My Old Greyhound Struggling With Sleeping Downstairs

[Guest Linkenblue]

We've had our retired racing Greyhound Blue for over seven years now (he is nearly 12 years old). He has always slept upstairs at night, not in our room (he snores a lot!) but the room next to us so he could wander in and see us whenever he wanted.

We live in a terraced house with extremely steep, narrow stairs which he now really struggles with. He has fallen and slipped too many times now so he can't go up them anymore.

We have tried for the last two weeks to leave him downstairs but he wakes between 4 - 4.30am and howls the house down. He seems really agitated and upset and it is breaking our hearts hearing him crying that way.

We've tried leaving the tv on, radio on, anxiety sprays, plug ins and collar but nothing works.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated

x

[FiveRoooooers]

This is difficult for all of you. Blue has been sleeping with his people for over seven years and he still needs/wants that. BTDT, I slept where my old dog/s slept. Was I always comfortable? Definitely not. But at 12, every day is a gift and it was the right call for us. Hang in there.

[Guest Linkenblue]

This is difficult for all of you. Blue has been sleeping with his people for over seven years and he still needs/wants that. BTDT, I slept where my old dog/s slept. Was I always comfortable? Definitely not. But at 12, every day is a gift and it was the right call for us. Hang in there.

 

Ahh thank you, yes that is how we feel. We love him so much! I have slept downstairs with him a few times now just so he rests properly overnight. I really wish we could carry him up but he spreads his legs out as soon as you lift him lol

[Batmom]

If he is still *fairly* mobile, you might try a supportive harness like a Ruffwear Webmaster to help him up/down the stairs; lets you handle the dog almost like a suitcase. You'd want to block the top of the stairs once you had him up, so he didn't try to go down by himself. Otherwise, best if you can figure out a way for at least one of you to sleep downstairs with him .

[DocsDoctor]

Message of hope here. I went through this with my old greyhound Doc, when he got arthritic and the vet said he shouldn't do the stairs any more. (Mine like yours are very steep and narrow.) I was worried about it but on the vet's advice I made up the most comfortable bed ever downstairs, settled him down in it with a kiss and a delicious treat, and went upstairs, blocking the stairs off with a chair for a few nights or so. My bedroom door however stayed open so we could hear each other moving about. As she promised, he settled down and after about a week he had given up even trying to do the stairs - I actually think it was a relief to him not to have to struggle with them any longer.

 

Personally despite my great for Fiveroooers and Batmom I would not despair yet, partly because if you are feeling bad about the situation he will be picking up on that. Also because it sounds to me as if he is actually sleeping through quite happily until 4.00-4.30?

 

That's when it gets light right now and I suspect therefore that he wakes, can't yet understand where he is and panics. That will encourage him to want a loo break at that point too. How about trying to make the room where he sleeps darker so he sleeps longer? And leaving your door upstairs open so he can hear that you are there? Maybe moving the bed might help with that too? And if it is not the dawn light maybe there is some regular noise at that point which wakes him?

 

So - personally I would persevere a bit longer with trying to make this his 'new normal'. Of course going down and reassuring him and giving him a loo break if he does wake and panic again!

 

Good luck to you and Blue with sorting it out. Oldies are precious and we want to see their every remaining moment happy, I know.

[MaryJane]

When this happened to my older dog, I slept downstairs with him. I bought a cheap mattress and put it in my dining room.

[Guest Linkenblue]

Thanks guys. I will persevere a bit longer.

 

We did try a harness that we could lift him easier but he really didn't like it.

 

When he wakes and starts howling I will give him a cuddle and wrap him back up with his blanket!

 

If not then I think a sofa bed might have to be bought