My old dog is whining and extra cuddly. How can I comfort him?

Poor girl. I am not sure if this strictly behavioral due to old age and a bit of senility or if she has an underlying issue. It would be worth while getting her examined by your vet to have a health profile done via bloodwork to ensure everything is normal, especially since this behavior is happening in consecutive days. If she is having senility issues, then that can be addressed with medication (i.e. Reconcile) or with a prescription diet (ie Hill’s B/D). Another possible cause for sudden whimpering in older pets is arthritis. This can be helped with joint supplements (ie Dasuquin, Cosequin, Rejuvenate) in mild cases or prescription pain control medication (ie Rimadyl, Galliprant) through your vet in more moderate to severe cases. I hope that things are well for your pet Mimi moving forward! Take care.

If he is truly 17 years old then this could be due to cognitive disorder which is similar to dementia. There isn't much you can do about this but you could try to put him on anipryl which can sometimes help but the meds are expensive. If he is younger like it looks in the pictures, this could be from several things like a new anxiety (construction workers, storms, change in his owner(s) routine, etc), pain somewhere, and more. I would have your vet do a thorough exam on him. If everything looks normal, I would talk to him about anti-anxiety meds if needed. Some natural things to try is a calming collar like adaptil and calming chews like vetriscience composure or the stronger prescription version composure pro. I hope this helps!

Your question unfortunately got cut off but I have a few ideas based on what I can read. It is possible this is an arthritis flare up or some other painful event (spinal stroke, Embolism, slipped disk, or other). It is also possible he is recovering from a seizure- which can result in abnormal Behavior for up to a day. There are also neurological diseases and infectious diseases that can cause weakness and odd behavior. Take Casper to your local vet who can likely help narrow down the problem with a good physical and neurological exam and can prescribe pain medication if needed.

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.

Whining is an attention seeking behavior and can be a sign of anxiety, pain or potentially boredom. The shaking can also be a sign of pain or anxiety. If you think he might be in pain you should see a veterinarian to see if they can localize the pain to a specific area. If you think he may be anxious it could help to try to identify what might be triggering the anxiety - some dogs have storm or noise phobias, or he might be anxious about a change in routine or environment.

This could be due to a behavioral change (anxiety, fear, etc.) or it could be caused by an underlying health problem. Pain and discomfort due to a variety of causes can make dogs vocalize and seek human attention. I recommend taking him to your vet for a health evaluation to make sure that there is not a physical cause of this behavior change. Your vet can talk with you about ways to change the behavior if it turns out there is no underlying medical issue.

Hello, and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Your description sounds most suspicious of generalized anxiety. There may have been something that spooked your dog recently to cause the behavior change, making him want to be near you all the time and causing him to seek reassurance. However, given his breed, it's also possible that he's just got too much pent-up energy - many high energy breeds can develop either anxiety or boredom if they aren't given an outlet for their energy and a way to tire themselves out. I recommend making sure your dog has a way to RUN his energy off daily. (with his breed and age, a walk probably won't cut it). You can take him running, or if he's ball motivated, throwing a ball is a great option to get him running. Fenced in dog parks are good options too. If tiring him out doesn't help reduce his clingy behaviors, I recommend consulting your vet and having them do a physical exam and likely some screening bloodwork. Sometimes panting, whining, and being generally clingy are the dog's way of telling us that something's not right, which can be the first sign of a disease or health problem. I hope this helps!