Senior Dog Anxiety at Night? 6 Solutions for Better Sleep

The most common reason for anxiety in senior dogs is canine cognitive dysfunction syndrome (CDS). It's a long name that essentially means your ... SkiptoprimarynavigationSkiptomaincontentSkiptoprimarysidebarSHOPNOWShare66TweetPin2086Shares Seniordogsarejustassusceptibletoabnormalsleeppatternsashumans. Ifyourseniordoghasanxietyatnight,whichmightincludepanting,pacing,andwhining,helpishere.Dr.JulieBuzby,integrativeveterinarianandfounderofDr.Buzby’sToeGrips®,shareshowyoucangettothebottomofyouseniordog’sanxietyatnight.Learnthecausesandgetsixsolutions,soeveryoneinyourhouseholdcanrest,relax,andrechargeoncethesungoesdown. Canyourelatetothesepetparents? Mynewclientwaseagertotalkaboutacupunctureforhisseniordog,whowasexperiencinganxietyatnight.Ashesharedwhatheandhiswifeweregoingthrough,Iheardamixofdesperationandexhaustioninhisvoice.Hewasattheendofhisrope,unsurewheretoturnforhelp. Hiswife,whowasthedog’sprimarycaretaker,wasonthevergeofa“nervousbreakdown.”Thosewerehisverywords.Likemanywomen,shewasalightsleeper.Shewasalsodeeplydevotedtotheirbeloveddoganddeterminedtoprovidehimthebestcareatanyprice. Everynightsheawoketotheirdog’spantingandpacing.Thedotingdogmomwouldgetoutofbedanddoherbesttosettleherdogdownbytakinghimoutside,offeringhimwater,turningonafan,andmovingtoanotherroominthehome—usuallytonoavail.Nightafternightthepairwouldgothroughtheirritualuntiltheexhausteddogandmomfinallycollapsedtogetherintheearlymorninghours. Sadly,thisisnotarare,isolatedcase.Seniordogsexperiencinganxietyatnightisalltoocommon.Justlikemynewclientandhiswife,theproblemcanhaveaprofoundnegativeimpactoneveryone’squalityoflife. Youarenotalone Justrecently,IreceivedanemailfromMonicasharingherheartonthematter… …I’vebeenstrugglingwithmy17-year-oldchihuahua… IrelatedsomuchtoyourYouTubevideoaboutdogcognitivedisorder.IalmostcriedthatsomeonehadrecognizedandalsounderstoodwhatI’vebeenexperiencingdayindayout(seeminglyaloneunabletoevenexplainthedespairfromlackofsleepandlackofhavinganynormalkindofsocialorworklifeduetomydog’sneedsnow). Needlesstosay,ithasbroughtmetothebrinksomanytimesinrecentmonthsduetolackofgettingapropernight’ssleepandbeingunabletohelpmybelovedboywhoIrescuedasasenior7yearsago,andwhohasgivenmeandmyfamilyandfriendssuchtremendousjoy.AndwhoInowfeelI’mlettingdowneachtimeIlosemycomposureandbecausehe’swantingsomethingandIjustdon’tknowwhatelsetogivehim…“ CanyourelatetoMonica’sstory?You’renotalone.Asapracticingveterinarian,I’veheardmanyversionsofthisstoryfrommyclients.It’scommonforaclienttocasuallymentionthatshe’sroutinelyupatnightwithherseniordog.Oftenthishasbeengoingonformonths.Thesededicateddogparents“takeonefortheteam,”assumingthisistheirnewnorm. Take,forexample,oneofmyfavoritepatients,Lacey,whojustturnedsweetsixteen.Atherrecentappointment,Lacey’smomdescribedhowsheandherhusbandtaketurnseveryothernightgettingupintheweehourswithLacey. “Afterwegethersettled,she’sabletofallbacktosleep.Butforme,IenduphavingtoreadabookfortwohoursbeforeIcanfallasleepagain!” Sheconfessed,“Thisjustisn’tworkingtoowell.”Ihadnoideathiswashappening,butwhatshesharedwasextremelyhelpfultomehelpingLacey.If,likethesewomen,youfindyourselfdreadingtheeveninghours,Iwantyoutoknowthereishopeandhelp.Bycommunicatingwithyourveterinarianandperseveringtowardadiagnosis,youandyourdogcanachievemorepeacefulnights. Theimportanceofaproperdiagnosis Clientsexpectveterinarianstomaketheirdogsbetter—to“fix”thesymptoms.Theywantatreatmentplanwithpreciseactionsteps.Theywanttoknowwhattoexpectandwhat’sgoingtohappen. Makessense,right?Asadogmommyself,Igetit.  