My darling girl dog is 17 and after a stroke 18 months ago recovered really well but slowed down considerably, has gone deaf and is now showing signs of senility I think.
She gets very restless at night. I have a large attic bedroom and she has started bunny hopping up and down stairs. Usually this will wake me up and I let her out for a pee. If I don't get there in time she'll pee on the kitchen floor. I've tried puppy pads but she avoids them. Sometimes she doesn't want to pee at all which makes me think it's partly behavioural.
If I close the door (it's at the bottom of a flight of stairs) she goes up and down and several times now has slipped and fallen down the stairs. I'm worried she will hurt herself.
She usually sleeps in same room as me but coped well on holiday where she was kept in kitchen over night as a condition of the let.
A week or so ago she pulled the kitchen bin over and shredded the contents. She hasn't done that since she was a puppy.
Last night I put her bed in the kitchen, left the back door open so she can get out into the yard,( it's completely secure for her and there's no back access for intruders) and shut the other doors. Crucially I forgot to remove the bin.
Came down to a scene of devastation. She'd ripped everything in the bin apart, there was pee and shit in amongst it all, and she'd managed to block the doorway with the bin.
Will watch her like a hawk lest she's ingested something bad. Her tummy is gurgling which is not promising.
What do I do? Try the kitchen again and remove the bin? Get a stair gate for bedroom to stop the night roaming?
The odd thing is she spends three nights a week with my ex and she hasn't done any of this at his place. Nothing else has changed in the house or our routine.
She's on Vivitonin to improve blood supply to brain and just started activate supplements too on advice of vet. The behaviour did coincide with her starting on the supplements but I think that's simply coincidence.
Sorry for essay. Can anyone help?
If you're worried about your pet's health, please speak to a vet or qualified professional.
The doghouse
old dog - problems at night
Wordsaremything · 18/06/2016 12:19
how did you get on at the vet?
Our last few months with our DDog were a bit like that. We hardly slept. She was up all night. Not trashing the place, but not able to settle.
We also noticed seizures.
I do hope you manage to sort it all out. Looking after elderly animals is not easy.
xxxx
Thanks citychick. Can I ask, did you get treatment for the seizures? I have a vet appointment Atthe weekend. She's so restless at night, and needs to go out immediately she wakes up or she will go in the house. Yet she doesn't have this when staying with my ex, so I can only imagine it's more behavioural than organic, iyswim.
I wake multiple times as I am so afraid I'll wake and find her dead. She's my heart dog so her going will be very hard but I want to do what's best for her.
Very similar to my Dads decline - increasing infirmity, multiple mini strokes, then confusion and senility as well. My poor darling 
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