Dealing with a senior dog

[LBJ10]

I know a lot of people have dogs on here. Does anyone have experience dealing with a senior dog? My dog is 14 years old. The vet said she’s fine, except she is old. I worry about her because she whines all the time. Not like she is in pain or anything. It’s more like she is anxious. I ask her what’s wrong and she will get all wound up and beg for a treat. She seems restless, like she doesn’t want to be cooped up in the house. I will take her to the park. She will act all excited until we get to the park. She will sniff for a minute or two. Then instead of continuing through the park, she will turn herself around an head for home. Same story if we get in the car with her. She will be excited at first, then she will slump down like a sack of potatoes with no interest in the car ride anymore. Do you think maybe she is getting a little senile?

[Elrohwen]

I have a very young dog now, but had two old dogs as a teenager/young adult so I know how hard it can be. One did develop doggie dementia and the medication helped her symptoms. It’s definitely worth a shot.

I assume her eye sight and hearing have been tested?

Do you do any training with her? Maybe it would give her something to do when she’s acting anxious and the mental energy expended might help the anxiety.

[LBJ10]

They didn’t test her hearing, but they did say she can’t see really well. Her eyes are starting to get cloudy from cataracts.

[Elrohwen]

It could be related to that – maybe she’s anxious about losing her sight and needs time to adjust. That might be why she seems excited to go to the park, but then wants to go home because she is anxious about not being able to see well.

[Karla]

Some cats and dogs begin to react like that when they go senile. They don’t always know where they are, and so they get anxious.

You should have a vet specialised in this check her out. If she is senile, it helps to keep everything in routines, so she knows exactly what will happen at 8 am, at 2 pm et.c and you should always go the same walk with her. Also, each room should have a dog crate/bed for her with her scent, so that she always has a “home” if she is suddenly lost in a room.

Could be as Elrohwen says as well, that she is going blind.

You can read about signs of senile dogs here:
http://dogs.about.com/od/caninediseases/p/Dementia-In-Dogs-Canine-Cognitive-Dysfunction.htm

[LBJ10]

Hmm, I suppose her lessened eyesight could be causing her to become anxious. I know she has trouble seeing, especially at night. She doesn’t bump into anything really. But she does hesitate when going outside. She has a ramp for getting down the steps out the back door. She knows the ramp is supposed to be there, but at night she will feel around with her foot before slowly making her way onto the ramp. Sometimes she will bark at my husband if it is dark because she can’t see that it is him. The vet was surprised that she doesn’t bump into anything and said that it didn’t look like she could see very well.

Her routine is pretty much the same as it has always been. She gets fed at roughly the same times every day. She has a bedtime routine. Mornings can vary depending on if I need to be somewhere that day. If I let her sleep, she will sleep. In fact, she is sleeping right now. She went out already though. She just decided it would be a good idea to nap on the couch afterward.

[Elrohwen]

If she’s lived in the same house for a long time, I wouldn’t expect her to bump into much. I had a friend whose dog went totally blind due to diabetes. She never bumped into things unless something suddenly moved. For example, somebody left a drawer pulled out in the kitchen and she ran into it, so then she wouldn’t go near that part of that kitchen for a week or two. As long as things stayed where they had been, she could navigate perfectly.

Definitely talk to your vet about the meds for dementia. It probably can’t hurt to try at this point.

[MimzMum]

My MacKenzie Husky, Shadow, began to drift into the ethers about a month or two before we had to have him put down, but he did different things than what you’re describing. He would stand and stare at a wall and not know how to get himself away from it, or would circle endlessly, lay down, then get back up and circle again. He had a lot of kidney and back problems also though and we think he may have been poisoned by the dog food from China. However in all his life with us he never growled or showed aggression towards us, even when he was at his worst.

I do have an elder kitty who reacts to things the way you describe your dog doing and she also has sight problems. Any animal who loses a sense they use to perceive their environment is going to be anxious I would think. And I would guess your vet thinks she is too old to have the cataracts removed?

Has she ever been easily irritable before? Any other chronic illnesses she suffers? There is nothing that could be painful? Arthritis or anything like that?