Butasaveterinarian,it’sdifficult,ifnotimpossible,tocreateaninformedtreatmentplanwithoutfirstunderstandingthe“why”behindthe“what.”Yourdogmaynotbesleepingatnight,butbeforeprescribingthebesttreatment,weneedtofigureoutwhy. Howdovetsdiagnoseanxietyatnightinseniordogs? Agoodhistoryandphysicalexamareimportantfirststeps. Tobegin,yourveterinarianandtheirstaffwillaskquestionsandtakedetailednotesonwhat’shappeningatnightwithyourdog.Wecallthis“takingahistory.”Heorshewillthenperformathoroughphysicalexamandrunsometests. Here’showthismightlookatyourveterinaryvisit… Theinterview Yourdog’sveterinaryteamwilllistentoyoushareinformationaboutyourdog’spersonality,habits,nighttimeroutine,changesyou’venoticed,symptomsyou’reobserving,andpotentialtriggers. Irecommendthatyouorganizeyourthoughtsinadvanceoftheappointmentandbringthosenotes.Ideally,youwouldevenstartajournalandjotdownnotesasyoumakeobservations.(Thisisagreatexerciseifyouhaveadogthatsuffersfromnighttimeanxiety,seizures,allergies,oranyotherchronichealthissue.)  Questionstoconsiderbeforeyoumeetwithyourvet Whendidyourdog’sanxietystart?Doyouseesymptomsduringthedayorjustatnight? Canyouidentifyanytriggersfortheanxiety? Whatseemstohelpthesituation?Whatseemstomakeitworse? Howfrequentisyourdoghavinganxietyatnight? Yourspecificobservationsareimportantandwillbeevenmorevitalwhenyou’retaskedwithgaugingtheeffectivenessofvarioustreatments.Youhavetheabilitytogather“inreallife”datathatyourveterinarianwillneverobserve.Remember,youareadvocatingforyourdog!Heneedsyoutosupporthim,anddetailednotesorajournalwillhelpyoudothat. Thephysicalexam Next,yourveterinarianwillperformacarefulphysicalexamination.Itwillbeameticuloushead-to-tailexam.Don’tbesurprisedbythis.Yourvetneedstomakesuresheorheisnotmissingthebiggerpicture.Becausehealthconditionsoftenleavecluesinmultiplepartsofthebody,yourvetwillbediligent. Ifyou’dliketolearnhowyoucancomplementyourdog’sannualwellnessexamathomewithyourownhands,read10LifesavingTouches:Dr.Buzby’s5-MinuteTip-to-TailWellnessScan. Thelabwork Finally,yourvetwilllikelyorderdoglabtestsconsistingofbloodworkandaurinalysisasastartingpoint.Thesetestswillprovideyourvetwithbaselineinformation.Pendingthoseresults,furthertestsmayberecommended. Whatcausesanxietyinaseniordoginatnight? Seniordogsmayloseinterestinplayorappearconfused. Nowit’stimeforyourvettodowhatheorshedoesbest—playdetectiveandputthepiecestogethertofigureoutwhyyourdogispantingandrestlessandanxious. Forseniordogs,anxietyatnightisoftencausedbyahandfulofconditions.Let’stakeabrieflookateachone. 1.Cognitivecaninedysfunction Themostcommonreasonforanxietyinseniordogsiscaninecognitivedysfunctionsyndrome(CDS).It’salongnamethatessentiallymeansyourdog’sbrainisn’tfunctioningproperly.Dogparentsnoticethisconditionasitrelatestotheirdog’smentalfacultiesandawareness.Infact,caninecognitivedysfunctionsyndromeisoftenlikenedtodoggyAlzheimer’s. Dogssufferingfromthissyndromemay: Ignoreorloseinterestinplayingorreceivingaffection.  