My 13 year old Yorkie

[Katiean]

I have a 1 3/4 pound yorkie female. She is 13 years old and driving me absolutely nuts. This has been going on since she was sick last summer and I almost lost her. She will bark at me so I will go in to bed. That isn't the problem. All of my yorkies have thought they could do that. But when we go to bed she gets under the covers and then all of a sudden will shoot out from under the blankets and walk around the bed whining until I put her on the floor. She happily trots out of my room. A few minutes later she is back in my room whining to get back on the bed. Maybe 30 minutes later this is repeated. It goes on all night long. Finally by morning she is happily sleeping snuggled up to me under the blankets. The thing is she wants me to stay there with her ALL DAY. I will let her sit on my computer chair with me covered with a blanket and that kind of satisfies her. But, Let the sun go down and she starts whining and wanting down and up from the chair. Come bed time she starts barking at me and we have the whole thing all over again. Any suggestions? I just want to sleep a whole night.

 

[Jill]

Could there be something hurting her inside? The first thing that came to my mind is she's barking at you wanting comfort / help and then wants down when she's still hurting. By morning, she's tired and has to sleep. (hoping I'm wrong -- just knowing that's what I'd be thinking if it was one of my dogs)

 

[~Lisa~]

i agree with Jill. Also we have older Chi's and one of them was doing the same thing until I bought him pet stairs now he can easily go up and down on the bed and the couch s he pleases since it must hurt him now to jump where he used to be able to.

 

[Shari]

Maybe a ramp to your bed would help, so she can walk up on her own.

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/dog-supplies/ramps-stairs/ps/c/3307/18712

 

[Katiean]

I have stairs to my bed. She just won't use them. She has slept in my armpit ever since she was 4 weeks old and wanted on the bed because that is where her mom slept. That I don't mind. It is the whining that totally gets me. I know last night she was hungry after she was supposed to have eaten her wet food. She has dry food 24/7 that she goes in and nibbles on. She wanted wet food that I had to fix for her to get her to shut up. It is just a constant thing and I know she is unhappy about something. I just don't know what.

 

[Shari]

Ah... ok.

Sounds like she is forgetting things... like wither she ate or not, or how to get on the bed. Had another friend that her dog ended up having the Doggy version of alzheimers. Her dog used to whine a lot too.

(hugs)

Have you tried something like is.. or a collar version?

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=13043

I don't know what else to recommend.

 

[Sterling]

i'd have the vet take a look at her and do a blood panel and a complete physical. Could be something going on with her especially if it started after she fell ill. Good luck with her, I hope it's just her wanting to be coddled.

 

[Helicopter]

Sounds a bit like doggy alzheimers to me.....but I have to admit to a bit of a giggle as I was reading your first post.

My ancient maltese

went on with a similar sort of thing but after I had her remaining teeth removed she came good again. Her teeth were poisoning her system........I was so ashamed.

 

[shorthorsemom]

I had a min pin that started with doggie dementia when she was about 11 years old. She would whine, bark, circle and do odd obsessive behaviors. My vet put her on amitriptalline (I think that is what it is called). It did was calm her brain waves so she could live a more normal life. She was the same feisty little dog, just stopped the odd behavior. When she was having episodes it was more at night like people with the sundowner syndrome. Before the medication she would act sometimes like she didn't recognize me. I would be snuggling her and then she would look at me and bite down hard. Not saying your dog is the same as mine, but more of a point that if your vet does want you to consider this type of medication, that it can sometimes really work well. I tried holostic medicines first, they didn't work for her, but worked on other dogs I have owned. My min pin lived 18 years and had good quality of life due to this medication. best wishes... I know how hard it can be trying to figure out what is best to do. .

 

[Katiean]

We had a dog get Alzheimer's. She started out walking in big circles. From the living room into the kitchen through the dining room and start all over again. Her circles got smaller and smaller until she was just spinning on her back feet. She forgot how to go down stairs and would just throw herself down the stairs. She forgot she needed to get off the bed to potty. Then she forgot she needed to stand up to potty. Then the worst part happened to her. She became afraid of being touched. We had to have her put down as she was in fear all the time. She didn't know us anymore. Bea isn't like what Muffin had. I talked to my vet yesterday when we had Scamp in for his surgery. The vet said I most likely just have to live with it.

 

[Eagle]

I have an old toy yorky too and she started behaving strange about 9 months ago. She too would want to come to bed and then after 15 mins would want to get down and this would go on all night. During the day she wasn't quite so bad but she would follow me everywhere like a shadow. I took her to the vets and he took the rest of her teeth out (she only had 3 left). Since then she is fine. She had such a bad infection that it nearly killed her poor thing