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

Serious senior dog experience. My family dog Mandy-14,-brief summary: had cancer (treated) 5 years ago, a Teca-bo (total ear organ removal), gluacoma (one eye removed), allergies, arthritis etc.

She’s doing wonderful and dragged me out for a long walk on Christmas day-so don’t think she’s suffering or anything but really if there is an issue she’s had it.

A few adjustments that we’ve made to make her life easier-she has ramps to get up and down in the yard to go to the bathroom.
Mats throughout the house where there isn’t carpet to provide support and traction.
She no longer goes up or down stairs, except where the there are just three stairs to get out the front door. We marked the stairs with chalk to help her see where one ends and the next beings.
Vet visits are every 6 weeks or more frequent for her; if she wasn’t having issues (sounds like yours isn’t yet) then at that senior age, twice a year at least, with a blood panel would be best.

Older animals are often in pain due to arthritis or general aging, and need pain medication (at a low dose for ongoing treatment)-that may be something to think about. Mandy also gets acupuncture and glucosamine. She also gets muscle relaxers that help her.

She often does what your describing-wants to go for a walk and then turns back. That’s a bad day and indicates that it’s too painful to go for a walk. On good days that aren’t hot, she can walk and walk. So the wanting to walk but not being able to, to me, is an indication of pain.
Another indication is panting.

Watch out for any out of character behavior-often dementia type symptoms are depression or UTI, which are very treatable.

Sudden changes (refusing stairs) could be because of vision difficulties or pain-so this will be an indicator that a vet visit is needed, or adjustments to the environment to make it easier to navigate, more visible etc.

I’d suggest more lights for outside for her ramp, and possibly using paint to make edges easier to see.

[LBJ10]

MimzMum – The vet won’t touch her. She said that there was no reason to put her through anything unnecessary at this point. She has a fatty tumor that’s pretty big too and the vet said they won’t remove it because it would require a skin graph.

KK – The vet said to give her some doggy aspirin if she seems like she was in pain. She gets joint supplements. I don’t know if her wanting to go back home necessarily means she is in pain. She scurries around the house and plays with her toys like a puppy. Plus she will wander around in the yard FOREVER sniffing things. She gets carried to the park because she gets tired out walking all the way there. I will set her down, she will sniff a bit, then she will start whining like she is anxious. Then she will turn around and start heading back the way we came (even though I had carried her there, she still knows which way is home). I wonder if the park just seems scary to her.

[Sonn]

I have 3 senior dogs two 9 year olds and a 12-13 year old dog.

My 9 year old female Gizmo has a fatty tumor under her chin the vet will not touch either because of her age. She sounds a lot like your dog she will get excited at the prospect of getting in the car or going to the park but once we are there she wants to go home. She is losing her hearing quickly and it makes her very anxious.

My 12-13 year old dog Cocoa is going blind and losing her hearing. She prefers certain areas in my house and if something changes even something very small she will get very nervous and whine until it is either removed or she gets used to it.

My 9 year old boy Haven doesn’t seem to notice he is getting older other than he sleeps more.

Routine is key in my house. Nothing changes unless necessary they know what is going to happen every second of every day. I do training sessions which helps a lot even if it is just going over things they already know.

All 3 are on a pain medication regiment due to arthritis and general aches and pains from age. Gizmo is showing early signs of dementia and the vet has started her on medication and it has helped her a lot. She doesn’t seem to be as confused or anxious as usual.

I agree with making ramps more visible if she is losing her vision. I have one in my backyard that leads to the porch that is painted florescent green and has edges since Cocoa tended to slip off the edges before it was painted. It isn’t pretty but my dogs can see it.

Some dogs don’t like the park. My youngest dog freaks out if we even get near the park and refuses to go through the gate.

Dealing with an older dog can be difficult at times since they can’t talk and can’t tell you why they are acting a certain way.

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

I wonder if the park just seems scary to her.

If her vision is deteriorating or if she is starting to get a bit senile that might be it actually. Have you tried another park? Maybe you could drive her there and see what she does?

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