Senior Dog Anxiety at Night

Meta Description: Do you dream of getting a good night’s sleep, yet your anxious senior dog is keeping you awake? We suggest ways to keep your old dog calm at night.

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Do you dream of getting a good night’s sleep, yet your anxious senior dog is keeping you awake? Panting, whining, pacing, or scratching isn’t exactly what you want to hear when you’re counting sheep. But apart from a disruption of your restful night, as a pet parent, you are likely concerned about your old dog and why they wrestle with falling asleep.

Dogs in their senior years who experience newfound anxiety at night could be struggling for physical or psychological reasons. Are you desperate to get to the bottom of their restless behavior?

Pet parent Amy wrote to us about her 16-year-old Miniature Dachshund Walter, who had problems with nighttime anxiety.

“A few months ago, Walter would pace around, but then he’d start to get stuck in a corner, and he’d bark, and we’d have to get up and find him. He is deaf and mostly blind now, and he’s got some mobility issues, but he would want to get up and move around, and he wouldn’t settle back down.”

Can you relate? Try and keep your eyes open as we discuss this topic and suggest keeping your old dog calm at night.

The Effects of Aging in Dogs

The natural process of aging can affect dogs in many ways. As a dog owner, you need to be attentive to their needs and consult your dog’s veterinarian about psychological and physical symptoms.

Sleep deprivation can be damaging to your and your pet’s health. Sleep experiments conducted on dogs in 1894 and 1898 showed that sleep deprivation led to degenerative changes in the brain, “autointoxication of the brain,” and fatality after 4–17 days.

Physical Problems

As dog’s age, physical changes occur. While some changes may be noticeable, others may hide below the surface. Regular wellness exams are vital for dogs in their old age, from the age of seven. Early diagnosis of medical conditions has a better reaction to treatment and recovery.

Signs of aging in a senior pet include:

Dental Trouble

Gum disease can occur for any breed at any age. Suppose you do not take care of your dog’s teeth, or ignore dental inflammation, bleeding, or bad breath. In that case, Periodontal disease can develop into jawbone fractures, abscesses, loss of eyesight, oral cancers, and even organ damage. Periodontal disease may increase your dog’s chance of developing chronic kidney disease, liver disease, and heart disease.

Age-Related Disease

The effects of a long life take their toll, and aging dogs become more susceptible to health problems. Obesity can settle in due to years of an abundance of treats. Obesity can lead to joint disease, diabetes, hypothyroidism, and respiratory illness.

Sadly older dogs over the age of ten have an increased 50% chance of developing cancers. Look out for lumps below the skin, lameness, skin thickening, unexplained bleeding, swollen abdomen, and “wasting away.” Brain diseases can also cause havoc to your dog’s sleep patterns.

Mobility Issues

Osteoarthritis seems to rear its ugly head in elderly dogs. Joint disease can develop from years of wear and tear on the joint cartilage. As a result, dogs slow down and may become increasingly reluctant to partake in regular activity. Their stiffness may be occasional, for example, after a walk, or it can be chronic.

Sensory Changes

Blindness and hearing loss, or even a loss of smell, may be a secondary condition to something amiss in your dog’s body. Dogs suffering from fading eyesight or hearing loss usually have a gradual decline which can aggravate dog anxiety. Unlike humans, a hearing aid or glasses are not solutions, and your pet’s failing senses can cause anxiety.

Digestive Decline

Issues with digestion and nutrient absorption can affect your dog’s overall wellness. Digestive enzyme production may slow down with old age, or their gut bacteria decrease due to a lowered immune system. Keep an eye out for blood in your dog’s stool, and contact your vet if persistent diarrhea sets in.

Incontinence

Underlying conditions like urinary tract infections or kidney disease can cause incontinence, so take your dog for a checkup to rule out any serious diseases. Bladder leaks are not uncommon in older dogs.

Psychological Effects

You may see a decline in memory, social interaction, curiosity, and trainability in old dogs. One study found that boldness may also decrease with age in dogs.

The Clever Dog Lab of the University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna investigated Behavioural and Cognitive Changes in Aged Dogs and found that “aged dogs, like humans, strongly vary in their rate of cognitive decline.” Cognitive decline can be classified as mild or demented. On the one hand, you have senior dogs who are “successful agers” and continue life without mishaps. On the other side of the aging dog population, you will find dogs who experience severe cognitive dysfunction, behavioral changes, or dementia, much like Alzheimer’s disease.

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Why do Senior Dogs Get Anxiety at Night?

Senior dog anxiety at night is disruptive for everyone in the home. Helping your dog and coming up with treatment options for their restless night is made easier when you can pinpoint the trigger of your dog’s nighttime anxiety.

Your dog’s insomnia and anxious behavior may be caused by one or more of these situations:

Cognitive Dysfunction

Most senior dogs who are restless at night suffer from cognitive dysfunction. Cognitive dysfunction causes anxiety in older dogs because it alters their brain function and can cause loss of memory, disorientation, confusion, loss of appetite, loss of bowel control, and more. As you can imagine, these common symptoms are very stressful for your dog and will make them feel anxious at night when it’s dark, quiet, and free of activity.

Cognitive dysfunction can lead to your older dog getting lost in the home and significantly disrupting their sleep. Dogs in their senior years may sleep more in the day, which will impact the midnight hours.

