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If you're worried about your pet's health, please speak to a vet or qualified professional.

Sudden separation anxiety or something else?

2 replies

Frequency · 04/06/2018 09:26

I have a thirteen year old mixed breed dog. We've had him since he was two. When he came to us, I crate trained him and trained him to sleep alone. It took about a week until he wa happy to sleep in his crate in the hall.

We moved house when he was around 6/7, we didn't have a hall anymore so he slpet in his crate in the dining room. He was fine with this, made no fuss. The house was smaller so once he was all settled, I swapped crate for a bed.

We moved again about three months ago. I put his bed in the living room. All was fine. Until last week, when he started howling in the night. I allowed him to sleep in my bed. This is something that's happened before, i.e if he's been ill or frightened by strong wind/fireworks/heavy rain etc. He always goes back to sleeping fine the next night. Only now he's not. He howls every night. If I leave a radio playing for him he is more settled but I can still hear him pacing and whining. In the last day or two it has expanded to him howling during the day if I leave the house. This is something he has never done. He's always been happy to chill in his bed with a Kong for a few hours.

His routine is the same, we still walk in the same places, I can't identify any frightening noises. There are windchimes and a fountain he can hear but he could hear those when we first moved in.

Any ideas on what might have caused this? Or how to stop it other than buy a new crate and go back to basics.

OP posts:
Lucisky · 04/06/2018 09:46

Given his age, I would be more concerned with the onset of some kind of dementia. Our yorkie developed it at 13. She used to wander round the house incessantly, or just stand and stare at things for ages.
Also, how is his eyesight and hearing?
A vet check might be helpful.

Frequency · 04/06/2018 09:55

His hearing has been going for a while but his eyesight, as far as I can tell, is fine. He can spot a seagull in the garden from the upstairs window and is healthy enough to race down stairs to chase it off.

When I'm home/in the same room as him, he appears to be quite normal, although he didn't get up to greet me from work the first night this started. He stayed in his bed, staring at me but his tail was wagging (happy wagging not anxious wagging) I assumed he was sick. We'd had a BBQ the day before and people sneak him food. He is eating fine, drinking and toileting as normal.

My vets run a drop in center on Wednesday mornings, I might take him along for a check-up.

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