This senior doggo is having a bit of dementia and is sundowning most nights. Any of you dog people have any advice on how to help her sleep through the night, and be less confused? Vet suggests Valium but would love some other ideas. @darthbluesky.bsky.social - ThreadSky | a Reddit-style client for Bluesky

katrinskaya.bsky.social • 334 days ago

This senior doggo is having a bit of dementia and is sundowning most nights. Any of you dog people have any advice on how to help her sleep through the night, and be less confused? Vet suggests Valium but would love some other ideas. @darthbluesky.bsky.social

Comments

sugarcreek.bsky.social•334 days ago

When our dog was going through a similar diagnosis, the vet started her on melatonin, then as her dementia progressed added gabapentin, then switched the gaba for Xanax. She still didn’t sleep through the night but she did sleep longer & was less agitated.

katrinskaya.bsky.social•324 days ago

Gaba is great for settling in - also really helps with arthritis pain (though librella is even better - what a magic drug.) it does not seem to last that long - your experience is definitely similar to ours. Thanks so much!

evphillips.bsky.social•334 days ago

We also run a small night light for her once she wakes up and needs to go back out. It settles her for the rest of the night.

evphillips.bsky.social•334 days ago

I have an old girl in a similar situation. She’s also loosing mobility in her back legs. We do Librela monthly for that. For her Sundowners, Melatonin didn’t work. We do a combination of Gabapentin & Incurin (hormone.) This helps her nighttime confusion and anxiety. Lick mats helps during the day.

katrinskaya.bsky.social•324 days ago

Librela is the bomb. I wish I could take it. She is a new dog in the days after it but it seems to wear off after a few weeks now so the two weeks before the next injection aren’t so hot. I have to look into Incurin - never heard of it. Thanks for the tip!!

luubean.bsky.social•334 days ago

My guy is 15. I feel for you. I LOVE my senior dog, but old age is hard. 😔

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luubean.bsky.social•334 days ago

And if it helps, he's on gabapentin, rimadyl, dasaquin, platinum cj, and trazadone when he gets anxious and agitated.

callie99.bsky.social•334 days ago

I left a couple of night lights on for Reuben. He would get confused & anxious in the dark. Vet gave me pain meds (his arthritis aggravated it). I would also take him outside. A bit of fresh air seemed to help. Not everyone has the flexibility I had, tho.
Give him an ear scritch for me. It's hard. ❤️

katrinskaya.bsky.social•324 days ago

Thanks! It’s good to have good days and nights. More activity during the day definitely helps, I agree!

callie99.bsky.social•324 days ago

Good luck to you and your sweet dog. Helping them through old age is complicated, but is powered by love.

katrinskaya.bsky.social•300 days ago

Thank you!! My doggo is the best and I will fiercely care for her until the end. Appreciate you!

jakemillette.bsky.social•333 days ago

Our dog went through a similar stage. We gave her gabapentin, which helped. I also found sticking to a bedtime routine helped.

itsmikeschwartz.bsky.social•334 days ago

We have a senior who was pacing, showing anxiety at night. Tried Trazadone, but not much improvement and certainly not all night relief. We now have had him on Gavapentin for a few weeks and he is much better all night and during the day.

Maybe she is experiencing pain, not dementia.

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itsmikeschwartz.bsky.social•229 days ago

Follow up on our boy. Turns out he probably had cancer. He passed on 6/21. His lungs were suddenly filling with fluid, ultrasound at emergency vet showed fluid all around his heart. Vet said this is usually from a tumor.

Thus is my last picture of him, in the yard enjoying a bluebird day.

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itsmikeschwartz.bsky.social•334 days ago

Apologies if the drug names are misspelled!

katrinskaya.bsky.social•324 days ago

Yes, sometimes I wonder whether it’s pain but it’s a different behavior-confused rather than panting and drooling which are her pain signs. Her arthritis pain is also very well controlled with gaba and methacarb and Librela. An extra gaba is a good thing, though, when she is super confused! Thanks

kenryan.bsky.social•334 days ago

Ambient noise? Like a fan running where she sleeps?

ckadleck.bsky.social•334 days ago

With our senior girl we did walks in the evening (what she could do comfortably) and a lick mat with some peanut butter—it wasn’t perfect but it helped her settle in more at night.

soundclamp.bsky.social•334 days ago

CBD? https://milkbarn.farm/products/pet-cbd

ljohn44.bsky.social•334 days ago

We give our 17-ish year old husky CBD & gabapentin. Two thumbs up for CBD.

katrinskaya.bsky.social•324 days ago

Right!!! Any preferred vendor? I love Nuvita - a small, women-owned company with really high-end products for my aches and they do offer a dog CBD. Who do you like?

ljohn44.bsky.social•324 days ago

We've been getting HolistaPet for a few years. Their online platform isn't the best but the CBD works great for my pup so we deal with it. We put the CBD in gel caps and give them to her with a little bit of peanut butter. We tried just putting it directly on her food but she ate around it 😂

jenvarney.bsky.social•334 days ago

It’s so hard! We have an almost 15-yr old. We finally found a combo of Gabapentin and Trazadone that works most nights. It took a while to find the right combo and timing. We also leave a light on. Any change in routine takes a couple weeks to adjust to. Good luck!

