Old Dog won't Sleep at Night

[deepsilver]

My 18 year old cockapoo won't sleep at night.  He sleeps during the day when we are not home and during the night he is restless.  He is up every hour seeking activity and pees on the floor when he doesn't find any.  This is making his us crazy as his activity is keeping us awake.  Having him sleep in another room or outside is not an option as he has extreme seperation anxiety.  We've tried many options to make him not be so restless including taking him for walks at night to tire him out, giving him natural pet medications to relax him,  giving him up to 50mg of Benedryl (he's only 14lbs) and as far as having the vet prescribe a low dose of acepromazine to help sedate him at night and NOTHING works.  He countinues to be up at night pacing the house.  Please help, I'm beginning to lose my sanity due to lack of sleep.  

[bettispaghetti]

Restlessness at night is a sign of doggy dementia as is barking or wakefulness at the wrong hours of the day. I have a 16 year Bichon that is experiencing these symptoms. Other symptoms of dementia (also called Canine Cognitive Disorder) is getting "trapped" in furniture or just standing confusedly in corners of the room, not understanding how to navigate around an open door, sometimes soiling/peeing indoors when they were once house-trained, etc. There are some drugs you can try. One is called L-Deprinyl. My vet tried it on his 15 year old dog and he said it helped give him clarity for a while. You can also try supplementing Omega-3 and Vitamin-B12. You should consult a vet (western or holistic) before attempting to dose your dog as their size, weight, etc. will matter in the amount. You can also try acupuncture. I also just revert to keeping him awake during the day by taking him out for frequent walks, feeding him, playing with him, etc. and then at night establishing a routine that leads to sleep and saying firmly, "SLEEP" to him. That has worked for us without much meds though we do the acupuncture once a month. I can usually get him to bed by 1-2AM and once asleep, he sleeps most of the night, sometimes only waking once or twice in which case, I take him out to pee and then put him back in bed with same "SLEEP" command, pushing him back down when he gets up until he falls whines himself to sleep. Good luck to everyone who is nurturing a senior dog. It definitely has its challenges but I always think back on what a devoted little life he has given me for the last 16 years and it helps put things in perspective in his sunset time.

[freddystone]

My 10yr old was having similar problems sleeping at night, turns out it was early signs of stones developing in bladder and then required a cystotomy, so it wouldn't hurt to have pet checked out by vet

[ginger899]

Perhaps what Jaybay was focussing on was the dog was shut up alone in the house all day, and needed more exercise than he was given (a walk at night) ? But that would be strange for an 18 year old dog....It's a very good sign if an 18 year old dog has boundless energy like that (my dog is 12 and I can't give her ENOUGH exercise during the day! I'm glad she's so fit for her age, but it's still 2 -2hour walks for me! I know if she was shut up all day she would go bananas!) But with the dog mentioned here I wouldn't be surprised if there was an element of dementia (yes, dogs can and do get that just like Humans)

However, I think there's another thing going on with your dog. At 10, and with the good level of exercise he's getting, there is something strangely 'hyper' going on for him not to be able to sleep ok at night. Whether he is considered old enough to develop dementia symptoms I don't know. But this would definitely be something to mention to your vet.
I met a woman with an older dog, on a walk last year. Her dog had developed similar symptoms, he had mild dementia, he was prescribed a medicine which had good effects. He looked good, was happy on his walk, looked very well.

If you are interested in trying alternative medicine, you could perhaps try a Homeopathic remedy first, to see if it helps. (Quoted from "Homeopathy for Pets", by George MacLeod
          "...For insomnia in older animals....ARSEN. ALB. Potency: 6c.(dosage 2 tablets, crushed between two spoons. Do not handle the tablets, let the dog lick them from the spoon.) ....Dosage in acute conditions may necessitate frequent repetition of the remedy, eg. one dose every hour for three or four doses. Less frequent repetition is related to less acute conditions, eg. one per day, or one night and morning for a few days. For more serious conditions, it is strongly recommended that a qualified Homeopathic Veterinary Surgeon is consulted......"

[Dcv74]

What a useless response to that woman's question.  Within her question she says clearly that she has been giving the dog exercise.  Why even respond if you aren't going to read the question.   I have the same problem with my 10 year old golden and we take him on very VERY LONG walk/jogs every night before bed as well as 2-3 times a day.   Yet, he won't sleep at night.   Does anyone have a "real" response?

[Jaybay]

It's pretty obvious: your dog needs some exercise. Yes, even a senior dog needs a bit of exercise.  Try a short walk in the evening, or even a couple of short ball-chasing sessions - whatever activity your dog can do safely.  Dogs NEED to get out of the house and move - not just for physical health, but for their mental health as well.  Don't forget: A tired dog is a good dog.  :-)