Pacing...??

[Iris]

Chapter two of the exploits of my really old dog... :lol:

As some of you may remember, I have an 18 year old half-corgi mongrel who's rather the worse for wear in some ways. For the past few years she's had a habit of pacing the floor. Well, not pacing exactly, but walking in circles...round and round...and round...she does that for hours at a time. Recently it's come to my attention that she wore her nails down so badly doing this out in our newely-concreted back yard that her paw was bleeding :( so what I want to know is...do you guys know why she would be doing this, and if there's any way to stop it?

*scratches head*

[LadyAutumnCat]

Could she be bored? Maybe she needs some activities or challenges? Maybe you can try one of those Kong toys and stuff it with peanut butter, it should keep her busy. Has she been to the vet?

[Iris]

Could she be bored? Maybe she needs some activities or challenges? Maybe you can try one of those Kong toys and stuff it with peanut butter, it should keep her busy. Has she been to the vet?

She doesn't like toys, never has!! Sounds weird, doesn't it? But even when we would buy her toys as a puppy, she would just stare at us as if to say 'What am I suppose to do with THAT?' similarly, she won't chase sticks...and I'm wary of giving her anything that she's unfamiliar with (in terms of foodstuffs) because recently, every time I do that, she is sick afterwards...even things she used to be ok with eating make her ill lately...

I mentioned it to the vet. He said dogs sometimes get senile, like people, and maybe she was mentally confused and stuff... :(

[LadyAutumnCat]

She doesn't like toys, never has!! Sounds weird, doesn't it? But even when we would buy her toys as a puppy, she would just stare at us as if to say 'What am I suppose to do with THAT?' similarly, she won't chase sticks...and I'm wary of giving her anything that she's unfamiliar with (in terms of foodstuffs) because recently, every time I do that, she is sick afterwards...even things she used to be ok with eating make her ill lately...

I mentioned it to the vet. He said dogs sometimes get senile, like people, and maybe she was mentally confused and stuff... :(

I had a cat like that. I don't think it's weird, I just think they are a little smarter than the rest! :)

It could very well be senility. If there's no stopping her from circling, is it possible to keep her off the concrete? Or maybe put booties on her paws when she's on the concrete. Good luck!

[Cindlady2]

At 18 she's very old, her senses are not as sharp as they were. She's probably is confused if the concrete is new to her. Can you get a hunk indoor/outdoor carpet or maybe some straw for the area she paces? Also try putting something with a familiar scent in that area.

[Iris]

At 18 she's very old, her senses are not as sharp as they were. She's probably is confused if the concrete is new to her. Can you get a hunk indoor/outdoor carpet or maybe some straw for the area she paces? Also try putting something with a familiar scent in that area.

That's an interesting point. She paces on familiar surfaces too though. The best thing to do is to try and get her to sit on a blanket or something similar I think...then she won't be pacing. I don't know why she does it. She does have a kennel in the backyard with her old blanket in (which obviously has her smell on it) so she definitely has a place to lie down if she wants to...

Getting something to put down might be an idea for when she goes out. I'll suggest it :) We have to keep her out a lot these days when the weather is good...she tends to have little 'accidents' in the house which my dad doesn't exactly enjoy...lol.

[Sun Sprite]

Okay, this may sound crude, but when your dad gets 75 and he starts haveing bladder and bowel accidents, will he expect you to put him outside? What did he do when his parents started those problems?

Actually, on the dog, he needs to be vet checked, there are meds to help bladder and bowel accidents at any age. You need to rule out that he is suffereing, or in pain, causeing him to do these behaviors. Especially an ear infection. Otherwise, discuss with your vet his continuity of care and prognosis.

Sorry, but age related illnesses being treated as behavior problmes is an issue with me. Truly, I wish you the best of luck with your elderly dog, and hope he and you can enjoy what little time he has remaining. He has already outlived so many dogs by nearly a decade.

[LadyAutumnCat]

That's an interesting point. She paces on familiar surfaces too though. The best thing to do is to try and get her to sit on a blanket or something similar I think...then she won't be pacing. I don't know why she does it. She does have a kennel in the backyard with her old blanket in (which obviously has her smell on it) so she definitely has a place to lie down if she wants to...

Getting something to put down might be an idea for when she goes out. I'll suggest it :) We have to keep her out a lot these days when the weather is good...she tends to have little 'accidents' in the house which my dad doesn't exactly enjoy...lol.

I have a 13 year old German Shep and she can't hold her urge to urinate as well as she used to, so we set up a make-shift litter box for her. We took the bottom tray from an old crate and laid newspaper on it (she was housebroken through paper training) this has helped limit the amount of cleaning we need to do if she has an accident.

Keeping an elderly dog outside is not going to help with her pacing or her health. She's more likely to suffer from behavioral problems as a result of it. Definitely get her to a vet for a check up if you haven't already.

[Iris]

Okay, this may sound crude, but when your dad gets 75 and he starts haveing bladder and bowel accidents, will he expect you to put him outside? What did he do when his parents started those problems?

Actually, on the dog, he needs to be vet checked, there are meds to help bladder and bowel accidents at any age. You need to rule out that he is suffereing, or in pain, causeing him to do these behaviors. Especially an ear infection. Otherwise, discuss with your vet his continuity of care and prognosis.

Sorry, but age related illnesses being treated as behavior problmes is an issue with me. Truly, I wish you the best of luck with your elderly dog, and hope he and you can enjoy what little time he has remaining. He has already outlived so many dogs by nearly a decade.

Sun Sprite...

