Doggie dementia

[Watered Garden]

My 14-year-old labrador retriever, Sophie, is failing. She has really bad arthritis, which we can medicate with moderate success, but what bothers me even more is that toward the evening, she seems to get a little weird, lying and barking ferociously at nothing. She will do this for a while, then about 9-10 PM calm down and sleep through the night.

The other evening, she actually snapped at my grandson, pinching his cheek. He had been pushing on her sore back, though, and she didn't break the skin, but it bothers me. He's been told not to do that to her, but he forgets. She is also more aggressive toward our other dog, 16-year-old Maxx, who is blind and deaf, than she used to be, but not always.

People who work in nursing homes are familiar with sundowner syndrome, in which the elderly became agitated and combative or fearful in the evening hours when the sun goes down. I'm wondering if anyone has ever noticed similar behavior in an elderly pet.

WG

[Nottawayfer]

My 14-year-old labrador retriever, Sophie, is failing. She has really bad arthritis, which we can medicate with moderate success, but what bothers me even more is that toward the evening, she seems to get a little weird, lying and barking ferociously at nothing. She will do this for a while, then about 9-10 PM calm down and sleep through the night.

The other evening, she actually snapped at my grandson, pinching his cheek. He had been pushing on her sore back, though, and she didn't break the skin, but it bothers me. He's been told not to do that to her, but he forgets. She is also more aggressive toward our other dog, 16-year-old Maxx, who is blind and deaf, than she used to be, but not always.

People who work in nursing homes are familiar with sundowner syndrome, in which the elderly became agitated and combative or fearful in the evening hours when the sun goes down. I'm wondering if anyone has ever noticed similar behavior in an elderly pet.

WG

I would ask the vet. We had a lab who had a melanoma tumor in the roof of his mouht. We've never had a dog with cancer before, and we asked the vet what signs we would see to let us know that it was time for him to be put down. We didn't want to do it too early, and we surely didn't want him to suffer. Your vet might have the best advice since they see this stuff more than the average person.

((WG and FAMILY))

[ChasUFarley]

She may just need a seditive - the night time barking is anxiety, I think, from how you talk about it.

She might just need a little clonizapam to take the edge off for now.

We had a Peke that went blind when he got older and he'd get absolutely miserable at night - and whenever he was alone. He's scream like a woman - it was rather unsettling, to say the least. We sedated him (mildly) when he got real frantic and it helped. We finally had to put him down because he was just so miserable - not much real quality of life anymore.

But I also echo Notta's advice... check with your vet.