DDog is entering his twilight years with the same level of irritatingness he's displayed throughout his life

[affafantoosh]

Three nights in a row with howling, barking and clattering at the stairgate for no apparent reason, after 15 years of reliably sleeping at night. Until now he has reserved his maddening traits for daylight hours. Tough one because he's pretty distressed but physically he's remarkably fit. :( I've got a few things to try but this will be a difficult thing to deal with if he doesn't respond :(

[Wonc]

When our formerly ferocious farm dog, who was in constant trouble for worrying horses and passing motorcyclists got older, he suddenly became terrified of said horses and motorcyclists as well as a host of other things - rain, lightning, other dogs...

Our vet put him on anxiety medication and he got to enjoy his twilight years in relative peace.

[affafantoosh]

That's good Wonc. It's really horrible to see them frightened.

I'm a vet so resorted to a midnight dash to the surgery earlier when it became clear he was going to start again tonight, but my fire-brigade treatment hasn't worked and he's still up. He has other things wrong with him so I'm not sure whether this is truly cognitive decline or something else. He's also impossible to do anything with so investigations are a stressful undertaking.

He came with DH and he's irritated me since I first met him (not his fault, DH didn't socialise him very well and he had a bad start in life) but I'm pretty fond of the old sod now. :(

[Wonc]

It's hard isn't it?

We coped by making terrible jokes about him turning into a flower power dog on his trippy drugs, but it is awful to see them declining and fearful.

[Lonecatwithkitten]

Affafantosh I'm sure you have, but don't forget to check his thyroid. I have had several dogs recently with similar symptoms who have all been hypothyroid and some thyroxine has cured their symptoms.

[affafantoosh]

Thanks Lonecat. I've a wish list of diagnostics but even bloods are a complete fight so I'm undecided about what to do. He's an odd one, periodically he has massive PUPD and I'd say this time he is polyphagic too. When he first developed a huge thirst it was accompanied by vomiting and melaena and I did full bloods which just showed mild increases in liver enzymes, but a BA stim would have been a nightmare so I put him on omeprazole for a month and he seemed to improve all round. He's been really great for a couple of months and this is really sudden onset. A generous dose of diazepam didn't touch him last night so I might have to bite the bullet and knock him out, but he's the patient from hell. And he has a host of other weird signs which may or may not be relevant (paresis and atrophy of half his tongue, a possible mediastinal mass identified on xray a year ago which might out might not be the cause of paroxysmal retching and roaring, prescap and submandib lymphadenopathy, episodic colitis, a friable, florid tumour in the conjunctiva of one eye, and several lumps that aren't lipomas). There is other stuff I've forgotten probably - on paper he's a wreck but he is the most mobile and energetic 15 year old I've ever dealt with.

I know some nurses whose hearts are going to sink when they see him on the daylist :)

[Lonecatwithkitten]

Hmm Affantosh don't envy you that. I guess the big L is high up your list of possibilities.

[affafantoosh]

He's had a fibrosarc removed twice in the last 7 years as well. He would be an expensive dog to run if I wasn't in the business!

I don't know, I can't help but think it's not a simple LSA - his calcium has been ok both times I've checked it this year and although his signs are pretty bad just now, they've waxed and waned for months.

I manned up and bled him this morning - think he was too tired to argue much. I'll wander up and get results later. I did T4 as well so we'll see what that holds - good suggestion, thank you.

The poor old bugger keeps trying to sleep but I'm being mean and making him go for walks and do clicker training. DH has at least said he'll do the night shift so I can catch up a bit, but hopefully if I crank up the diazepam and zylkene tonight he will sleep a bit then.

[noddingoff]

Sounds like a proper vet's dog with that list of medical peculiarities! Good luck (I like the awkward old sods much better than the awkward young sods), sleep tight tonight Affasdog.

[Mrsjayy]

Could he have dementia my husband friends dog is 16 and she has started turning night into day and being confused

[Lonecatwithkitten]

Anything useful on the results?

[affafantoosh]

TT4 was 16, and chol up a wee bit, so I've sent off TSH. You might be onto something! I'd like to scan and xray him but I think results would be academic and he is such a stress bunny I can't really face it.

Interestingly he was much more relaxed yesterday evening and he slept all night (aided by a peanut butter and diazepam bedtime snack I suspect). I think the zylkene may also be kicking in as he's definitely chilled out today (his baseline is "OMG a blade of grass moved 3 streets away ").

[Mrsjayy]

My dog was on zyklkene for a while really chills them out bless your old lad m

[Lonecatwithkitten]

Hmm sound suspicious hopefully it will be that a bit of thyroxine will help.

[affafantoosh]

Thyroid is OK. Back to drawing board, but apart from the PUPD he's been fine! So he will live to drive me mad another day :)