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My senior dog is howling, wobbly, and losing weight. Is it just age?

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed Medium (23 - 60lb) | Male | 16 years old

Hi, my 15 year old male mongrel has began howling and crying during the night and he is also wobbly on his feet . He has a great appetite but his weight has dropped. I hold him in my arms and he falls asleep, i am putting these symptoms down to old age but is there anythig else i can do to settle him? thankyou

3 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

Answered By Lindsey Edwards MVB, BSc, IVCA

Veterinarian

Published on March 14th, 2017

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

1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

Related Answers from Veterinarians

Answered By C. Rathjens, DVM
Veterinarian
Published on January 21st, 2018
Poor guy. You didn't specifically mention a question, so I'm assuming you're wondering what could be causing this.

I would be worried about a pain from arthritis, ACL injuries, muscle pulls, or even cancer. I would also worry about metabolic diseases such as liver or kidney disease.

So I would recommend taking him to the vet for full blood work, an exam, and possibly x-rays and then treatment for any issues the find. Hopefully with some pain medicine and whatever else he needs he'll be more spry and engage with the world.

Best of luck!
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Answered By Jessica Desrosiers
Veterinary Technician
Published on January 19th, 2019
Unfortunately those are all very general signs of illness that could be anything from aging, to pain, illness, infections, etc. It would be best to have Penny examined by your vet in person to help rule out any health issues and get her started on some treatments to help her feel better.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

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