Can dogs go insane?

[Anonymous]

I have a much beloved older dog. He's 13. He's had quite a few seizures, but nothing has been found to be wrong with him.

Anyways, in the last 6 months or so, he's just been acting insane. He wanders around crying and just seems out of it. He's not in pain and still cries even when on pain pills. He will just cry even when we're holding him and sitting next to him. We find him in weird spots in our house often. I'm at the point where I feel like I'm going insane. The crying is intense and comes and goes all day. It's a bored cry, not a pain cry. After hours of it, you really feel crazy yourself. He's deaf so he doesn't understand commands and can't hear us. Could he be mentally insane? I've had dogs my whole life, but haven't really experienced this. If it was a human I would think it's dementia.

[Anonymous]

I think there is such a thing as doggie dementia. Might be time to start thinking of letting him go.

Hugs to you OP.

[Anonymous]

Dogs can get dementia and can suffer mentally. I would talk to your vet.

Also, I'm just really sorry - it's hard when our pets are suffering.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think there is such a thing as doggie dementia. Might be time to start thinking of letting him go.

Hugs to you OP.

OP here. The thought has crossed my mind to put him to sleep, but he's physically 100% fine and alert. No vet in their right mind would put him to sleep. He's a small dog with an average lifespan of 16-18 years.

Maybe it's more like "whining" than crying. But man is it the most annoying thing in the world.

[Anonymous]

Our dog is having seizures now after kidney failure. He yelps for no apparent reason, wanders around the house and stands in random spots for long periods, can't seem to settle down at night.

You should ask a vet or a least Google seizures in dogs for more insight.

[Anonymous]

Take him in to your vet and ask about evaluating for canine cognitive dysfunction.
http://www.petmd.com/dog/conditions/neurological/5-signs-dog-dementia

[Anonymous]

Dementia does exist in dogs. Sorry, OP. You have to explain to the vet exactly how his behavior affects the household.

[Anonymous]

I would think a dog's brain could degenerate like a in person, or a mouse, or other creatures. Maybe there's something like doggy Aracept that could mitigate the symptoms a little?

[Anonymous]

Our senior dog has whimpering/wandering behavior.

We have him on a combination of Gabapentin, Tramadol, and Rimadyl and it has helped a lot. (He also has severe arthritis).

Establish a bed for him in the living room or other central spot around people that he can always find and hang out in near his loved ones, and be brought back to when he is "lost."

Make sure he doesn't have an ear infection.

Don't let him out in the back yard for more than two minutes unsupervised. Our old boy gets lost behind the air conditioner, lost next to the stairs leading to the kitchen door, and whimpers like a pup.

[Anonymous]

How do you know he is into in pain/discomfort?

It sounds like he is restless. Do you you still walk him? You should. It will help home settle.

It's also possible all of the meds are too much. My dog gets restless on tramadol and will wander and whine. I think it makes him feel weird and he doesn't know what to do. We don't him him that anymore.

Bit honestly walks will help.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think there is such a thing as doggie dementia. Might be time to start thinking of letting him go.

Hugs to you OP.

OP here. The thought has crossed my mind to put him to sleep, but he's physically 100% fine and alert. No vet in their right mind would put him to sleep. He's a small dog with an average lifespan of 16-18 years.

Maybe it's more like "whining" than crying. But man is it the most annoying thing in the world.

With those symptoms most vets would put him to sleep if the owner explained what was going on and requested their dog no longer suffer.

[Anonymous]

Op, a vet would absolutely consider euthanasia if the pet is suffering. Being confused, upset, and unhappy all the time is certainly a reason to put a dog down.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think there is such a thing as doggie dementia. Might be time to start thinking of letting him go.

Hugs to you OP.

OP here. The thought has crossed my mind to put him to sleep, but he's physically 100% fine and alert. No vet in their right mind would put him to sleep. He's a small dog with an average lifespan of 16-18 years.

Maybe it's more like "whining" than crying. But man is it the most annoying thing in the world.

I disagree 100%. Walking around whining and crying doesn't sound like that poor dog has any quality of life.