Aged dogs

I'm sorry to tell you kitty but my Westie suffered in the same way and it was diagnosed as canine dementia. He paced round and round the house and garden for hours until he fell down exhausted. He was 14. After a few pitiful days I asked our vet to come and waft him away to the Rainbow Bridge. There was no future for him and he had had a wonderful life. I'm so sorry.

Same here with an old spaniel of mine. Difficult when they're blind and deaf to know when to say enough is enough. Blindness isn't too much of a problem with dogs but when it's combined with losing other senses it makes life hard for them and their owners. Hard to make difficult decisions as well if they're not actually suffering physically. Sometimes you need the advice of a third party such as a vet .

I would suspect his deafness. He's probably completely unaware of any noise he's making. Give him a pat form me – and have one yourself.

kitty if he can still hear you making his biscuits he is still all there I would think it will be an age thing we all go the same way eventually just give him extra biscuits and extra loves he deserves them at his age.

kitty I have had dogs who grumble and groan as they have got older. As long as you can keep him comfortable and having the quality of life an old dog wants, he can tick along at his own pace.

My 3 year old Basset grumbles and mutters to herself all day long. She's practising for old age already!

kitty I had an old border collie who started wandering and pacing the house, she would stand in a corner and look totally confused, seemed to have all the symptoms of dementia. My vet recommended changing her diet. She went on to Hills Prescription Diet, the b/d variety. (Assume it stands for Brain Diet). The change in her was very dramatic, she seemed much more alert, more content and to her, and my relief, the pacing stopped and she appeared happier. She went on to enjoy a few more years. Although this food is only available from a vet I do suggest that you make a few enquiries to your own vet and see what he/she has to say about it. It certainly worked for my old lady. Good luck

I think you can get it from Manor Pharmacy. My old whippet suffered from pancreatitis and I'm sure we got it from the chemist much cheaper than through the vets.

My elderly Border Collie Rosie wh is 11 moans all the time and i keep thinking she is going senile, she's not deaf as the fireworks going off still terrify her, yogagran i think i will ask my vet about Hill's prescription diet and see if it helps her, i have another Border Collie called Tuppence she is 10 and ok.

Thanks all for your input. I think you have confirmwd our dears. Isn't it sad!

Maybe you could try the valerian tablets? I know they are a slight sedative but they do have a calming effect. Although, when my vet put one of my old dogs on valium it just made her much worse [she was barking a lot, but mostly at night; with two young children at the time I was exhausted]. Trouble is, when they do slip into a state of senility it's a gradual thing, so you start to get used to the incontinence, confusion and barking.

I hope that it works for your collie lizzie, let us know how she gets on. I reckon that part of the problem is that collies are so intelligent and sensitive that old age hits them much harder than, for example, something like a laid back retriever

You are so right crimson we only remark on it if we don't have to wash the kitchen floor before we make the morning tea. If he does hear someone come to the door, he forgets to stop barking for ages after.