elderly dog barking constantly, help needed!

[bunnyfriend]

Our family dog is a 13 year old black labrador retriever. About 5 months ago she started this habit of constantly barking. She now will wake up at 3 or 4 a.m. and bark for hours begging for food. She also will do this a random times during the day and at night. Right now she has been barking for about 30 minutes. Sometimes it lasts for 15 minutes and sometimes it’s for hours (with short stops in between). Nothing we do makes her stop, she knows “quiet” “lay down” “all done” “no” and used to listen but now she doesn’t anymore. We’ve tried sitting with her and petting her too calm her down and it does nothing. The only thing that will make her stop is soft dog food but she only gets fed twice a day, we don’t want her to be overweight. We have taken her to the vet several times worrying that she is barking because she is sick, but she is perfectly fine. The biggest problem with her is that she has arthritis from old age, and moving around is challenging. A while back she developed a nervous habit of licking and biting at her nails, but we’ve stopped that. We don’t really know what to do anymore. My grandpa thinks she’s getting close to being at the time where she should be put down, because of the barking and not being able to move around as well. I do not want her to be put down, sure she has trouble moving around but she still does, just not as speedy as she used to, and her quality of life isn’t that bad. Does anyone have any advice? This is making me feel so sad for her 

[Sarita]

Is she taking anything for her arthritis? I’m sure she is in pain and that is never a good thing.

[bunnyfriend]

Yes, we give her aspirin and some organic stuff for joint mobility. She still chases after tennis balls, it’s only mild to moderate at this point. But, I do worry about her being in pain.

[Apple]

Poor thing. She may also be in the first stages of dementia. It can change a dog’s personality just like it does a person’s.

[emkvet]

This happened with my 12 year old Lab, and has been increasing as she’s gotten older. There isn’t much you can do about the barking, but you need to be patient. She may be in the early stages of dementia (she’s 13, for goodness sakes!), and that is difficult for a pet owner to deal with. Also, she may be trying to tell you she has to go to the bathroom – my Lab pees almost every hour due to her Cushing’s disease. Try taking her out more often to see if that could be the case. A general health check up and senior blood panel at the vet’s is also a good idea – they’ll check to make sure all of her organs are functioning well and that there aren’t any underlying issues. With regard to her arthritis pain, you could try talking to your vet about Rimadyl or Meloxicam, two pain relievers that could give her some relief. Also, talk to your vet about the quality of life of your dog. They can help you make any decisions or adjustments to her treatment that could help her live a better life. Good luck, and try to be patient. This is a trying time for you, but remember that your dog can’t really control what is happening to her.

[FrankieFlash]

I was going to add that this reminds me of our family dog, Neela who just turned 12 I believe. We’re pretty sure she has dimensia. She forgets that she was already fed and tells my mom she needs food again. She barks at random things. More disoriented when she leaves the house. She’s also got bad arthritis and takes rimadyl for it and that works well for her. I’m sorry that you are going through this. It’s hard to see dogs get older and acting kooky. I hope you find something that works to help her.

[bunnyfriend]

Okay, thank you everyone for your advice . I told my mom about your suggestions and she will make a call to the vet tomorrow, we will assess everything and pick the best option for her. I was researching more about barking today and saw that people actually do surgical debarking :/ awful. I read about this thing called the thunder shirt, probably doesn’t work and it sounds silly but my mom and I are willing to give it a try, it’s supposed to calm dogs down.

[LBJ10]

The thunder shirt is for anxiety. It basically just gives the dog a constant “hug” and makes them feel secure.

[bunnyfriend]

Is that a good thing or a bad thing? lol

[LBJ10]

Some people think it’s a good thing. I suppose it wouldn’t hurt any. I don’t think it would achieve the desired result though if the dog isn’t barking due to anxiety/insecurity.

[bunnyfriend]

Alright, yeah we are worried that it might be some kind of anxiety or nervous habit. It’s a shot in the dark I guess 

[Kate Monster]

We had a chocolate lab with a similar issue, but it was the result of going deaf and being easily startled and almost like trying to hear herself. It calmed down with time as she adjusted to her decreased hearing.

[Monkeybun]

You doggy owners are better than I am. Barking dogs drive me nuts. Can’t stand constant barking.. ugh.

Bunnies for life.

[bunnyfriend]

Maybe things will get better with my dog too, we have an appointment with the vet for this Friday.

Bahahh Monkeybun

[kralspace]

since she thinks she needs to eat, do you think one of those Kong toys that you can put peanut butter or food in would keep her busy enough to forget about barking?

[Elrohwen]

I was also thinking either deafness or dementia – both things I’d definitely ask the vet about. Good luck with her!

[mindy10]

Definately don’t do the surgical debarking. She is told old for that. I too believe it is doggie dementia. There is a drug out there for doggie demential you might want to talk to your vet about. I do know it runs about $50 a month because i was going to do it for my 16 year old dog but he had too many other health problems so I didn’t. Other signss of doggie dementia are getting confused outside, pacing around the house at night. Getting lost under tables or chairs. Also the constant barking. He could be barking from pain too but usually they whine when in pain. Hopfully you can figure it out soon. Mindy

[bunnyfriend]

Mindy10: Don’t worry, I would never ever surgical debarking, I was just remarking on how inhumane it sounds .

My mom took Luna to the vet today and the vet said she is in really good condition for a dog her age!! He says he does not think she is in pain which is making me so happy. He doesn’t think she has doggy dementia but that she probably is bored from not exercising like she used to and that she is just begging (he thinks she started this because we began spoiling her with soft dog food). He suggested providing her with something interesting to do (good idea Kralspace) and also giving her smaller more frequent meals throughout the day. We’re going to work hard to make sure she is comfortable and happy for as long as possible. I took her on a small walk today since the ice finally melted and she started doing tiny hops with her front feet which she has done her entire life when she is happy. Haha she also has LOVED going to the vet since she was a puppy, what a little weirdo. Thank you everyone for your advice, I really appreciate it. I am just so relieved that we can still have some good times with her But we will be watching her closely in case anything changes.

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