Senior And Endless Pacing

[Guest k9soul]

This is regarding my mixed breed girl. Tasha turns 15 in 10 days but this has been an ongoing and steadily worsening issue. Some days are worse than others and today about has me at wit's end. I just don't know what to do for her.

 

She just paces endlessly, for hours. She will start to lie down sometimes, but within 2-3 minutes gets back up and begins again. She drives my other two dogs nuts and I have to ensure Rudy is not in her pacing path or he will get fed up and go after her. My lab mix is more tolerant but sometimes Tasha hovers over her so much that she gets frustrated too.

 

She's on 2 chronic arthritis medications and I don't think there is much more to be done there, but this really does not seem like a pain issue so much. She trembles when she is hurting and is NOT at all stoic about pain, so it's crystal clear if she's hurting. The one thing that always seems to make her stop is if/when I go to bed and she can curl up plastered next to me and go to sleep, so I think it may be anxiety/insecurity related. I work from home, and so she continually pauses at my chair in her "route" so I think she wants to be close to me but can't lie down next to me the way she wants to.

 

If I put a baby gate up (which I've done sometimes to keep her from pacing by Rudy) she literally will pace in circles by the gate because it's blocking her "route". She has a need to follow me and be in sight of me at all times. Her hearing is failing, her eyesight is worsening, I understand why she must feel so insecure. I just don't know what to do for her. I tried one anxiety medication for her a couple months ago and did not try any more because she still paced except this time she kept stumbling and falling and wandering into corners and seemed to not know how to get out of them. It was awful watching that and frankly scared me a bit.

 

I'm honestly not sure what to do or try next Anyone have some experience with this or something they did that helped? I have tried an anxiety wrap but it did not seem to make any noticeable difference.

 

ETA: As an aside she had a full blood panel and physical checkup not too long ago and checked out ok in that area

Edited January 9, 2014 by k9soul

[dante2zoe]

Sounds like doggie dementia to me. Indy would pace and if he got into a corner, he couldn't figure out how to get out. He also used to sundown. I made sure that the house was never dark in the areas where he would go. I also put him on Cholodin, which seemed to help some. Medications can take a month to take effect; I don't know how long or what you tried before. I had Indy on lose dose Zoloft and it provided some relief. I also gave him a b-complex vitamin in that it is supposed to help with mood regulation. All of this was done with vet understanding/approval/suggestion.

 

It is so very hard to see them age. Hugs to you.

[greysandmollie]

I have a mixed breed who just turned 15 as well...she is doing a lot of pacing at night. During the day I usually come home and find her sacked out. But in the evening...she paces and wants to go outside about every 30 min it seems. I have been to the vet with her several times and nothing is physically wrong. I haven't tried any meds but have thought about it.

 

Hugs...I know how frustrating it can be!

[o_rooly]

My friend's Doberman had the same symptoms -- she was put on Anipryl for suspected dementia, and it seemed to help. A hug for you, and scritchies for Tasha

[Guest k9soul]

What I tried before was just kind of a temporary anxiety thing, I believe generic Xanax? But that's kind of a sedative more than a long-term medication and it just amplified her confusion. I will ask my vet about something else. Thanks for the suggestions and support. It's so difficult to see her that way and I worry about her constantly. I keep her closely supervised so she does not get herself in trouble with the other dogs as she will just walk/stumble right over them or stand and loom over them which upsets the other two.

[msjpk]

Has the dog been tested for Cushings. Dogs will pace in circles with Cushings.

[Burpdog]

Reminds me so much of Magic! At 16 she had a route she traveled. And, she either walked or layed down because she was too unsteady to stand I wonder if I have a diary entry....below I have more and they all mention walking!

 

 

Magic has a route she travels. The route is 99% the same all the time, and there are two she does most frequently (I've mentioned this previously). If she is inside, she walks into the living room and if she sees no bowl she turns around and goes through the kitchen and depending on how hungry she is, either directly to the door to go outside, or she may go through the family room, down the hall, turn around and then go to the door outside. Once outside, she goes maybe 3 feet, turns around and wants to come in, goes directly through the kitchen towards the feeder in the living room. The bowl must be in place at a certain point or she turns and repeats the route.

Imagine: Letting her in with the blue bowl in one hand then trying to run to the feeder, sometimes wading through 6 dogs (Molly is visiting this week), 5 of them crazy to have what's in her bowl! If you don't get there in time (her decision--it does vary), she must repeat the whole thing again. Obviously I cannot leave the bowl there and then go let her in. There would be nothing in it It dawned on me the other night I must be a little off to be racing a 16 yr old dog to a feeder. Should I live to be 90, I hope someone is following me around with a bowl of whatever it is I decide I want and available when I want it.

