Elderly Poodle

Question
I have a 19 year old spayed toy poodle.  She seems to be increasingly disoriented at night.  Last night I was up 10 times from 11pm to 7 am either letting her in or out of the house or the bedroom (considering that I get up twice for each time).  Sometimes she does it several times in a row before bedtime.  My grandson followed her out once and she just stood outside the door.  She has cataracts and can't jump on the couch any more, but physically she is in pretty good shape...sometimes she races the younger ones back to the door when they are outside.  Two years ago she was hit by a car but the injuries were cuts on both sides and she recovered well.  I don't yell at her, but I am sooooooo frustrated.  Today I took a 3 hour nap to recover from the loss of sleep last night.  I have to keep the pet gate up because 3 other young dogs (a Chihuahua and 2 Brussels griffons) sleep in my room and I don't want them wandering.  When they hear Sophie scratching to go out or come in, and they hear me say "It's Sophie", they go back to sleep.  If I try to put Sophie in another room or a crate she cries till I have to get up and let her back into the bedroom.  Help!

Answer
Hi Gwendolyn,
I am not quite sure what you are asking me here. How can I help you?
It is pretty obvious that your poodle is suffering from a very normal loss of cognitive function that is most likely age related. However,
since I am not a vet, I cannot say for sure what is going on with her and you should have a vet look her over.

Dogs, just like humans, get dementia and have a loss of brain function as they age. This results in disorientation, vocalizing, bumping into things, standing and staring into space and usually loss of bladder and bowel control as well.

Separating Sophie from the rest of the dogs and you is heartbreaking for her. You are all she knows and you are most likely what she gauges her surroundings by. Her nose will still work, which is why she probably doesn't run into every piece of furniture. She wants out because she is losing her sense of whether or not she has to potty so she knows she cannot go in the house.

It seems to me that you have two choices here Gwendolyn. At her age, you have to ask yourself if she is living a quality life and if she is not, then you have to make a choice for her. A quality life is one where she is interacting with the family, is wanted around the family and is eating and drinking normally.

If she is not, or you can no longer tolerate dealing with the equivalent of a 122 yr old person, then it's time to be kind to her and let her go. She relies on your for everything in her little life.

I know it's frustrating and I know it's tiring- I went through it with a 19 yr old cat. I have done it with 16 yr old dogs that weren't as spry as what you say she is.

So you have to ask if there is a way you can put up with this for a while longer, or move her crate into your room so she doesn't feel separated and cries or if you cannot and need to put her down.

You can take her to the vet and see if there are some drugs that will help with her brain function, but at her age I am not sure they will work as intended in the length of time it takes for them to work.

I don't mean to be blunt but really those are your only choices at this point. I know this, once my cat Floyd was gone I would have given anything to get up and let him in again.

But we move past it. It isn't easy, but it is the kindest thing to do if you find it can't continue for you.

That is about all I can tell you at this point. I would start with an exam by the vet and find out what they can do to help first.

Good luck and let me know how it goes with her.