My dog is blind and anxious. How can I calm him down at night?

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! There are medications for anxiety that can work in these cases that can be used on an as needed basis such as Trazodone. This is something her veterinarian could prescribe. Good luck and have a good night!

With canine cognitive dysfunction (dimentia) night waking is really common. I have used an anti anxiety medication called alprazolam with varied success. Also melatonin can be helpful. It seems some patients respond nicely, while it doesn’t seem to affect others at all. However, it is worth a try. I would recommend calling your veterinarian and discussing if a prescription for these would be ok for Kimi. Best of luck and thank you for using Pet Coach.

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Coco. Canine cognitive dysfunction is common in older animals. It is somewhat similar to Alzheimer's disease in people. It is characterized by anxiety (especially at night), panting, pacing, becoming stuck in corners (due to disorientation) and accidents in the house. If these signs sound familiar, it would be best for her to see her veterinarian. There are prescription medications that can be used in some cases. At home though, you could transitioning her to Purina ProPlan Bright Minds. It really does seem to help these patients. I hope this information helps!

Hi and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Sorry to hear about Archie. There is a fairly new drug out for noise/sound phobias but it is actually a medicine that we have used for years to sedation and anesthetize dogs and cats. The drug company has now packaged it in an oral gel form and very small doses of the drug are very effective at curbing the fear that dogs experience. The drug in the United States is called Sileo (dexmedetomidine oromucosal gel). I would advise asking your veterinarian and find out if this preparation of the drug is available in the UK. The other thing you can do is behavior modification, or in this case hyposensitization to loud noises that cause him anxiety. Find recordings of thunder and loud noises but play it very softly at first when starting the medication if you can get it. You can then incrementally raise the volume of the recording to start lessening his response to the noises that bother him. I hope this helps and I hope this drug is available in this form in the UK. Good luck with Archie.

It does sound like things are tough for both of you. From what you are saying, it sounds like you prefer a holistic treatment program for Tango, but it sounds like he's gotten worse despite this. You need to have him seen by a vet for this anxiety, I suspect he needs anti-anxiety drugs. I'd take him into the vet in the morning. Best of luck.

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! It sounds like your dog is very anxious. I would discuss a long term anti-anxiety medication like prozac with your Vet and maybe xanax, acepromazine or trazadone for special trigger events. You can try to buy some interactive toys to keep him busy or kings that he can push around that dispense his dry food. Also a behaviorist or trainer may be helpful to provide tips on calming him. Sadly due to his underlying condition there may not be a perfect fix for him, just managing it to a point that is tolerable for him and you.

Hi and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Sorry to hear about Scooby Doo. You should have him evaluated by your veterinarian. Seizures have many causes and without knowing more, this question is very difficult to answer. Idiopathic or unknown causes of seizures often called epilepsy, is treatable in many cases. The goal of treatment is to reduce the frequency of the seizures. Other causes include infection, internal organ disease, heart disease, toxin exposure, among others. It's important to screen dogs who are having seizures for a cause. This is often done with detailed history taking and a physical examination. Then a minimum database is performed which could include fecal/blood/urine tests and maybe some x-rays. Once a problem is identified, it can be addressed but most seizure cases end up being epilepsy. 2 seizures one month apart are frequent enough to start anti-convulsant drug treatment. You should also ask your veterinarian about using MCT Oil (from coconuts). This has been found to help some dogs with their seizures. One concern with this oil though is stressing the pancreas and causing pancreatitis, so caution must be used. Good luck