Forgetpreviously-masteredtraining(evenhousetraining). Showlessinterestinfoodand/oreatwithdifficulty.Appearconfusedordisoriented,sometimesgettinglostor“stuck”somewhereinthehome. Vocalizeinappropriately.Pantexcessively.Sleepmore(oftenduringtheday)and/orbecomemoreactiveatnightduetoadisruptedsleep-wakecycle.Inhumans,thispatternofanxietyandrestlessnessatnightiscalled“sundowning”andoccursin20percentofpeoplewithdementia.Dogsmaydisplaythesametypeofdisturbance. CDSisveryprevalentinseniordogs.OnestudyshowedthatoneoutofthreedogsintheirearlyteensexhibitsignsofCDS,andtwooutofthreedogsshowsignsbytheirmidteens.Asyourdogages,itwillbesomethingyouandyourvetwillwanttokeepacloseeyeon. 2.Pain Iftherearenosignsofcognitivedysfunction,yourdogmaybeanxiousatnightbecausehe’sinpain.Ifpainistheculprit,acarefulexamcoupledwithyourobservationsshouldhelpyourvetidentifyyourdog’ssourceofpain. Whilearthritisandmusculoskeletalpainarecommon,painmayalsobeneurogenic,ornervepain.Neurogenicpainistreateddifferentlythanmusculoskeletalpain,soit’salwaysbesttohaveadiagnosistowhichtreatmentcanbetailored. Chronicpaincanescalateatnightandcontributetoabnormalsleepingpatterns. Remember,painindogsisoftennotobvious.OneofthemostconcerningyetcommonthingsthatI’veheardownerstellmeovertheyearsis,“Mydog’snotinpainbecausehe’snotwhiningorcrying.”However,that’snotthetypicalwayadogmanifestspain.Theyusuallysufferinsilence. PROTIP:Ifyouwanttoknowmoreabouthowtorecognizewhenyourdogishurting,pleaseseemyarticle:7SignsYourDogIsInPain. Sometimesthepainisn’tevenevidenttotheveterinariandespiteperformingacompleteexam.Forthisreason,Ioftenrecommendashorttrialonpainmedicationstoseeifthere’sanimprovementtoruleoutpainasacauseofthebehavior. Thispracticewasinspiredbyacolleagueofminewhotoldmeofhisclientatherwit’sendwithherseniorBorderCollie.Thisdogwouldpaceincessantlyatnight.BorderColliesareverysmart,buttheyalsotendtobeverystoicanddon’tshowpainveryoften.Thisveterinarianwastheowner’sthirdopinion—shewassodesperateshewasconsideringcanineeuthanasia.  Mycolleaguecouldn’tfindanyevidenceofpainordiscomfort,buthecleverlyprescribedacombinationoftwodifferentpainmedications.Believeitornot,thepainmedicationscuredthedog’sanxietyatnighttothedelightofallinvolved.Thispoorseniordoghadbeensufferingfromchronicpainthatescalatedatnight. Findingtherighttreatmentcanbringhappinesstobothyouandyourpet. 3.Otherreasonsforseniordoganxietyatnight Hereareothercommonconditionsinseniordogsthatcancontributetorestlessnessandanxietyatnight.Basicdiagnostictestswouldpointtotheseconditions: Hypothyroidismindogs(lowthyroid)Diabetes HypertensionindogsCushing’sdiseaseindogsUrinarytractinfectionindogsRememberLaceyfromthebeginningofthearticle?Ifoundafewadditionalcluesonherexamthatledmetobelieveshehasaurinarytractinfection.Shewasverytenderonpalpationofanacupuncturepointassociatedwithherbladder.Andadistinctodoraroundherhindendalsoservedasaredflag.WhenIaskedaboutit,Lacey’smomagreedthatthesmellofherurinehadbecomemuch“stronger”lately.SoIbelievewe’reontosomethinghereandatthetimeofpublication,testsarestillpending. 4.Intracranialdisease Inadditiontothereasonslistedabove,thereisonemoretomention:intracranialdisease.Intracranialdiseaseisaconditionthatoriginatesinthehead(suchasabraintumororothertypeofinflammatorybraindisease).  