Why is Your Old Dog Restless at Night or Waking Up in The ...

Like older adults, old dogs can also get dementia, and the major symptom of this disease is not getting sound sleep at night. Changes in the ... AsanAmazonAssociate,wemayearnfromqualifyingpurchases.Seedisclosureinsidebar. ScoreforSeniors:ActivityLevel:Weight:Pounds VeterinarianAuthors DrJoannaWoodnutt,VeterinarySurgeon Dr.Winnie,Veterinarian Yourfurrycaninefriendmightnotsleepaswellwitholderage.Ownerswitholddogsoftenreportthattheirdogsbecomerestlessandfrequentlywakeupinthemiddleofthenight.Andthisdisturbanceinthesleepofyourdogcanaffectnotonlyyouroldfriendbutthewholefamily.Ifyouaretheownerofanolddogsufferingfromthisproblem,youhavecometotherightplacetofindthesolution. Thereisnoelixirorone-stepformulatosolvetheissueofanolddogwhoisrestlessatnight.Whenyourolderdogwakesupandgetsupinthemiddleofthenight,mostofthetime,itisnotbecausehe’sbeenwokenupbyaanoutsidenoise.Therecouldbebehavioral,cognitive,orenvironmentalreasons. TableofContents Whyismyolddogrestlessorwakingupatnight?MainreasonsyourdogisnotsleepingwellHowtohelpyourolddogsleepbetterConclusionAuthors Whyismyolddogrestlessorwakingupatnight? Let’shavealookatthemostcommonreasonstohelpyouidentifythemeasuresandpracticalstepsyoucantaketoimproveyourfurryfriend’sgoodnight’ssleep. Mainreasonsyourdogisnotsleepingwell Dementia Likeolderadults,olddogscanalsogetdementia,andthemajorsymptomofthisdiseaseisnotgettingsoundsleepatnight.Changesinthesleep-wakecycleareacommonsignofdementia,andmostdogswillshowsignslikenighttimeanxietyorincreasedenergyatthewrongtimeofday. Whenyourseniordogwakesupatnightwithbaffledeyesandhasnoideaaboutthesurrounding,itisacuethatyourdogmightbesufferingfromdementia.Whenyourdogisastonishedafterwakingup,visityourvettoverifythediagnosisandfigureoutthenextsteps.Tolearnmoreaboutdementia,visitourpageonthe“olddogsyndrome”. Pain Atnight,thereareoftennodistractionsornoise.Yourdogmaynotbeabletosleepbecauseofpain.Olderdogswithcancercanexperienceswellingthatwillcausepain. Dogsthathaveexperiencedasevereinjuryinthepast(evenmanyyearsago)canalsoexperiencepain.Thewoundmighthavehealed,butyourolddogmightstillexperiencetheconsequences,inparticularinoldage.Youcangentlyinspectthewoundandfindoutifthedogshowssignsofrestlessnessortriestoavoidyourtouchinthatparticulararea.Ifthatisthecase,painisprobablythereasonwhyyourolddogisrestlessatnight.Tolearnmoreaboutmanagingpain,visitourowner’sguidetoDogPainRelief. Changesinenvironment Variousenvironmentalfactorscouldcreatestressforyourdog,whichcouldresultinwakingupinthemiddleofthenight.Forexample,ifyouhavemovedtoanewhouseorifthereisanewmemberinthehouse(ababyoranotherpet),yourdogmightbecomeuncomfortableandstressed.Similarly,newsoundsorchangestotheimmediateenvironmentofyourdogcanalsocreatevariousproblemsforyourfurryfriend. Temperaturefluctuations Dogsdonotsweatlikehumansorothermammals.Youngdogscaneffectivelyregulatetheirbodytemperature,butolddogshaveahardertimeregulatingtheirbodytemperature.Checkforconditionsthatcouldcreatecoldorhottemperaturefluctuationsintheroomwhereyourdogsleeps.Adjustingthethermostatorgivingablankettoyourdogcansometimessolvethisissue. Howtohelpyourolddogsleepbetter Ifyourolddogiswakingupatnightandbeingrestless,therearesomesimpletipsandtricksthatwillhelpyoucalmyourolderdogforabetternight’ssleep.Youcanfollowanysingleorcombinationofthesetipstohelpyourdogfallsoundasleepeverysinglenight. Followthesameroutine Itisimportantforanolderdogtofollowthesamedailyroutine.Whenadoggrowsold,aroutinebecomeslikearitual,andanychangeintheroutinecanaffectyourdogbothduringthedayandduringthenight.Whenyourdogisgettingolder,youmustadjustaccordingly.Keepingthesameeatingandplayinghabitswillhelpyouandyourdoggetabetternight’ssleepeveryday. Maintainregularexercise Whendogsexercisedaily,theytendtogetmoretiredatnightandsleepbetter.Ifyoumakesurethatyourseniordoggetsregularexercise,basedonhisabilities,youwilllikelyhelphimsleepbetter.Exercisinganolderdogisanimportantpartoftheircare,butitcanbechallengingtoknowhowmuchisenough,orhowmuchistoomuch. ReadourpageonTheImportanceOfExercisingOlderDogs. Don’tforgetmentalexercise Continuetoprovidementalstimulationtotireoutyourdogandhelpstaveoffthesignsofdementia.