I love my dog, but..........

 Okay, I'm no expert, but it sounds like something's wrong, medically.  Can dogs get alzheimer's?  It sounds just like how a person acts when they have alzheimer's disease.  That's all I kept thinking as I was reading.  Definitely get him to the vet and have them check him out.  Until then, just love him and be patient, because you don't know what he's going through.  I wish you lots of luck.  Let us know what you find out.  And I know what you mean about dogs growing old so fast.  Sophie is going to be 3 next month and it seems like yesterday I was posting on here about her bad puppy behavior.  I wish I could stop the clock now!   Good luck.

adorablebutdreadful

He's very sensitive to touch. When I grab his collar to go let him outside on his tieout, the minute I touch him, he twitches and he gives off his vibe like he's afraid of me or something. I go to call him back in and he just stands there starring at me so I put on my shoes and go to get him and then he walks away from me almost like he wants nothing to do with me.

Is it possible either his eyesight or hearing is going? My elderly Westie is very, very deaf - if I 'sneak up' on her and touch her, she has a conniption fit. He maybe can't HEAR you calling him in, can't see you waving..

adorablebutdreadful

I don't know if this makes sense but he doesn't seem as smart as he use to be. If his tieout gets wrapped around the tree, he acts like he doesn't know how to get it unstuck when all he has to do is walk around the other way. Other days he'll bark at the window wanting to be let in and then when I go to open the door, he just stands there starring at me as if he forgot that he ever even wanted to come inside.

Mine does things like this, too. Not with the tie-out (I don't like them, personally) but she'll get stuck somewhere, like behind the potted plants on our patio, and I'll have to go get her.

adorablebutdreadful

He use to sleep in my bed all the time and now when I call him up on the bed, he eiether doesn't listen at all or he comes up there for two minutes and only if your petting him will he stay up there, if your not petting him then he will jump down and go lay out in the living room for the entire night.

adorablebutdreadful

I sat on the carpet the other day and all I could smell was urine. He possibly maybe has been peeing in the house when I'm not home but I haven't caught him doing it yet so I can't make that assumption

Sometimes as dogs age, they lose 'control', like humans.

I'm glad he's going to see the vet. It's hard watching them age like this. We've had Tiki for barely 3 months, but it's still difficult to watch her struggle, some days.

It does sound like your dog is showing signs of cognitive dysfunction and/or some other medical problems.  It takes some patience on our part to deal with the changes age brings.  The Vet may recommend some meds.  I've been in your shoes and it's hard.  I know how it feels to not always "recognize" the dog your dog has become.   The love you share isn't less now, it's just going to be different as time passes.   Ask about a joint supplement for him, in addition to having a full workup done.  It could be that he can feel better if you find out what's going on with him, medically. 

And 8 1/2 year old dog really shouldn't be THAT "old".  But it all depends on the individual genetics and also the vet care.  But I can't emphasize enough (altho I'll explain more in a bit) -- dental problems can make a HUGE HUGE HUGE problem in making a dog old before its time.

First off -- it probably HURTS to get on and off the bed.  What SLR2Meg said about the bed is absolutley right on -- and it can be really demoralizing to a dog to LACK that closeness iwth you but getting up and down may just plain NOT be an option at this point.

So the dog comes up for some affection but knows it can't stay all night.  It's very likely the dog ROAMS at night -- probably paces.  If you stay in one place you get stiff if you're arthritic.  So the dog gets down -- not because it doesn't love you -- but because of pain.

YES dogs can get dementia, or cognitive dysfunction ... a bit different than Alzheimer's but very similar.  And particularly if you don't understand the pain cycle that IS life with arthritis, you are likely taking things as rejection that are simply pain related or changes because of age.

I have a little old lady peke right now who will take her nose out of her bowl and look up for air and then look around as if to say "hmmm, I was doing ... sumthin ... and ... it was a GOOD sumthin ... but ... hmmm, what WAS I doing???" -- the smell of food agitates her and she WANTS it but literally forgets where the bowl is.  If I shovel food in her mouth with a spoon she's a happy happy girl!!  She'll eat like a little piggy - -but she'd starve otherwise. 

