My old girl Mattie ( 12 years) is acting quite strange recently she has gone from a pretty laid back dog who will not bother when being left a few hours
but  now she follows me everywhere  even if just nipping to the door she is behind me and gets upset if I leave her,she has always slept in the kitchen with the other dogs at night  but recently started barking several times in the night and because she is deaf doesnt hear us come down  and all she is doing is staring into space and barking.She has quite bad arthritis  since she was 8 years old which she has had medication for and now  finally is on  2   to 4  PLTs a day we didnt take her upstairs as we thought the stairs would be too much for her but last night took her up and she slept all night :)
We got her at 14 months old and she had been a kennel dog before then  which is why she has always been happy anywhere.
Is it because she is old do you think ? Ive had people ringing me about elderly dogs suddenly becoming destructive when left or is it a kind of dementia?
I would be grateful for some other peoples experience or advice.

Could she be losing her sight?  That could make her very clingy and worried, especially as she is hard of hearing too.

Hi,
Having had my old lab of 14 years PTS on Monday she went exactly like this, she did not want to be left alone and barked at nothing, she had her sight but was very deaf and wobbly on her hind legs.

When you look at her has she got a slight head tilt to one side,?? if so then she MAY have had a slight stroke and best to have her checked out by a vet.

I am afraid the older they get the more senile they get and there is not alot you can do for them, but to comfort them and try to keep them happy at all times.
Mine could not et up the stairs because of her back legs and I catually spent Sunday night on the kitchen floor with her to reassure her that someone was there and then had to make the heart wrenching decision on Monday.

If you are unsure then please take her to a vet to reassure yourself and in her best interests it may be something trivial and can be sorted out.

Good luck with her and give her all the TLC you can!!!!!!!!!

thankyou for your replies

Hi Mattie,

Sorry to read about your old girl :(  If it's any help, my golden oldie had a mild stroke at around 12 years (similar to what Bella described but fortunately she came round OK).  Following that she became noticeably doddery - slowed down a lot, seemed to be a bit confused by commands, tended to get less involved with the other dogs out on walks (always ran off to do her own thing anyway ;) just more so but no longer as far from me) and was much more inclined to follow me around and stay close when indoors.  She had another two and a bit years with us and I do think she was quite senile towards the end.  Her hearing had been poor for a year or more anyway but she became more deaf and her eyesight wasn't all it could be.

On the plus side, with the senility came a happier little dog ironically - perhaps a bit like ourselves in old age, oblivious to it and so not worried by it.

She was treated with water tablets for the last 18 months or so of her life as she had fluid in her chest but that aside she had a happy if more leisurely paced life - still wanted her walks, treats, a quick 2 or 3 minutes of play bursts and lots of deep sleeps curled up on our laps :)    With any luck your own girl's behaviour is for similar reasons and this doesn't mean the end is necessarily near - but as with everything may be an indication that it is starting.

I pray she will have much more time to enjoy being an "old fuddy duddy" - I know you adore her and she'll know that too.
Bless you both, HTH a little, Teri :)

Hi Bella,

Sorry to read of your recent loss :(  Been there too and in very similar circumstances. 

Bless you, Teri x

Sorry about your Lab too, Bella.

Mattie, I would think it is probably old age creeping up, dogs can get insecure when they get older  due to physical problems -eyesight, toileting, weakness, etc and of course, dementia. I wish they lived as long as we do!

I've not had much real experience of this, so had a look at one of my books for you, hope this may help:

Ageing effects not only the major organs but also the central nervous system and brain. Changes in neurotransmitter levels, alterations in membrane permeability and increased production of free radicals within the central nervous system can all lead to the onset of age related behavioural changes, and when pets start to show symptoms relatd to these changes, they begin to require a very specific form of veterinary attention.

Behavioural changes in elderly pets are not always related to brain ageing.

Other problems can be, pain, sensory systems failing, compromised blood flow to central nervous system and age related deterioration of major organs. In additon, physical and environnmental factors should not be overlooked, and older animals may be less adaptable to changes.

IN some cases, behavioural changes in dogsd will resemble symptoms of senility in people. Cognitive Dysfunction is the name given to age related progressive neurodegenarative disorder which is characterised by specific behavioural changes. It is characterised by a lack of recognisable clinical symptoms and this can lead to difficulty in identifying cases especially in the early stages.

Patients primarily exhibit changes in behaviour and unless owners ask the right sort of questions, it's easy for the problem to go undetected.

Main signs are: disorientation, changes in social interaction, changes in sleep/wake cycle, changes in response to learned associations and commands.

On their own, each of these may be indicative of a physical disease or purely behaviour problem, but when there are signs in each of these categories, and esp. the first 2, a diagnosis of cognitive dysfunction needs to be considered.

Hth a bit Mattie; I was given Vivitonin for my older Belgian Shepherd at aged 14, and it did give her a new lease of life for nearly another 2 years. Hope your girl is OK, :)

Lindsay
x

I was considering vivitonin  so will chat to the vet about it.
Mattie has always had regular checkups as   the vet comes  here to see her and when  they come to see the rescue dogs here they give her a check up too as getting in the car is hard for her we have a ramp but she doesnt like that.
Dogs grow more precious as they get older and mattie is  so loved I dread the day when we lose her :(

Thanks again for all your replies 

Oh I know, so many of us understand that feeling of dread {{{hug}}}

Keep us updated with Mattie :)

Lindsay
x

Just one other consideration ... are you ok healthwise yourself?  If you are feeling in any way under the weather, she may be picking up on that.

How is she Mattie????    Any change??

Since we took her up to bed at night she has been fine at night, she is funny if I am in kitchen and Sam is in front room she will lie in the hall keeping an eye on both of us :)

we lost our old boy of 15yrs  just a little while ago he was deaf and his back legs weren't too good either we noticed the unusual bark when alone and put it down tothe fact that he could hear himself bark and didnt feel so excluded as soon as we were in sight he would stop.
The look of panic on his face if I was going out broke my heart so we always made sure someone was with him.
When he was asleep you could have set fireworks off next to him and he would sleep through it!
I would try the vivitonin Kyle was on it for the last 4 yrs of his life and 15 is a good age for a Rough Collie.
He must feel safe upstairs with you which will help him to relax .
Enjoy every minute you have with him the oldies are very precious.

~Roni