines anyway you will get up and give her attention.

I've had a few dogs over the yrs that figured out I would get up with them if they behaved like this. I figured out that sometimes they were just 'playing' me because they could. When I would tell them to knock it off and go lay down, they would and not another peep out of them. If you get the feeling that your dog is doing this than try ignoring her and see if that helps.

[JohnF]

Try feeding your dog a couple of spoons of live bio yoghurt to help drive out the bad acid-encouraging bacteria. Offer a low glycaemic supper (one that takes longer to digest and let it's sugars out. Consider if your dog's main food is too fatty or rich, change to something with fish instead of lamb for example.

If none of this works your vet may agree to give the dog some Omeprazole or other proton-pump inhibitor to supress acid production. Ideally you don't want to alter the acid balance or things like opportunistic fungi get a helping hand.

[Guest FrostyBottoms]

How long before bed does she eat? Is she eating all of her dinner? Frosty sometimes won't eat much dinner and she does the same thing in the middle of the night...I give her a slice of cheese or bread and a pepcid and she goes back to bed.

Edited August 13, 2010 by FrostyBottoms

[Guest MinisMom]

Thanks, Frosty, John, Sheila and Ola!

 

We feed Mini a kibble that does contain fish, it's called Castor and Pollux Organix. Are lower GI foods labeled as such? Where do you get food such as this and do you have a brand that you like?

 

We'll try the cookie before bed trick. As it stands, the hounds get fed around 5 pm, so maybe she's just hungry. She doesn't strike us as the brightest bulb on the tree, so I'd be pretty surprised if she figured out how to manipulate us in the course of a few evenings, but then again, if it involves pets, she'll do just about anything!<3

 

Thanks for the sage advice!

 

How long before bed does she eat? Is she eating all of her dinner? Frosty sometimes won't eat much dinner and she does the same thing in the middle of the night...I give her a slice of cheese or bread and a pepcid and she goes back to bed.

[KF_in_Georgia]

Both my dogs get a half-cup of kibble at bedtime (whatever time that is). I cut back on their dinner kibble so that this extra isn't actually adding calories they don't need. The bedtime cry of "Snack!" gets them moving toward their bowls. If they don't have the snack, Jacey's rumbling stomach will wake me in the morning (she sleeps on my pillows).

 

And as long as I give the dogs their bedtime snack, they're willing to let me sleep late.

[Guest FrostyBottoms]

Thanks, Frosty, John, Sheila and Ola!

 

We feed Mini a kibble that does contain fish, it's called Castor and Pollux Organix. Are lower GI foods labeled as such? Where do you get food such as this and do you have a brand that you like?

 

We'll try the cookie before bed trick. As it stands, the hounds get fed around 5 pm, so maybe she's just hungry. She doesn't strike us as the brightest bulb on the tree, so I'd be pretty surprised if she figured out how to manipulate us in the course of a few evenings, but then again, if it involves pets, she'll do just about anything!<3

 

Thanks for the sage advice!

 

How long before bed does she eat? Is she eating all of her dinner? Frosty sometimes won't eat much dinner and she does the same thing in the middle of the night...I give her a slice of cheese or bread and a pepcid and she goes back to bed.

 

 

5pm is a really long time before bedtime...I think if you feed her later or give her a snack she will be fine Let us know how she does.

[DesiRayMom]

I'm voting for the bedtime snack. My last grey had stomach upsets constantly until I finally figured out that if I gave him small meals more frequently, he was fine. Something about a totally empty tummy just must feel icky. The grey I have now makes it through the night, but he's pretty grumpy in the morning

until breakfast arrives.

[Guest greyt_learner]

Another vote for the bedtime snack. I always give ours a cookie or a piece of bread and peanunt butter before bed. They eat dinner at 5.00pm too. Good luck - hoping for a good nights sleep for all of you:)

[Time4ANap]

The gurgles are usually hunger Ours usually happens around 4 or 5 AM. Piece of bread and a pepcid works, but we have also started holding back a portion of dinner which is served at 5:15, and giving it as a snack at about 9 PM, before bed. No problems since.

[Guest greyt_learner]

How did you do last night?

[Guest MinisMom]

How did you do last night?

 

Mini is still getting up super early, we tried feeding her a bedtime 1/2 cup of kibble and she won't eat it. Sigh. I guess we can try peanut butter and bread, and hold back a little on dinner time food. I just hope this isn't something serious...

[MP_the4pack]

I have no problems with a bedtime snack.......it's called ice cream and I can't even get around to skipping a night!

 

I've created some monsters.