I've seen her walk 10 feet and suddenly stop ... and turn around .. and look both ways .. like "I know I was going ... *some* where .. but ... hmmm ... what WAS I gonna do??  Well, ... I'll just ... go ... THAT way ... "

Yes, they can actually forget what they were doing.  It isn't that the dog isn't "smart" -- it's literally that age can cause some confusion.  It may not seem possible but it WILL happen to you too, one day.

1.  How long since this dog has had a dental?  Much of what you are describing as to a standoffish behavior or acting like the dog may not want to be touched could simply be a bit of snarkiness resulting from dental pain.  That will shorten their lives in a big way (it causes heart disease for one thing). 

However -- when you say specifically when you grab the dog's collar he 'twitches' -- that's likely pain and it could EASILY be teeth.  so ... someone grabs YOU and your mouth gets hit with immense pain ... how inclined are you going to be to have them yanking the collar around your neck?  Wanna be close to them?? Noo -- take your hands away from my mouth buddy!! THAT HURT.

Remember, dogs are **stoic** -- even more so an independant breed like a husky.  And they really don't age gracefully ... they don't WANT you to see pain (to a dog that is unforgiveable weakness - to let someone/something SEE your pain?  That's way way way WRONG in the dog world).  So they get grumpy because they hurt.

Usually a vet exam will tell the vet if the dog needs to be on some antibiotics FIRST and the some dental work done (maybe a tooth or two extracted -- can help a LOT).

2.  A senior profile should be done every six months or a year at that age -- particularly for a dog that is showing some serious age-related signs.  It could simply be incontinence -- but more likely there's a UTI (and old dogs get them more). 

3.  I don't mean this to sound mean -- but you have to put yourself in the dog's position.  All of a sudden you aren't leader of the pack any more -- and when you are in pain you are ***vulnerable***.  So where noises used to just make you want to bark, NOW they are a threat.  You know you can't protect the house any more -- so now you also have to add fear.

SO YOU GET ANXIOUS!!!  Yeah, separation anxiety can happen easily.

4.  Honestly?  I'd crate this dog or at least give it the biggest crate you possibly can or even a small room on the interior of the house -- a dog with separation anxiety?  yeah -- because dogs are den animals and if, as I suspect, much of this is related to age, then give the dog a SAFE PLACE to be.

Radio or something for white noise -- to cover street sounds. 

5.  Are you giving anything for the arthritis?  If you will email me I have an article I'll send you -- there are lots of things you can do for arthritis pain.  If you are already giving an nsaid (and you need to be doing scheduled bloodwork because they are ALL hard on the liver and stomach) then giving a relaxant at the same time can often help it do *more* with less dose.  (when you hurt you tense up -- tension increases pain because the joints then rub together even harder.  So relaxing the joint helps that NSAID do more without having to work against the body tension.)

There are lots of other things including massage that can really help a great deal to relieve pain.

Also -- please don't discount acupuncture - it rocks for arthritis.  I've had rheumatoid since I was a kid and acupuncture helps MY arthritis more than anything.  (and yeah, that's how *I* know so much about how an arthritic being can feel!)

In addition, a vet who does TCVM (traditional Chinese veterinary medicine) can also give the dog some herbs which can help them SLEEP at night rather than wandering.

 As the owner of a 20+ year old Yorkie, I so identify with the dog seeming like a different dog.  Fergie was a happy dog, full of pi$$ and vinegar, all her life, but she was also a well trained little dog, very obedient, and never met anyone she couldn't tolerate, canine or human.  Now, she cannot see or hear me, so all the training means nada.  You can't get a dog to "come" if they don't know you are calling them;-)  However, things are not over between us, they are "just different" - she still knows me when I come home, and her tail still wags when she catches a whiff of me as I walk up to her.  She needs to be placed in her crate to eat, because she gets so excited when she smells her food that she forgets where she's going.  Sometimes, she cannot hold her urine, and I keep a bottle of bleach cleaner on the counter.  But, I am humbled by how she manages better than I would with the same disabilities.  She walks slowly enough so that she doesn't bump her head too hard if she loses her way, and she gets to the water bowl, and to her favorite napping spot in the linen closet, without any assistance.  She *still* patiently allows a sometimes very persistent and annoying Aussie to herd her around the house.  But, as she ages, I know that I must step up and do the things that will make her journey into old age easier.  It sounds like you are beginning a similar journey.  All I can say is just love your dog, get him the help he needs, and be his support as he travels his own journey.

