My senior dog won't settle, panting and pacing. What helps?

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!

Pacing and panting could be a sign of discomfort/pain but it may also just be a sign of old age. Dogs often get a type of dementia that can cause this type of behavior. I suggest you take Mali to your vet for an exam. There are medications available to treat for both things if needed. Best wishes.

pacing, crying when touched, hiding, panting are all signs of pretty severe pain. You need to take Willie to your vet for an exam, x-rays, and possibly blood tests to find out why he is in so much pain. Your vet can then assess the condition and prescribe relevant medication to make him feel better, such as pain medicine.

Poor Gibson! As dogs age, they can develop canine cognitive dysfunction (similar to dementia in humans) or decreases in their hearing and sight, which can result in anxiety and behavioral changes. Restlessness, panting and sudden jumping could also be a sign of pain. At this point, your best bet is to take Gibson to his vet for evaluation to determine if he has any apparent sources of pain, which could be managed with pain medication. If not, your vet will be able to discuss some of the different medication options to try to manage cognitive dysfunction, but these are not always overly effective. I hope that all goes well!

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Onyx. I would recommend bloodwork to look for any underlying disease that can cause panting. Cushing's disease for example, is an adrenal gland disorder that will cause the dog to pant excessively. In middle age to older patients panting can also be the result of canine cognitive dysfunction. This is a disorder somewhat similar to Alzheimer's disease in people. There is no specific test for this, it is determined by your veterinarian asking you questions. Finally, anxiety can result in panting. There are anti-anxiety medications available help if this is the case. I hope this information helps!

Panting heavily when it is not hot in the environment is usually a sign of pain or discomfort. If Mia has had a poor appetite for a few days, it is possible that she has a chronic condition such as liver or kidney disease that can be diagnosed on routine screening bloodwork. Unfortunately at age 12, especially for a large breed dog, serious/not curable conditions such as cancer (usually diagnosed on chest/abdominal X-rays) is a possibility as well. Less scary possible causes of the panting could be discomfort from pancreatitis which is often caused by table food and treated with fluid therapy +/- anti-nausea medication, or pain from arthritis which can be treated with pain meds pending screening bloodwork to rule out pre-existing liver/kidney issues. Especially since Mia seems uncomfortable, it would be best to bring her to your vet for an evaluation. Good luck!

If you didn't take her in, I would do so immediately. It does sound like something that shouldn't wait. Sometimes ER clinics are linked to specialists and can get the ER pets in with them sooner. In older animals with neurological signs, yes tumors become higher on the list of possibilities