‘Sniffaris’anddogfoodpuzzlesarewaystoencourageyourdogtousehisbrainmore–muchliketheelderlyareencouragedtodoSudokutokeepthemmentallyflexible. Helpyourdogwithpain Ifyourdogisuncomfortableorinpainatnight,youshouldconsiderpainreliefmedicationandsolutionstohelphimsleepthroughthenightwithminimalpain.WerecommendreadingourpageonpainreliefforolderdogsbyDrJoannaDeKlerk. Useanightlight Ifyourdogwakesupconfusedabouthersurroundingsbecauseofcognitiveissues,shewillgetanxiousinthedark.Addinganightlightinthesleepingareaofyourfurryfriendcanmakethingsfarbetter.Whenyouaddanightlightinthesleepingarea,yourdogislesslikelytoleavethebedorsleepingplaceevenafterwakingupbecausethelightwillmakeherfeelmorerelaxedandcomfortable. Considermusic Musicisnotonlythefoodofthehumansoul.Researchalsoshowsstrongevidencethatmusichasapositiveinfluenceonthebehavioraltraitsofdogs(Source:MusicalDogs:AReviewoftheInfluenceofAuditoryEnrichmentonCanineHealthandBehavior).Musiccanhelpreleasetheirstress.Ifyoufindthatyourseniordogwakesupwithanxietyinthemiddleofthenight,playingsoothingmusicmayhelpyourdogrelax.Musiccanalsohelpyourdogfallasleep. Changethebed’slocation Sometimes,olderdogsstarttobecomeinsecureandwillwanttostaybyyoursideallthetime.Atnight,theurgetostaywiththemastercanmakethedogwakeupatnightandbecomerestless.Whenyoufeelthatyourdogneedsyoursense,touch,orpresence,youshouldconsidergettingyourdogclosertoyoursleepingarea.Itwillhelpbothyouandyourpuphaveagoodnight’ssleep. WATCH:3ImportantTipsToCareForanOldDog[VETVIDEO] Changeyourdog’sbed Yourdogmaynotfeelcomfortableinthesleepingareabecauseofmedicalissuesoroldage.Buyingacomfortabledogbedwillhelpmakethingsbetter.Olddogsthatexperiencepainorotherphysicalissuesmightlovetospendthewholenightonamorecomfyandcosybed.SeeourarticleontheBestSeniorDogBeds. Playalittlegame Ifyourdogwakesupinthemiddleofthenightfullofenergy,playingwithyourseniorpetwithadogtoyhelpreleasetheenergy,andwillalsohelpyourdoggetmentalexercise.Thementalandphysicalworkwillmakeyourdogfeelmorecomfortable,andhelpyoutuckthedoginandgobacktobed. Conclusion Yourveterinariancanhelpyoumakethebestdecisionstofindoutwhyyourolderdogmightberestlessatnight.Butbeforegoingtothevet,youcanexperimentwiththetipsandtricksexplainedearliertohelpcalmyourdogatnight.Iftheproblempersistsandyourdogcontinuestowakeupatnight,youshouldconsultyourveterinarian:medicalconditionsincludinginsomniaandapneacanbediagnosedandtreatedwithmedicine.Inthepastfewyears,ownersandveterinarianstendtousenutraceuticalmedicinetogetthebestresultswithfewsideeffectsontheirfurryfriends. Learnmoreaboutcaringforyourolddog: Top5TipstoCareforYourOldDogSeniorDogCareOlderDogHealthProblems Authors DrJoannaWoodnutt,VeterinarySurgeon DrJoannaWoodnutt,BVMBVSBVMedSciMRCVS,workedasaVeterinarySurgeonfortheShepherd'sVetCenter,beforejoiningVet-AItohelpdevelopanewapptoallowpetownerstovideocallavetfromhome,andfounding"TheVeterinaryContentCompany".SheholdsaBachelorofVeterinaryMedicineandSurgery(BVMBVS)fromtheUniversityofNottingham. Viewallposts Dr.Winnie,Veterinarian Dr.WinnieearnedaBachelorofScienceinPsychologyfromDukeUniversity,aMastersofScienceinBiologyfromStGeorgesUniversity,andgraduatedfromtheUniversityofPretoriaVeterinarySchoolinSouthAfrica.Sheisafull-timeVeterinarianinSouthAfricaspecializingininternalmedicineforlargebreeddogs. Viewallposts Disclaimer:Thiswebsite'scontentisnotmeanttobeasubstituteforveterinarycare,diagnosis,ortreatment.Alwaysconsultwithyourveterinariantodeterminethebestcourseofaction.ReadMore. PreviousWeightLossInOlderDogs–WhatCausesIt&WhenToWorry NextPainReliefForSeniorDogs Bethefirsttocomment LeaveaReplyCancelreplyYouremailaddresswillnotbepublished.CommentName* Email* Website Byusingthisformyouagreewiththestorageandhandlingofyourdatabythiswebsite. * Δ ThissiteusesAkismettoreducespam.Learnhowyourcommentdataisprocessed. ReadfromOurAuthors:OneofourauthorsonSeniorTailWaggersisDrDeKlerk,veterinarianfeaturedonaBBCTVshowandauthorof11booksincluding"OldDogLove".SeethebookonAmazonormeetourteam. 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