Why is my 15-year-old dog barking at nothing outside at night?

This could be anxiety as you suggest, or it could be canine cognitive dysfunction (doggy dementia). CCG often includes restless/wakeful behavior at night and sleeping during the day. It can also include loss of house-training, failure to recognize family members and confused or wandering behavior. Melatonin and/or Benadryl are considered generally safe medications to give before bed to help promote sleep. There are also medications and prescription diets made especially for CCD if that is what’s happening to Sherwood. Talk with your vet to see if s/he agrees and to discuss options and doses.

At Tommys age I would consider that he may have some type of cognitive dysfunction or senility issue causing increase in barking. I would recomend a veterinarian visit for a senior wellness check up and discuss his behavior as there are medications and diet that can help if it is cognitive. Medications and a neuro diet have helped my own senior dog to sleep through the night again as he was up at all hours barking, so I know your pain. ;). Good luck.

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!

I wouldn't jump to thinking the end is near from what you're seeing so far. I think he needs a general exam and full blood work to see how his organs are working. It would be helpful to get a video of the barking event to show your vet (and also probably nearly impossible, but give it a try). Also try to notice if he is aware of his surroundings when the barking episodes happen. If not, I would be more concerned about seizures, which would be more serious. I hope you find out nothing serious is going on soon!

I'm sorry to hear that Seraph lost her friend last year. It's certainly possible that she's experiencing some loneliness, but I would have expected the behavior changes to start right after your other dog's passing. Given her age, the other thing to bear in mind is that she may be starting to develop some cognitive dysfunction, vision loss, or hearing loss. Any of these changes can manifest with some degree of separation anxiety and barking changes. If you're planning to get another dog, I doubt that it will make matters worse for Seraph, but there's certainly no guarantee that it will help her barking and anxiety either. These articles have a lot more information for you to consider: https://www.petcoach.co/article/4-signs-of-cognitive-dysfunction-in-dogs/ https://www.petcoach.co/article/aging-gracefully-6-things-to-know-about-canine-cognitive-dysfunct/ https://www.petcoach.co/article/is-my-dog-experiencing-hearing-loss/ https://www.petcoach.co/dog/condition/acquired-deafness-and-hearing-loss/ I hope this helps a bit and that everything goes well for Seraph!

I'm sorry that Chewy is showing such changes. The signs you are describing are possibly dementia, but are not the most common signs that we will see with dementia which we typically call Canine Cognitive Dysfunction (CCD). I am attaching a a handout about CCD below that discuss possible supplement and medication options for treatment. https://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=2549 Since Chewy's symptoms are not typical of CCD and seem to be getting worse, I would have your veterinarian examine him again to see if there are any abnormalities on examination and consider consulting with a neurologist or behaviorist to assess the significant changes in behavior that you are noticing with Chewy. You can find a neurologist near you here who can assess for any abnormalities on neurological examination. http://find.vetspecialists.com/ A veterinary behaviorist is a veterinarian who has additional years of training in behavior. They can also prescribe medications if needed. Hopefully you can find one near you here. http://www.dacvb.org/about/member-directory/ Good luck! I hope that was helpful and you can figure out how to help Chewy. Thanks for using PetCoach.

It could be this dog is suffering from canine cognitive dysfunction, which is like dementia in humans. Vocalizing more is a sign of it, but there are also many other signs. Without seeing the dog in person, I can't say for certain if he does have canine cognitive dysfunction. Your vet should take him into the vet. Changes in behavior can have a medical reason behind it, and in a senior dog, any behavioral changes need to be checked out by a vet. I recommend she takes the dog into the vet on Monday. Best of luck, I hope this helps!