My 7-year-old dog is pacing, yelping, and shaking. Is it anxiety?

Sounds like Kaden has a pretty significant anxiety disorder. I suggest you speak to your vet about what treatments are available. Often times older dogs will change and start exhibiting behavior like this when their eyesight and/or hearing starts to get poor. That may be the problem. I don't know. You can refer this article for some options to help anxiety but it seems like the prescription medications work best. ( https://www.petcoach.co/article/7-natural-treatments-for-dog-anxiety/ ) The bump on the leg is hard to see but it looks like it may be a lick granuloma. He could be licking that area because the underlying bone is hurting him or it could be from the anxiety. ( https://www.petcoach.co/dog/condition/acral-lick-dermatitis/ )

That is concerning. It is possible there is something they are hearing outside, such as a neighbor or wild animal, or even a critter in the walls that could be bothering them. Looking for a pattern (time of day, certain TV or radio shows on, person coming home, etc) may help you figure out what the trigger is to stop the behavior from happening. Taking a video of the behavior and bringing it to a trainer or behaviorist may also be a good idea to see if they can pick out any details that may provide more information.

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Noel. I do recommend that she sees a veterinarian today. She could be painful somewhere that was causing her to pant and pace. Neck and/or back pain are common in small breed dogs. If this is not the cause, nighttime anxiety can develop in older dogs. It is similar to the anxiety experienced by human Alzheimer's patients. It would be best to have her seen so you can both get some sleep to tonight. I hope this information helps!

I'd be more concerned that there is something going on at night that is startling him, rather than "end of life", however with any behavior change in a pet, scheduling a vet visit to rule out any health issues is always the first step. Since he is a senior, it could also be that he is having some hearing/vision loss, and this may be affecting him in the evenings. Strange sounds (to him) such as someone coming home from work, neighbors, wild animals, etc may be startling him as he can't recognize what it is. At night, his vision may also worsen in the dark and frighten him. Adding in nightlights or even playing a soothing music or TV show may help resolve some of his anxiety. Pheromone diffusers can also be used to help reduce stress. If he checks out healthy, looking for any triggers that happen at the same time he starts to panic can help. Are there fireworks going off for the holiday already? New people in the house? Etc. Making a space where he can go and lay down comfortably and relax away from scary sounds and objects can help reduce some of his stress.

If only Milo could talk! This type of behavior could be related to something like anxiety or to pain/discomfort. I recommend to have him examined by the veterinarian who will check for evidence of pain on the physical exam. Many times this type of sudden pain is related to intervertebral disc disease, discospondylitis, upper abdominal pain or a pinched nerve. They may also check a urine sample or the anal glands as well. Since he can't talk, it's best to play it safe. Best of luck and please feel free to post any additional questions.

Although I can't be exactly sure there may be something causing Kenai's anxiety in he middle of the night. Sometimes a noise that occurs (perhaps snoring or something while sleeping in your case) is causing Kenai's anxiety. If there are loud noises outside like thunder, gun shots, cars back firing this could also trigger this response. It may even be a sound imperceptible to you. My first suggestion is to try an Adaptil collar to see if this lessens some anxiety. This is a pheromone collar that tends to work nicely with mild anxiety. There are supplements like Solliquin that may also be helpful. Even adding a white noise machine may be worthwhile to block out some sound. It may be helpful to crate train Kenai at least for sleeping. Sometimes have a "settle location" like a crate can help reduce a dog's anxiety. Finally, if there is no improvement it would be a good idea to have Kenai examined by your veterinarian to ensure there isn't any underlying health problem contributing to the behavior. Sometimes pain or infection can manifest in anxious behaviors. If necessary your veterinarian can prescribe a medication for anxiety. I hope this is helpful! Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach and good luck to you and Kenai!

Thanks for using PetCoach. Shaking and panting can be signs of anxiety or possibly pain. It may be a storm or change in atmospheric pressure triggered her anxiety. I recommend looking into a product such as Adaptil, a natural pheromone that can help some anxious dogs. If she continues shaking I recommend a vet visit to rule out any pain and discuss her anxiety, in some cases medications can greatly improve quality of life for anxious pets. https://www.adaptil.com/us#redirected https://veterinarypartner.vin.com/default.aspx?pid=19239&id=4953006