Please can someone help me???!!

[NegativeNellyy]

11 year old dog.

On pain medication for arthritis. He goes to bed fine in our room, but at 3/4 am he wakes up and paces around. We get up and let him out so he can go and sniff the bin then we come in and he just sits and stares at us. Fuck knows why!! I don't know why he gets up and I don't know what he wants!

Last week we found an old package of royal canin gastro dog food (wet) and decided to feed it him as he's gone off his food. He ate it all immediately and I don't think he got up in the night. Where do i buy this food from?! He's usually on raw and honestly it clearly isn't working for him. I hate the idea of him
Eating this mush but he's happy so I don't care anymore.

Please can someone help? The vet said it's just dementia that he's waking up, but can it be a digestive issue that was fixed briefly and now is back?

[TheoriginalLEM]

The gi food is a prescription diet, you can get it from your vet. You don't need a prescription. It's a good diet.

[NegativeNellyy]

Could the pacing be dementia?

Would he be safer to be allowed to pace around at night downstairs with the baby gate closed across the stairs? He doesn't know what he wants I don't think

[NegativeNellyy]

I've put him downstairs. I feel like such a bad person he's all alone down there. But I need to sleep

[Thepigeonsarecoming]

If he’s already going to leave you soon if try feeding him anything and everything, whatever makes him happy. If he’s normally used to being upstairs though locking him downstairs may be stressful for him if he needs you

[ElizabethMainwaring]

Hi. Just googled and several places sell the food you mentioned, including a company called vetsend.
I bought some royal Canin cat food from them a month ago. It's a good service.

[IncrediblySadToo]

I'd try some more of the Royal Canin

I wouldn't shut him away downstairs though, he's old and either in pain/unsettled(hungry?) or sad/confused. He needs you.

Would he settle downstairs if you had a nap on the sofa?
Does he just need a bit of a fuss & putting back to bed?

Think about how you'll feel when he's gone & what you wish you'd done & do that.

[scochran]

I thought my old dog had dementia 2 years ago. Started pacing, panting, looking at walls. Was being monitored by the vet and got xrayed and put on pain meds just in case. I thought it was the end and started spoiling him rotten with all the food he wanted . Whatever it was just cleared up. He is 13 next month , still walks twice a day, completely deaf but basically happy. Wait it out a bit and try everything.

[bodgeitandscarper]

zooplus/bitiba are good for royal canin. Tendto be a bit cheaper. I wouldnt shut him away either, sorry.

[vanillandhoney]

Aww please don't shut him downstairs

With his age I would imagine he's confused and potentially hungry and/or in pain. Can you feed him something before bed and see if that helps?

[Booboostwo]

If the food did the trick maybe the behaviour was pain related and will calm down when you change to the new food. I'd try that first for at least two weeks and then talk to your vet about the possibility of dementia. There are a couple of medications that can help in dementia cases, one of my dogs has just been put on one that improves blood circulation and can help some dogs.

[Thighdentitycrisis]

Maybe his medicine is wearing off at that time? Or agree he is hungry which is a good thing

My old cat had dementia and went through phases of miaowing at nothing in the middle of the night