Please help!

[moookz]

Hi, I'm new to this Forum, and sincerely hope someone can help.

I have a 10.5 year old mixed cairn terrier.

It started off one night (Dec 2021) when he couldn't sleep - paced around and was agitated until he was finally exhausted in the morning. Since then, he has been lethargic in the day time and active at night. Anxious, pacing and restless.

In the past 6-7 months he has been increasingly lethargic, no longer doing things he likes to do. Sleeping most of the time. Lost interest in food too and even when he does eat, has been losing weight (he lost about 2kg in the past 6-7 months). Started drinking more water and peeing more too.

He won't let us carry him as much now too. Would struggle to go to a corner, or if we do cuddle him, would make whiny noises until we stop. He has been losing fur too, and his tail is constantly down (even at the park!)

Been to see vets, but no one can diagnose him. His blood work is clean - for liver, kidneys and heart. No diabetes too, or obvious tumours on the skin surface. We will be sending him for a scan next Thursday.

Running out of solutions and it's breaking my heart to see my dog like this. Please help ): Prayers will be very appreciated too, thank you!

[bradl]

Sorry you are going through troubles with your fellow. Ultimately I think it will need to be a vet that finds the root cause(s) for what is ailing him, and it sure sounds like he is miserable. 

The lethargy during the day and anxiety at night sounds a lot like the "sundowning" that some Alzheimer patients experience.

We had an elderly dog who could not be calmed at night and it was so stressful for him and us that we took shifts to stay with him each night; eventually I began to fall asleep at work. We tried things like gabapentin and prozac. What finally seemed to bring him peaceful rest was a combination of acupuncture (which seemed to put a spring in his step) and trazadone, which most likely just zonked him out at night so he could sleep. Eventually he sort of stabilized and was much happier day-to-day as he doddered toward the inevitable. 

I hope you and your vets are soon able to find an actionable reason for your pal's distress. 

[sanford]

5 hours ago, moookz said:

...Would struggle to go to a corner...

Some dogs, when they age will stand nose first in a corner, unable or unwilling to emerge. This is seen in senior dogs and has been described as a form of senility and is very distressing to witness...yet your pooch at only 10 1/2 seems too young for such a diagnosis. Whether a human or a pet, an inconclusive diagnosis usually requires a second opinion, but another round of tests, blood work, etc., will probably be an expensive route to take. Sadly, some folks may not be able to afford it. 

Please let us know if you get any answers!

[CamilleatGaelforce]

Mookz, have your vets checked your dog for Cushing's Disease?  Not all dogs present the classic voracious appetite, but the increased drinking and urination are quite common to the disease.  I agree that your dog seems young to be suffering canine cognitive dysfunction due to age,  but the "sundowner's" behavior is quite typical to that.   I have an elderly Manchester Terrier that exhibits extreme agitation and restlessness at night, and have found that giving him melatonin with his dinner will help him calm down somewhat.  I hope your vet can find a cause to help you help your boy, I know how distressing it is to know *something* is wrong  and not know what to do to make it better!

[moookz]

Thank you everyone for your advice and kind remarks so far, I really appreciate it! Would senility (even if he’s maybe too young to have it) be the cause of the weight loss etc too? Will ask the vet about it next week, when he goes for his scans. My biggest fear is that he will continue to lose weight and waste away, especially when he’s always been such a lively boy. 

thank you also for the suggestion on Cushing’s! Will ask the vet next week too. Anything medically curable will be such a relief! 

[pkcrossley]

I agree he is a bit young to be going through dementia or sundowning. Cushing's is definitely possible, or any condition that might raise cerebral-spinal fluid might account for his behavior. also have him checked for glaucoma or other vision problems. but that wouldn't cover his skin disease. there could be two intersecting problems. this will probably be frustrating to investigate because there is some vagueness. it could take time and you want to help him right now. but with enough investigation you should get some answers,