My senior dog is howling, destructive, and losing weight. What to do?

This may be due to pain and discomfort or may be due to canine cognitive dysfunction (similar to dementia) both of which can often be supported and reduced with medication. I recommend you schedule a full physical exam by your vets and they may wish to do blood tests to rule out any complicating factors such as kidney or liver issues which may affect the dose rate of medications in a senior pet

I would definitely recommend some blood work, if this hasn't been done recently. Older dogs are prone to a number of health issues that can cause decreased appetite along with being less active - chronic kidney disease and hypothyroidism are two possibilities that are both very common. In many cases, these issues are treatable (at least to some extent) once a diagnosis is made, so it's well worth checking for them if you can - hopefully, there are some things you can do to make him feel better for as long as possible, even though he's getting older.

Molly may benefit from some anti-anxiety medication at this stage, and pain medication if she is having arthritis or other medical issues. Take her in for a full workup and ask your vet for anti-anxiety meds like Lorazepam as this may help her feel less anxious when you are gone. There are things we can do medication-wise to really help her quality of life at this point.

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!

It is great that Penny has lived to be 15 years old! It does however sound like she is having some major aging issues going on. I always recommend having geriatric dogs examined by your veterinarian to make sure there are no medical issues that need to be addressed. It may just be that Penny is getting older and slowing down but there may be something else underlying going on. Dogs can also develop canine cognitive dysfunction, which is a lot like Alzheimer’s in older people, where they become confused and restless especially at night. There are medications that can help with this as well. I hope this helps. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Best of luck with Penny!

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.

I am so sorry to hear of these concerns for Nypsy. Changes in behavior such as increased anxiety and inappropriate eating can be an indication of a neurological issue. This could be a condition known as canine cognitive dysfunction (doggy dementia), lesions in the brain can also affect behavior and are more commonly suspected if there is increased aggression or the onset of seizures. The change in appetite could be due to a metabolic issue such as kidney disease, which can cause a pet to feel nauseous. These types of conditions would require bloodwork with your veterinarian to diagnose. Dental disease is also very common in older, small breed dogs. It can contribute to changes in food intake due to oral pain. I would recommend tempting Nypsy with some tasty treats such as boiled chicken or a little canned dog food. Also do not offer her any more sweet tea-sugar is not good for our pets and if Nypsy is suffering from some sort of metabolic issue it could make things worse. When you are able I would recommend taking Nypsy to your regular Vet for a thorough physical exam and possibly some bloodwork to rule out anything significant.