AdefinitivediagnosisrequiresanMRIoraCATscanataveterinaryreferralcenterorveterinaryschool.Noteverydogparentcanpursuetheseadvanceddiagnosticimagingoptionsduetocostortraveldistancetoaveterinarycenter,butit’snicetoknowtheseoptionsareavailableifnecessary. Howdoyoutreataseniordogwhohasanxietyatnight? Onceyouknowthe“why”behindyourdog’snighttimeanxiety,it’stimetotalktreatmentoptions.Remember,adiagnosiscanbetricky.Don’tgiveupifyoudon’thaveadefinitiveansweronyourfirstvetvisit.Itmaytakeseveralvisitsandlotsofdetailedobservationsonyourendtounravelthefullstory. Hereareafewtreatmentoptionsthatyouandyourveterinarianmaydiscuss: 1.Dietchange Therearemanytreatmentsforanxietyatnight.Adietchangemaybeoneofthem. Becauseitisaneasychangethatcanpaybigdividends,manyveterinarianswillrecommendswitchingtoabrain-boostingprescriptiondiet.AlthoughI’mtypicallytheonerecommendingacustom-formulated,home-cookeddietoveraprescriptiondiet,inthiscase,Istandinthecornerofprescriptiondiets.OptionsincludeHill’s®PrescriptionDiet®b/dCaninefor“brainagingcare,”Purina®NeuroCare,andPurina®BrightMinds(whichrepresentthePurinaveterinaryprescriptiondietandtheover-the-counterversion,respectively).Itmaytakeseveralmonthstoseeresults,butthesedietsaretoutedtoimprovecognitivedysfunction.IhaveheardseveralreportsfromclientsandcolleaguesaboutBrightMindshelpingnighttimeanxietyincertaindogs,perhapsbecausetheunderlyingissueinthosecaseswasCDS. 2.Increaseexerciseandmentalstimulationduringtheday Anothersimplerecommendationistoincreaseyourdog’sexerciseregimenandmentalstimulationduringtheday.Makeanextralaparoundtheneighborhood,butalsothinkbrainteasersandpuzzlesfordogs.Asimpleonlinesearchwillyieldhundredsofideasandproductsdesignedtochallengeyourdog’smentalacumen. 3.Don’trocktheboat Sometimesseniordogsexhibitanxietywhentheirscheduleisdisturbed.Justlikeseniorpeople,keepingahealthy,consistentnighttimeroutinecanbehelpful.Ifyourseniordoghassuddenlydevelopedoddanxiety-relatedbehavioratnight,startbylookingfor“triggers.”Havetherebeenanyrecentchanges?Also,makesureyourdoghasconvenientaccesstotheirpreferredrestingplaceandasupercomfortablebed.I’mabigfanofoversizedmemoryfoambedsforcreakyoldjoints. Orvismakesquality,durablememoryfoambeds. 4.Naturalsupplements Therearemanynaturalsupplementsfordogsthatmaybehelpfulforseniordoganxietyatnight.Theseareworthlookingintoanddiscussingwithyourveterinarian.Oftentheywillbeusedincombination: Omega3fattyacidsfordogs—essentialfattyacidsthebodyneedsforbrainhealthMelatoninfordogs—thehormoneofdarkness(rest)S-Adenosylmethionine(SAMe)—asupplementforCDSsupport,osteoarthritispain,andliverhealthVetriscience’sComposure™—calmingsupportVetriscience’sCellAdvance™880—antioxidantsupportSenilife®—supplementtoreducebrainagingbehaviorsPurinaCalmingCare—calmingprobioticsupplementSolloquin®—calmingsoftchewsZylkene®—calmingsupplementcontainingamilkproteinCBDoilfordogs—reportedbymanytohelpwithanxiety,thoughIthinkit’ssafetosaythejuryisstilloutonthissolution PROTIP:Ifyou’dliketolearnmoreaboutsupplements,pleaseseemyarticle:TheUltimateGuidetoSupplementsforSeniorDogs. 5.Medications ThereareseveralpharmaceuticaloptionsforCDSand/oranxietyindogs.Thoughthelistislongandgrowingaspharmacompaniesdevelopnewoptions,herearesomeofthetraditionalchoices.Theseareoftenusedas“combinationtherapy”witheachother,andalsoincombinationwithsupplements: