Elderly dog agitated and crying in the evening - any ideas?

[Quodlibet]

Hoping that somewhere in the collective wisdom of MN there might be some insight into this.

Our old lurcher is nearly 16, fairly arthritic and with a heart murmur so on Metacam and Tramadol (for pain). She's also fairly deaf/sense of sight and smell both going and rather forgetful - a real old lady, really.

Basically, we seem to go through a period in the evening where she becomes unsettled, cries quite plaintively, looks for you to see where you are, pants, sometimes licks her bed repeatedly, but won't be comforted by anything.

I don't think she's in pain, as she'll stop crying if you point her in the direction of the garden and will quietly potter outside for a bit - but will then come back and start wandering and crying again. Likewise she'll eat quite happily - she can be distracted for a short time by giving her a stuffed kong to lick. But it's like when she's got nothing to focus her attention on, she'll get confused/agitated/lost and cry. I wonder if it's lack of any stimulus going 'in' that's making her feel disconnected - she'll sometimes stop momentarily if you talk to her.

Is there anything we can do? Or is this 'just' senility? Obviously it's quite distressing seeing her like this, and means you're up and down all evening trying to find some way to settle her. Can anyone suggest any other tricks we can try?

Our last dog went through a spell of this as well. Like yours, she was also about 16, on Metacam for arthrititis etc. Our vet said that it was due to canine senility combined with a bit of OCD (the bed-licking). He said that some dogs get fixated on barking at the wall. The biggest problem was that she started doing it at about 3 in the morning, combined with intermittent barking. The vet gave us sleeping pills for her. These didn't really help as the effects only lasted for about 5 hours so they had worn off by the early hours! She just seemed to stop doing it after a few weeks.

It is very upsetting to not be able to soothe them, but as long as she is happy most of the time, and does not seem to be in pain or too distressed I would try not to worry. I'd mention it to the vet at your next visit if she is getting very agitated, as maybe a mild sedative could help her.

Our experience was a few years ago and unfortunately our dog's other health problems became more severe and we had to make the difficult decision to have her put to sleep. I remember at the time being aware that 16 is a good age for a dog and knowing that the day would not be long off. I was guided by our vet who on each of our visits (which were becoming more frequent) used to say that we would know when she no longer had good quality of life, and sure enough, we did.

From the sound of it, your dog has a good appetite and is generally happy so should have a while yet. :)

Thanks Amber, that's very useful.

My other theory is that it's when her Tramadol kicks in, as she has a period of wooooing/unsettledness midway through the day too, about 3 hours after her morning dose. The vet did warn it can make them slightly stoned!

I'm happy that her quality of life is, as you say, good at the moment, she still enjoys things and is alert and happy for the portion of the day she's not wooing or sleeping!

I would pop back to the vets - there are alternatives to the Tramadol and that easily could be what is upsetting him.

Also does anything happen at the times of days he is unsettled eg you are upstairs putting DC to bed or people are coming or going?

you could try a thundershirt or a tight Tshirt or even a dap collar just to help calm things a bit.

But do speak to the vet or a vet nurse see what they say

Thanks minimuu, I'm planning to give the vet a ring tomorrow. It's got nothing to do with what we are doing as it happens at calm periods in the day at times when she used to just doze. I'd been wondering about those t shirt things, you reckon they work for some dogs?

Really appreciate the advice.

We've got two elderly (and one middle aged) greys though they are juniors at 12 compared to yours at 16! Some similar issues. I would definitely review pain meds with your vet and the anti inflammatory - there are several on the market, one of ours is on Previcox, which suits her very well. Our vet mentioned that the panting can be a effect of the medication. As she has arthritis, have you thought about hydrotherapy? Our 12 year old was struggling last autumn and I was beginning to think we might have to say goodbye but after discussion with the vet we moved on to hydrotherapy. It has given her a new lease of life and although it cannot stop or reverse the arthritis, I have been delighted with the improvement in her quality of life. My hope has always been that we get to a point where she dies with her arthritis rather than because of it, if that makes sense.

Also, again with the arthritis, have you looked at where she is sleeping/resting? Maybe an orthopaedic dog bed might help? You can also get memory foam mattresses for dogs that might be more supportive and comfortable for her, though I'm guessing if she is a typical pointy she is probably reclining on a bed or a sofa already. I'd also make sure she is nice and cosy, and ensure she has a housecoat for the cold winter nights.

Funnily enough, I was discussing thunder shirts with our hydrotherapist. One of her three dogs is very nervous of bangs and she has tried it. She said it had a moderate effect.

I absolutely adore elderly pointies - hope your dear old lady can be made comfortable and a bit more happy.

Thanks Scuttlebutter. They are lush, the old pointies, aren't they?

Does hydrotherapy build up muscle? I will ask the vet, but to be honest I think our old girl might be a bit too old for that - I do wonder whether if her heart rate went up too high she would cark it, as she's on no more than a gentle plod at the moment. Even the occasional very short burst of lopsided gallop leaves her quite panty. It's sad because you can see the muscle on her back legs wasting which makes her unstable, the front end is fine.

She's too stiff/weak to get on the sofa any more but she has an orthopedic mattress where she can stretch out and another padded bed, and doesn't seem to prefer one to the other so I think she finds both pretty comfy.

I'll look into a thundershirt/coat and have a chat with the vet.

Thanks all for the suggestions.

To reassure you about the hydro - firstly, they don't accept you without a vet referral. Then they spend the whole of the first appt doing a very thorough examination looking at gait, particular areas of weakness, where any arthritis is, bendiness of joints etc. and you answer what seems like an PhD level style set of questions on your dogs' health, wellbeing and general history. Only after doing all that do they issue a treatment programme, and for our old lady, this started as very, very gentle sessions on the water treadmill, short session to start, with a gradual build up of duration/pace but even now she is not running in the water it is more like a beautifully extended walk if that makes sense. The therapist spends a lot of time looking at the gait in the water and we can see how much more freely she is walking through the water.

So I guess what I'm trying to say is that it's not like going to a gym where you just hop on a treadmill and run - much more managed. Also for safety, the therapist is present, her asst plus us. When we take her she now knows where she is going, and as soon as she gets out of the car, is very keen, wags her tail, and loves being treated like Royalty there (they are so gentle with her) - in fact we now jokingly refer to it as taking her for her spa day. Our therapist's website is http://www.aquadogs.org.uk/index.htm here - obviously this may not be anywhere near you, but gives a great deal of more info.

Interestingly, the lady who started the business did so because of a pointy she owned who had a racing injury which started her interest in it. She now has three dogs of her own - the most adorable little Staffy x who's a star at agility and has his KC Gold award and two gorgeous lurchers so is very pointy- friendly.

Hope this helps.