I thank you all for your comments and advice. It did cross my mind that my dog could have some sort of alzheimer's disease. I don't think he's entirely forgetful. He still knows how to sit and shake, he definitely has not forgotten where his food and water bowls are but it still wouldn't hurt to discuss with the doctor when I take him in. I hope that my dog has at least another five or six years left. I'm sorry if I made it sound like he was on his last leg. Lets just say that he's itching for retirement. It's time to take an easy. I just want for him to be happy. He looks very healthy for his age, he just sometimes acts kind of goofy and your all right, it is definitely a new personality that I don't recogonize nor do I want to but nothing could ever stop me from loving him. He is such a sweethheart and he's not aggressive towards me or anyone, he's definitely not a watch dog. He loves all people. I'm just trying to get to the bottom of all this becoming behavior so I can do more about it and help him.

Dental Hygiene is definitely something to be concerned about. I've told his doctor before that he has awful breath that could bring back the dead and then kill them again. She looked at his teeth and said that his bad breath was normal and that he probably just needed a change in diet. She said that his teeth were in very good shape, they aren't gnawed down or decaying in any way shape or form but that they did have a lot of tarter buildup on them. He is very particuliar about the bones he chews on, he doesn't like anything overwhelming or large, they have to be thin rawhides or those jumbones that don't even classify as real bones. Sometimes he bleeds from chewing too hard but the doctor told me that bones were good for removing the tarter buildup, he doesn't like having his teeth brushed. He doesn't appear to be sensitive in the mouth area as far as touching it goes. He's a little funny about chewing his food. His teeth could definitely be bothering him and I will make sure they examine his mouth very well.

The last time I brought him in, the doc said to give him one aspirin with a piece of bread for his arthritis but to try avoid giving it to him daily because it wasn't good for his stomach. Sometimes the aspirin seems to help, I'm hoping they will prescribe something for him thats a little stronger and better for him.

I really don't understand why he twitches when I grab his collar. I grab him gently and it's as if I scared him or something. I can't really even explain it. It's almost like if someone walked up to you and put a piece of ice down your back or something. It's the only time he does that. He doesn't twitch when I pet him, just when I go to let him outside.

Last night he came up in the bed and shoved his snout underneathe my covers and rested right by me. He seemed very comfortable, he stayed up there for a little while, longer than he has been but he eventually jumped down. He was being for affectionate last night and he seems to be having an okay day. It's a been a few days since he's chewed anything up but he has his moments. I'm trying to stick to a routine here and trying to pinpoint any differences.

If you want to email me, I have stuff I'll send you -- pain management stuff mostly.  ANY "nsaid" (aspirin, the dog ones like Previcox, Rimadyl, Deramaxx) -- they ALL are hard on the stomach and cause stomach bleeding, and they're all hard on either/or/both the liver and kidneys.  But there are herbs you can use to help minimize that, and minimize the damage if you have to use them (like milk thistle helps protect the liver). 

You can give chamomile daily with no problem -- it's a mild nsaid but it's very very easy on the stomach (in fact it's healing to the stomach).  Just make the tea and dump the wet herbs in with supper.  A lot of dogs really quite enjoy their "cuppa tea" -- it doesn't taste bad and they realize it helps relax them -- particularly before bed.  Just a wee bit of broth in it makes it quite yum.

Across from my name is the word "contact" -- and send me an email if you want the article (it's an attachment so a PM won't work for that).  But there really IS a lot you can do.

Honestly -- you might also want to try ginseng -- it might give you the bit of mental clarity you're wanting to see.  It doesn't have to be an expensive one.

adorablebutdreadful

I really don't understand why he twitches when I grab his collar. I grab him gently and it's as if I scared him or something. I can't really even explain it. It's almost like if someone walked up to you and put a piece of ice down your back or something.

I could be way off base here.  But, Willow sometimes does the same sort of twitch or ducks(is that the way you spell that?? when you go near her.  Her arthritis is in her shoulders. 

I always thought it could be a vision thing too. At this age, they start to get a little cloudiness.