Selectiveserotoninreuptakeinhibitor(SSRI)andserotoninmodulatingdrugs,likeFluoxetineandTrazodone,increaseavailableserotonin—anaturally-occurringsubstanceinthebrain.Serotoninboostsmoodandhelpsmaintainmentalbalance.Anipryl®(Selegiline)—anotherdrugwhichaffectsthechemicalstransmittingsignalsinthebrain,suchasdopamine,norepinephrine,andserotonin.ThismedicationcanbehelpfulformanagingthesymptomsofCDS.Benzodiazepines—Somedogsrespondwell(butsomereallydon’t!)tomedicationslikeXanaxorAtivan.Butjustremember,it’scriticalthatyouonlygiveyourdogveterinary-prescribedmedicationsanddosages.Antidepressants—DrugslikeamitriptylineorclomipraminemayhavevalueintreatingthisconditionAsasidenote,acepromazine,whichisusedasasedativeforanimals,isnotthoughttobehelpfulforanxietyindogs.Iprobablydon’tneedtotellyouthatthisisseriousstuff.Certaincombinationsmaymakethingsworse.Gabapentin,amedicationcommonlyprescribedforneurogenic(originatingfromthenervoussystem)painindogs,canmakesomedogswithCDSevenmoresymptomatic.AndthoughI’veneverseenitinclinicalpractice,there’saconditioncalled“serotoninsyndrome”thatIalwayskeepinmindwhenprescribingmedications.Thiscanoccurwithspecificcombinationsofdrugs(andevendrugs+supplements).Itiscausedbyhavingtoomuchserotonininthebrain.Fordogs,thesymptomscanmanifestas“mentaldistress.”Here’salistofthemorecommonsymptoms:vomiting/diarrheaagitation/restlessnesstremors/seizuresdepressionelevatedrespiratoryandheartratehighbloodpressureBecauseeverydogisdifferent,atrialanderrorperiodwilllikelybeneededtoseewhat“combinationtherapy”worksbestforyourdog.Soletmeunderscoretheimportanceofworkingcloselywithyourveterinarianwhenstarting,adjusting,orstoppingyourdog’smedications. 6.AlternativeTherapies Chineseherbs—aveterinariantrainedintraditionalChineseveterinarymedicine(TCVM)hasanadditional“toolbox”fullofoptionsforseniordoganxietyatnightintheformofherbalremedies.Inadditiontotheoraloptions,theADAPTILcollarcontainsadog-appeasingpheromonethatcansootheyourdog’snighttimeanxieties.Calming“dogwraps”suchastheAnxietyWrap®orThunderShirt®seemtobemorehelpfulforsomedogsthanothers.Acupuncturemayalsobeappropriateandhelpful. Yourdogneedssleep—andsodoYOU! Sleeplessnightscantakeatollonyourdog’shealth. Ifyoucanrelatewiththeexhausteddogparentsinthisarticle,Ibegyoutoreachouttoyourveterinarian.Youdon’thavetosufferinsilence.Sleeplessnightsarenotsustainable.Theywilltakeatollonyourhealth,yourdog’shealth,andyouroverallwell-being. It’sdefinitelynotasblackandwhiteasdiagnosingalamenessordentalissue,butnighttimeanxietyandrestlessnessforyourdogissomethingyourveterinarianispreparedtohelpyouaddress. Whathelpsyourseniordogsettledownatnight? Pleaseshareinthecommentsbelow.Sleeplessnightsarenofun,andweneedoneanother’sencouragementandsupport! RELATEDPOSTS10LifesavingTouches:Dr.Buzby's5-Minute…CanineCognitiveDysfunctioninDogs:Signs,…8WaystoHelpaSeniorDogwithArthritisatHomeAllergyMedicineforDogs:9SolutionstoCalmYour… ReaderInteractions LeaveaReplyCancelreplyYouremailaddresswillnotbepublished.Requiredfieldsaremarked*CommentName* Email* Website Δ PrimarySidebarNEWFromDr.Buzby NEW!IntroducingDr.Buzby’sEncoreMobility™jointsupplementforseniordogs.Giveyourgrey-muzzledcompanionmoregooddays. BUYENCOREMOBILITY™ OURBESTSELLER BESTSELLER!Dr.Buzby’sToeGrips®—instanttractionforseniorandspecialneedsdogswhostruggletowalkonslipperyfloors.Helpyourseniordogenjoymoregooddays. BUYTOEGRIPS® AboutDr.Buzby Dr.JulieBuzbyhasbeenanintegrativeveterinarianfortwentyyearsandhasearnedcertificationbytheAmericanVeterinaryChiropracticAssociationin1998,andbytheInternationalVeterinaryAcupunctureSocietyin2002.READMORE LookingForSomething? Searchhere. 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