Pain

If your dog wakes several times a night, pain may be the culprit. Everyday aches associated with joint degeneration can cause pain in your furbaby. Many other health issues can also cause pain. 

Too Many Toilet Breaks

As your dog ages, it may lose bladder or bowel control. This inability to control normal bodily functions can cause your dog anxiety. If your pet is waking you multiple times in the night to go outside, or if they’re defecating or urinating in the home, then take them to the vet. Most health problems that cause incontinence are treatable and can be diagnosed with blood tests and urinalysis.

Fear 

Irrational fears or phobias that have gradually developed over the years may trigger anxiety attacks in your dog. Separation anxiety, fear of loud noises, or fear of the dark are just some of the seemingly irrational triggers that can cause senior dogs to lose sleep.

Body Temperature

A disruption in body temperature can cause senior dog anxiety at night. Your senior dog may be experiencing anxiety because they often feel cold at night due to their inability to regulate their body warmth.

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How to Calm Your Elderly Dog

Before trying any of these home solutions, consult your dog’s veterinarian for a physical exam to diagnose cognitive dysfunction or underlying health concerns. Your dog may need more intensive treatment or pain medications to help them to relax at night.

Following the ruling out of serious illness, here are some simple adjustments that you can make to your senior pet’s life to ease their nighttime anxiety.

Maintain a Routine

Your dog has become used to a specific schedule in your home at night. Changes and disruptions to their nighttime routine can be very distressing. Try your best to maintain your dog’s routine. A predictable sequence of events eliminates surprises that may cause dog anxiety in your companion animal.

Regular Appropriate Exercise

Dogs who exercise are happier and healthier. While a younger dog may have boundless energy that you want them to burn off, older dogs need exercise too. Mental stimulation from puzzle toys keeps their minds alert and curious. Frequent walks and undemanding exercise like Doga encourages relaxation and improves physical health in senior dogs.

By exercising your senior dog as part of your evening routine, your dog’s anxiety may take a rest too.

Comfortable Bed

A comfy new orthopedic bed may improve your dog’s sleep patterns. Older dogs with mobility issues will experience reduced pain when they have a warm and therapeutic place to rest their tired and old body.

Security Object

Does your senior dog have a favorite toy? Your dog’s anxiety may be eased when they have their security object with them – whether it’s your shirt, a heated snuggle pillow, or the blanket they’ve had for a decade. Even if the thing is falling apart, it’s better to have a good night’s sleep than to worry about the aesthetics of their fuzzy wuzzy toy.

Calming Vest

Senior dogs with anxiety disorders may react well to the comforting embrace of a calming vest. Anxiety vests wrap securely around your pet’s torso and chest as a form of pressure therapy. Deep pressure stimulation in humans has testified to the release of dopamine and serotonin, the feel-good hormones. Anecdotal testimonies from pet parents have also reported on reduced anxiety in dogs who wear a calming vest.

CBD

64.3% of pet parents buy CBD for their pets’ overall anxiety and stress levels. CBD is favorable over other medications because it has minimal side effects and is safe for dogs, cats, and humans.

CBD oil from hemp has many benefits that may improve the life of your old, restless dog:

• Supports normal cardiovascular, immune, and neurological function
• CBD may help discomfort associated with routine daily exercise and activity
• CBD helps maintain joint mobility
• CBD has a calming effect on nerves and reduces the impact of environmental stress.

Remember Amy and her dog Walter that we mentioned at the beginning of this article? Amy eventually bought CBD oil for her anxious dog. Since he’s been taking the Honest Paws Calm CBD Oil, Walter has been sleeping through the night.

Tips on Preparing Your Dog for Bedtime

There are other things that your dog’s veterinarian may suggest to help your dog sleep better at night. 

• Play some quiet music or white noise for your senior dog to drown out loud noises that frighten them.
• Ask your vet about a prescription diet for cognitive dysfunction.
• If your dog struggles with separation anxiety, consider moving their bed into your room so that you can reach out and touch them when they feel anxious.
• A night light may put your dog at ease.
• Make sure your dog uses their natural outdoor potty and give them a designated indoor litter box for midnight urges.
• Offer your dog CBD bites and chews an hour before bedtime.
• Natural anti-anxiety products can help your dog with cognitive dysfunction.
• Training with a behavioral expert can be effective in treating behavior problems with desensitizing or counter conditioning.
• When your dog is anxious at night, stay calm and offer emotional support.
• Natural supplements containing Chamomile, L-Theanine, and Tryptophan can promote better sleep quality and relieve anxiety.

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Some Rest – At Last!

With cognitive dysfunction being the leading cause of senior dog anxiety, it’s essential to visit the vet to find an effective treatment plan. If your dog’s anxiety is caused by general fears, mild pain, or separation anxiety, the home treatments that we’ve mentioned in this article may be successful.

Make sure your older dog has the routine, exercise, and comforts that help them be anxiety-free. May you and your senior dog can finally get a good night’s rest!

FAQ:

How do you calm an elderly dog with anxiety? Changes and disruptions to your dog’s routine can be very distressing. Try your best to maintain your dog’s nighttime routine consistently.

How do you calm an anxious dog at night? Offer your dog some CBD Calm oil. CBD has a calming effect on nerves and reduces the impact of environmental stress.

Why does my dog have anxiety attacks at night? Your dog’s anxious behavior may be caused by pain caused by medical conditions, separation anxiety, or cognitive dysfunction.