One night last week I was so frustrated. Kept putting choices in her bowl and she kept walking away. She gets this look on her face that conveys total disgust at the fact I cannot get it right. I finally looked at her and said "well if you would just tell me...."! And when I do get it right--she finishes, licks her chops and gives me this "about time" look. She is so darn funny!

Yesterday morning I was straightening up a dog bed or some such nonsense and Rob Roy decided to go on one of his crazy spurts and as I'm turning around, I see Magic over Ivey who is coming up fighting because Magic was just about on top of her, either put in motion by Rob knocking her or she was jumping to get out of his way. I yelled, Ivey pulled off, and Magic went a** end over tilderberries. She managed to get up and I ran over to her and checked her over and loved on her. She wanted outside. I opened the door and she ran (yes ran) out into the yard. Some kind of stimulation! She ended up on her butt out in the yard too (and she was walking). A rough day for the Little Girl.

The night before last: I had to chase Molly around to change her bandage on her rear leg. She would jump from bed to bed. Finally settled in Magic''s bed and I figured, that's ok. I'll change the bandage and move her when I am done. I get the old bandage off, open the tube of cream to put on, and Magic decides she is going to bed--no problem, Molly's in the way, just walk over her Molly jumps up, Magic goes part airborne, bandage supplies flying up in the air. Magic is like a determined bull..... Finally got Molly settled in a dog bed in the rear room and changed the bandage; even found the cap to the cream on the loveseat where it flew.

After going through roast chicken, beef and meatloaf last night, Magic ate --- are you ready---kibble!!! Two nights in a row!!! What crazy dog do you know that turns up their nose at roast beef and eats kibble???? See why I am a crazy person???? I am owned by a crazy dog!!!!

 

[Guest k9soul]

Has the dog been tested for Cushings. Dogs will pace in circles with Cushings.

 

Well, she had a full blood chemistry with liver and kidney functions that all checked out (from what I've read, there are usually some abnormalities in those values with Cushing's). But she has not had more extensive tests like the ATCH. Looking at the symptoms, she does have arthritis (but then she's 15) but no skin/hair symptoms, no increased thirst that I notice, and only seemed to have increased urination for awhile after she had an allergy shot in the fall. It's probably something I will mention to my vet when we go back but she's not showing too many other red flag signs of it right now.

 

Interestingly it looks like Anapryl is prescribed both for Cushings and cognitive dysfunction. Definitely going to ask my vet more about that.

 

Also Diane I enjoyed your story about Magic. That sure illustrates the chaos that can be involved in having an old one

[DesiRayMom]

I, too, have a "pacer." He's 16 & slowly losing it. The pacing is always at night.......I only have one other (very tolerant) houndie.

Like yours, he's only able to relax when I pull him in bed with me; tight up against me; and always have one hand on him.

I shudder to think what life will be like when that is no longer enough. There must be a special place in heaven for senior

caregivers. Good thoughts & hugs to you & your senior.

[fliggie]

Tramadol can cause some symptoms like this in higher doses. Something else to talk with your vet about if this is one of her arthritis meds.

 

Gentle hugs to u both.

[tbhounds]

Sounds like dementia however, the symptoms also match with a possible brain tumor. Brain tumors are actually more common than you would believe (I've recently become rather educated in the brain tumor dept--my girl was diagnosed with one 3 months ago). Of course, to truly diagnose a tumor one needs to run an MRI. I think in your case finding the right combo of meds is the most sensible approach. Hopefully, your vet can recommend a drug protocol for you.

[cleptogrey]

sounds like doggie dementia. it's not easy to live with or deal with. willie wonka had it and he not only paced but urinated and marked his bed every time he went to settle on it. his days and nights were mixed up, he no longer could be contained in a room, broke the baby gate(all 24#s of him), banged around in his crate he no longer could be crated and used to get lost in the yard. but when that dog saw a soccer ball- he knew what to do. it was a difficult end, he made it to his 15th birthday and became so frightened all the time it was as if he was living a nightmare. sedatives and other drugs did not help ease the situation. to you and your pup.