My father is disabled, and has many difficulties just going about his daily business, without the added problems of cleaning up after an elderly dog which does not belong to him - the dog belongs to me, and is my responsibility - however, due to circumstances, I can't look after the dog myself for a large portion of the year (I'm in University and pets are against Dorm regulations)

My dad knows about incontinence problems all too well. It's a side effect of his Multiple Sclerosis. Like I said, enough problems of his own...

I'm trying my best to be controlled about this reply. But making such a damming assessment of my father's behaviour without being fully aware of the situation...was perhaps not the best thing you could have done.

LadyAutumnCat, the dog goes for vet check-ups all the time. There's nothing medically *wrong* with her (apart from a heart murmur which we apparently can't do anything for) and the only thing the vet can ever tell us is 'Well, she's old, what do you expect.'

[Sun Sprite]

Iris, I am sorry if you find my reply upsetting. However, as a 33 year old who has been on meds to control bladder and bowels for years, I know it isn't easy. I didn't expect my husband to put me out because I had those problems.

I couldn't make a dog suffer, which he is if he is pacing a lot. The poor dog is probably missing the attention you used to give him. If your dad is unable to care for the dog, and you are also, he might be better off in another home where other options are available and you can visit. Please don't let the poor dog suffer anymore, that is what bothers me most about your situation. Sorry, I could never put a dog outside for old age problems. That is when he should have a mat by a fireplace, and may have to be mostly confined to one room covered in puppy pee pads.

Now, for actual behavior problems, I have allowed young animals to be adopted into homes where they are much happier than my chaotic home.

[Tanya]

I was just wondering about her sight.... maybe she should be looked over by a vet.. but the senile thing could be just as true.

another thought... it might be a bad one with your circumstances, but maybe a doggy friend for her....

[Old Witch]

Sun Sprite...

My father is disabled, and has many difficulties just going about his daily business, without the added problems of cleaning up after an elderly dog which does not belong to him - the dog belongs to me, and is my responsibility - however, due to circumstances, I can't look after the dog myself for a large portion of the year (I'm in University and pets are against Dorm regulations)

My dad knows about incontinence problems all too well. It's a side effect of his Multiple Sclerosis. Like I said, enough problems of his own...

I'm trying my best to be controlled about this reply. But making such a damming assessment of my father's behaviour without being fully aware of the situation...was perhaps not the best thing you could have done.

LadyAutumnCat, the dog goes for vet check-ups all the time. There's nothing medically *wrong* with her (apart from a heart murmur which we apparently can't do anything for) and the only thing the vet can ever tell us is 'Well, she's old, what do you expect.'

Then the old dog is nothing but a bother to it's caretaker? Maybe you should put the dog down, it would be easier for your dad and you...And if the dog is pacing so much that its wearing out its paws and is being kept outside because of a few accidents, well an 18 year old dog deserves
better....

[Iris]

The dog isn't being kept outside anymore. We had a row about it...it seems I won...

I love my dog very much, and I'm honestly becoming quite upset by the way this thread is going. As for the 'new home' question...there are thousands of dogs in pounds all over Britain waiting to be re-homed, in fact a newspaper here just ran a front-page article about how pounds are 'overflowing' and even healthy dogs are being put to sleep for want of a good home. There isn't exactly a queue of people looking to re-home an 18 year old dog with incontinence problems, cataracts in both eyes and hearing difficulties, not to mention the heart murmur. Besides which, at her age...? The shock of being taken away from people she's known her whole life might be too much for her. I would not consider putting her to sleep at this stage, as the vet assures me, and both myself and my dad believe, that she is neither in pain nor unduly suffering. If I thought for one second that this was the case...but you all have to believe me when I say that the dog has a very cheery disposition, like she always has, despite all her problems. She still loves to lie in the sun, and wags her tail at dinnertime, and snuggles us when we stroke her. If I thought for a second she didn't want to be here anymore, I would take appropriate action. This dog is literally like a sibling or child to me, and while I thank everyone for the advice...I'd appreciate feeling less attacked when I'm genuinely trying to do the best thing I can for her.

She doesn't pace very much when she's inside. She lies down and takes naps, mostly. See:

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a128/Lea32/Honey1.jpg

Now I'd appreciate it if, uh, that was the end of the matter.

[Old Witch]

Well thank the Goddess you brought her inside. It's all she needed probably.
About the way this thread turned...Many of us in this thread are and were rescuers....we put the animal first and we speak plainly...
We also oooh and ah over pups, kits, fishes...everything alive.

Right now, in the middle of this post, I had to get up and let one of my dogs out because she has the same kidney disease her daddy had and she drips a lot. Her daddy died Jan 2, at 12 years old of this disease... She's 9 and I don't think she'll live as long as he did...She's on meds and this is one of her bad days... I know all about "inconvenient" old dogs...We didn't know about this disease until it was too late, there were 2 litters, 5 years apart...but the second litter hasn't shown any signs of the disease....But we love her and she'll live out her days in comfort in my house. BTW, I have hardwood floors and have cornered the market on swifter wets...I go through 6 boxes a week... And I won't even start on how much Febreeze and Lysol I use...

[LadyAutumnCat]

There's definitely something about older dogs. The best thing for us, re: the incontinence was definitely to make her a "litter" box. It's tough watching them get older, but it's also a wonderful experience.

Iris, I didn't mean to offend you if I did, but like Old Witch mentioned, being in rescue makes you think of the animal first. So many people don't even do the basics. I'm glad to hear that the pooch is inside now. I hope your father is doing well.