Dog with anxiety?

If anyone here remembers, i adopted an older dog, who is deaf and has arthritis. He has a problem, a big problem, and he does not let me get much sleep. He has what i am guessing is seperation anxiety, but not as bad as some other dogs (the ones that are destructive). I cant let him out to the backyard by himself, or else he will want to come back in and cry. Not a big deal, i can handle staying outside with him until he finishes his business.

But at night, if anyone here recalls, he paces and cries and goes from room to room. we have nightlights throughout the house. I let him go outside, and sometimes he goes and sometimes he doesn't do anything. Some nights, he sleeps through the whole night, and is still asleep when i leave for work. I just don't get it. It is so inconsistant. He does prefer the living room, so i leave him down there. We tried bringing him on our bed (which neither of us were to happy to do) and he did not want to be up with us.
So really, the lack of sleep is making our family miserable.
We have tried rescue remedy and another holistic vet product for anxiety and i guess neither of them work.
My husband really wants me to get a prescription for a sedative for him. I just don't know if this is necessary or if a vet will give it to us. He also wants me to find a dog whisperer (anyone know of any in the GTA? lol). Is there any med i can give him at night to help him sleep better? I love the little guy, but he drives me mental at night. I really want to have another child, but i don't want to until this issue is cleared up. It is hard enough now with a toddler who has occasional nightmares and a dog who is so inconsistant with his sleep.
I would really appreciate anyone's help. I am going to the vet tomorrow for his arthritis injection, so i thought of bringing it up then (although it is not a real appointment).
Also, our life is very routine, and their is nothing we ever really do differently that would cause the inconsistancy of his sleep.

I have a friend with an elderly Boxer. She becomes very anxious at night and paces. Her vet suggested BioCalm. It's a new product on the market and seems to have no drugs in it. Perhaps you could ask you vet about it?

Crate training is your solution.

Thanks for the advice, i will ask my bet about biocalm. I did a google search, and could not find a website for them.
My last post re the newly adopted dog, i asked if i should crate train him, and the majority of people said it was not a good idea, so i decided not to.
http://www.pets.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=16507&highlight=crate+train+senior

I was thinking about it again though, as i just don't know what to do. No sleep = miserable person. I got more sleep with a newborn than with him. It's terrible, but the inconsistancy keeps me wondering what is wrong. I am very grateful for the nights when he lets me sleep.

Ahh the poor puppy and poor you!

I would maybe discuss some sort of sedation a weak dosage with the vet. I'm not sure this is separation anxiety anymore...it sounds more like dementia. People and dogs with dementia pace especially through the night and ALL night.

Putting the dog in a crate may make it more aggitated and it could end up chewing and biting itself.

Make a comfy and safe spot for the dog to pace and a nice blankie or bed to fall to sleep on, block off an area IE a hallway or something and just close your bedroom doors. You'll have to show the dog around as to what is avail for walking space etc....

I've known them to use peppermint oil to line areas for dog with blindness...so you can put some peppermint oil along the baseboards or nose height keeping it to the area you want the dog to stay in.

Make the bed for the dog very accessible and very low so easy to get into.

Can I see some pictures of this baby :D

I know of one dog who is on drugs for that. I can't remember the name of the drug, but certainly there are some out there. We give Boo sedatives when we travel far, but he's groggy for days, so I don't recommend those... If you keep him close to you, does it help? Boo slept in our bed for about 6 months when we first got him. Now he sleeps on the other side of the house... He's all independent now... (sigh) :)

It only gets worse when we keep him close to us. Then he wants up, then down, then up, then down, etc. I thought the living room was working, but i guess it was just luck.
He is the kind of dog that is up and down a lot. Even one minute he will have a terrible limp, then the next minute he is running. we have only had him 1 month (adopted from toronto animal services - he was a stray). how do vets know if it is dementia?
When we first took him to our regular vet, i mentioned what was happening, and he told me that he does not want to give me a sedative, so he gave me HomeoPet Anxiety instead. That did not work, and i heard great things about rescue remedy, but that is not working for him either.
I really can't figure him out, but i do love him terribly. As long as i know that there are other options, i will make sure to get something else from my vet. I hope they don't mind, as Saturday is their busiest day, and i don't have an appointment, i just drop in for an injection and they take me when they can.
I will post a picture once i get them developed/scanned.