katrinskaya.bsky.social•324 days ago

You guys are so awesome. I completely missed all these terrific suggestions. Thank you - wisdom of the senior dog community!

scpnyc.bsky.social•333 days ago

Rescue Remedy.

kvarnsen.bsky.social•334 days ago

We also didn't want Valium or trazodone. Fan for airflow and white noise helped some. Pre-bed Melatonin (none w/xylitol and recognized brand only; no Amazon crap) may have helped, but didn't hurt. A little scheduled exercise before bed when the day is long enough. I'm sorry. It's very hard.

katrinskaya.bsky.social•324 days ago

Thank you! I like the white noise idea - air purifier is on a higher setting tonight. It is hard after several weeks without uninterrupted sleep. I am a bit droopy-eyes. But she is a very good dog, has been with us since she was six months old, and we love her, and will nurse her until the end..

rubyoffrails.bsky.social•333 days ago

Doggy dementia sucks. We give our 16yo senilife with dinner and we give her Zesty Paws advanced calming bites twice a day. If his eating/drinking/bathroom habits are bad at night you might want to talk to your vet - ours was diagnosed with Cushings and she sleeps through the night much better now.

katrinskaya.bsky.social•324 days ago

Yes, she got tested for Cushings and does not have any sign of it. No bathroom problems, thank goodness! Zesty Paws are a great invention. Thanks so much! Hugs to your doggo.

silvermansecurity.bsky.social•334 days ago

Keeping good thoughts. Have you considered CBD oil instead of the valium? My girls are 13 and 1/2 and 10 and I give it to them for thunderstorm anxiety.

katrinskaya.bsky.social•324 days ago

Thanks!!

silvermansecurity.bsky.social•324 days ago

You're most welcome.

vizslaspgh.bsky.social•334 days ago

So sorry. We do Xanax.
It works very well. 💜

katrinskaya.bsky.social•324 days ago

You all are fantastic - thank you so much!! TLDR tips from you all: regular routine, night time walk, increase day activities, ambient noise and low light, gabapentin and dog melatonin (Zesty Paws), ensure that there is no Cushings or pain, CBD from a reputable source, dog compression (and cuddles)

katrinskaya.bsky.social•324 days ago

As for other drugs you suggested Selegiline (for cognitive disfunction) and Trazodone for night anxiety. All great suggestions and I am very grateful for your tips. Thank you!

katrinskaya.bsky.social•324 days ago

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ngoat.bsky.social•334 days ago

Awww! Our Jake is doing the same thing. Keeping him active in the evenings, these calming bites at bed time and laying down with him until he is good snoring have helped

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katrinskaya.bsky.social•324 days ago

Love that. Ordering ;) Snuggles are so good - as are walks at 9 or 10 pm. I am a fan of that company. Thanks for the tip!

herculinds.bsky.social•334 days ago

Our vet does a combination of Trazodone and Gabapentin. Give them to her about 7-7:30 so they take effect by bedtime. She will still have the occasional bad night but has improved quite a bit. Helps to also tire them out a bit more mentally during the day, just puzzle toys and snuffle mats

ggold328.bsky.social•334 days ago

melatonin worked for my old boy

katrinskaya.bsky.social•324 days ago

Yes!! Melatonin is great - really helps with night-time anxiety. Thanks!

ggold328.bsky.social•324 days ago

so glad to hear 💜

mofromnj.bsky.social•334 days ago

Sileo. It’s technically for noise aversion and is expensive, but it was the only thing that worked for my extremely sundowner-afflicted girl. No real side effects.

katrinskaya.bsky.social•324 days ago

Hugs to your doggo. It’s a real thing that I had no idea about, so very grateful for all the wonderful tips. Thank you so much.

katrinskaya.bsky.social•324 days ago

Thank you! I’ll check that out if the hard nights continue.

willmmmm.bsky.social•334 days ago

Trazodone helps a lot. You can also give melatonin treats. Good luck.

melbakit.bsky.social•334 days ago

Our dog had the same symptoms and we managed it with Selegiline. Studies say it works in 70% of dogs, we were lucky it helped ours.

hipstersasquatch.bsky.social•334 days ago

1. Is it possible to take her on a walk right before bed? It might tire her out a bit.
2. Canine compression shirt.
3. Dog-proof your home so she doesn't get hurt walking around at night.
4. Ask another vet for a second opinion. Valium has real risks.

katrinskaya.bsky.social•324 days ago

All good suggestion! We take her at 9 or 10 pm and she is now only in our downstairs, doggie-proofed area. Getting loads of great suggestions of things to try in this thread - it’s like a second vet opinion 😎

farfbaz.bsky.social•322 days ago

One of our seniors get gabba, Prozac, metacam and Librela to help her settle at night. She has anxiety, cancer and arthritis. The other gets gabba, pj’s and the air conditioner set to 19°C/66°F. He has anxiety.