[Guest k9soul]

The warm and supportive words really mean a lot to me. More than I can say. It is just stressful, and sad, when she's having such a bad day. And fears of how bad will it get, will she get too miserable to where I have to help her pass on.. hard to bear. I worry for her safety too. My lab mix she has been with for years and though Raven gets fed up with her I don't think she would hurt her. Rudy seems to be increasingly aggravated by her though. Last week he jumped up and bit her on the haunch as she walked by him after she had been pacing awhile. Thankfully did not break the skin but she gave a scream and I immediately separated them. At this point I'm just going to have to be super vigilant about her safety, using baby gates and muzzle as needed.

 

At night when we settle in bed I cuddle with her and she seems so relaxed and contented then for a while. I love her so much.

[EllenEveBaz]

[Guest PiagetsMom]

I think dogs know when another dog is "not right", so maybe that's what you're seeing with Rudy. I had a poodle who was much like your pup. I ended up letting her go at 14, although I realize now that I should have made that decision earlier. It's really hard...... to you.

[Guest k9soul]

She's worlds better today, for no apparent reason, except the weather is much warmer and I suppose that might make a difference. She just seems to have some really bad days and some good. She's still eager to eat. She still runs a bit outside and was frisky this morning. She's relaxed today and I'm beyond grateful for that.

 

My angel today:

 

[Guest BiancasMom]

i second what tbhounds said. My 14 year old Aussie had similar symptoms….treated with Anipryl for dementia which did help some but he ended up with a brain tumor too. That being said, he was also on prednisone for other medical issues which means he did have Cushings from the pred. You could try some Melatonin. Hugs to your old lady-dog.

[fliggie]

What a beautiful gal!

[FiveRoooooers]

I think dogs know when another dog is "not right", so maybe that's what you're seeing with Rudy. I had a poodle who was much like your pup. I ended up letting her go at 14, although I realize now that I should have made that decision earlier. It's really hard...... to you.

They definitely do.

What a sweet old soul she is.

[Acadianarose]

She's worlds better today, for no apparent reason, except the weather is much warmer and I suppose that might make a difference. She just seems to have some really bad days and some good. She's still eager to eat. She still runs a bit outside and was frisky this morning. She's relaxed today and I'm beyond grateful for that.

 

My angel today:

 

My lab will have a couple of bad days and I start to think that it may be the end. And then all of a sudden, he seems to feel great.

 

She is so cute. I'm glad she is feeling better today.

[mom2four]

Our 'Bridge Lab, Heidi also paced around in circles in the kitchen, in the middle of the night. It seemed to be dementia. She also started isolating herself, laying down at the end of the hall. It all got worse before we sent her to the 'Bridge, after a long discussion with our vet. There was nothing specific, like cancer, just old age. She was 14.5 years old.

[fliggie]

I'm so glad you posted this. I had been a bit worried about the effects of the meds on my boy Sam. He just started acting weirder, not sleeping at night, pacing, panting. He's just had a full work up and we see the vet every few months for a check over because of his arthritis, his meds, and a lump that keeps going up and down (its been aspirated, B9)--so physically, he appears to be pretty sound. He got up twice in the middle of night last night and my husband said, at 4 am, I think he has dementia. Ding, ding, ding--I thought of this thread. I asked my DH why and he said that he thinks that sometimes he forgets he has just been out--stares at the window when the blinds are down, seems lost in the middle of the night. Dang, I did not even realize what might be going on with the old guy was beyond his arthritis and meds. Will talk with the vet very soon about this.

 

Hugs to all the oldie parents.

[Neighsayer]

My old chow mix used to stand in the corner and not figure out how to get out of there. She would pace at night and sometimes go on the wrong side of a door between two rooms. She would be stuck there in the corner for hours, until I saw her and moved her. Sometimes she just walked in circles for hours. She didn't cry or whine. She was mostly deaf, and her vision was going, but the behavior seemed to be mental not physical issues. So hard to watch them get old.

[Houndmommy03]

Doggie dementia - have had 2 dogs with it (one grey and one terrier).

[Guest k9soul]

My lab will have a couple of bad days and I start to think that it may be the end. And then all of a sudden, he seems to feel great.

 

 

That's what I go through too. It's really an emotional roller coaster. In Tasha's case if she can curl up and press right against me to sleep she seems okay, but when she can't do that she paces. She will pace around the room and then stop at me, pace around the room and stop at me. If I'm elsewhere she will pace around me there. She went through a phase where she kept pacing at night and going in and out (I have a dog door) but that seemed to pass and she has not done that now for a couple months. The one thing that's more inexplicable to me is she will walk up to where one of the other dogs are resting and really loom over them, right in their space. This is what really aggravates the others. I think it's just, again, her insecurity/confusion.

Edited January 11, 2014 by k9soul