Please please please i need someone's advice. I know this board is a little irritated right now, but please, any helpful input is very appreciated.
So i went to the vet on Friday, and explained that the resuce remedy and anxiety drops were not working etc. and he prescribed him Valium. is that okay? It is 5mg, (he is 16lbs) and i give him 1 a night. He slept the past 2 nights.
I really don't want to give this to him for the rest of his life, but it seems to me that valium only masks the problem, but doesn't really treat it (i don't know how 'treatable' it is) He said it was linked to my dogs senility. I know this board is not full of vets, but does anyone know what the risks are of giving him valium for the rest of his life? My vet said that i can stop giving it to him after a while and see how it goes. He also said that if Valium does not work, that i have to go back for a low dose tranqulizer (which is the lessor of 2 evils?).
Please, again, any input is appreciated. This whole situation is just so upsetting to me.

Well, all I can say is that Jemma was sedated at the vet once to do her ears, and one sedation was enough to show her, "Hey, it's not that bad. You can feel ok at the vet." Now she's scared but not horrified.

These pills might make this doggy look on the bright side for a bit, and he may realize that life isn't so scary. Maybe. If you're optimistic...

As for side effects, I found this list for humans:
Known Valium Side Effects

Side effects from diazepam are common and include:
drowsiness, dizziness, tiredness, weakness, dry mouth, diarrhea, upset stomach, changes in appetite
Tell your doctor if any of these symptoms are severe or do not go away:
restlessness or excitement, constipation, difficulty urinating, frequent urination, blurred vision, changes in sex drive or ability
If you experience any of the following symptoms, call your doctor immediately:
seizures, shuffling walk, persistent, fine tremor or inability to sit still, fever, difficulty breathing or swallowing, severe skin rash, yellowing of the skin or eyes, irregular heartbeat

May not be the same in doggies, but I haven't found anything on Valium in doggies...

Thanks Prin. I was expecting some "you are a terrible dog owner for giving your dog valium" responses, so your post was very refreshing.
I tried doing a search for dog valium and all the results are mostly for use to treat seizures in dogs. It doesn't really show any long term use effects.
I will have to keep a close eye on him. i do know his appetite is still very healthy!
Luba, i think you were on to something with thinking it was dementia! I would have never thought of that.

We are presently going through trying to get our dog to be comfortable riding in a car. It terrifies her and she drools and vomits within about 15 minutes. Our vet is working on what to give her to help her now. Gravol does absolutely nothing. One of the suggestions is valium. If it works for her and nothing else does, then that is what I will use. I don't think anyone has the right to say what is ok for you to give your dog and what isn't. You live with the dog and love it so if the vet suggests something, then try it. No one should bash you for trying to help your dog. :thumbs up

Thanks Prin. I was expecting some "you are a terrible dog owner for giving your dog valium" responses, so your post was very refreshing.

You're only a terrible dog owner if you steal your own dog's valium... :D :D

I had a terrible, "sleep problem" with Rocky about six months ago, I took him to the vet and he was physically find but was pacing and seemed agitated starting around four aM. I am a night person so I fall asleep around four if Im lucky. I didn't sleep for WEEKS. Rocky would just sleep during the day. The vet told me about DAP. Its an "air fresheneer type thing" A plug in, it releases mammel Pherimones SP? and calms cats and dogs. They were very up-front about letting me know that It may not work, but in Rockys case it did. I used it for two months and no longer use anything anymore. Hes back to normal. Its very expenive, if it doesnt work, 100.00 for the whole thing and $50. for the refills, but its worth talking to the vet about! Good luck.

I did a quick search on the dog appeasing pheromone, and if i can find it, i will give it a try, but of course, i need to know if it is okay to use when i have another dog, with no anxiety problems (except firworks/thunder). I don't know if this dog was ever "normal" as he was a stray i adopted a month ago from the most unhelpful animal shelter. Did you get it from your vet?
My "mother in law" is the one that has tried to make me feel bad about giving him valium, and she now thinks my vet is a quack for prescibing it. I would like to know what she thinks her vet can do other then giving him meds to calm him down (because i think i have run out of options). I could still use a doggie psychic if anyone knows of any legit ones (like the one that was on animal planet - although i don't know if she was 'legit')

Savannah, I think the valium is worth a shot. A few years ago the vet prescribed Valium for one of my dogs - and did specifically state that the side effects differed to some extent than those experienced by humans. It should calm your dog, but not necessarily cause sleep - just stop the need to pace, whine etc. I asked because I cannot take any sort of sedative, anti-histamine etc. as it causes my heart to speed up rapidly - and in the case of a local or general, well I am not out long for the count. My vet was right - the dog did calm down thankfully as she was causing serious problems with our other pets.

I can put you in contact with an animal psychic if you like. I was offered one when Maggie was so ill but I'm afraid I'm a bit sceptical. Others have used her with interesting results. :)

sounds interesting... could you put me in touch with one? is he/she known to be good? who knows, my dog may have psychic powers. pm me or email me at maximumdog1@yahoo.com

old post 2005