Dog Waking Up At Night

Question
QUESTION: Hi Jill,

Don't know if you have any answer on this for me, but here goes.  I have a male lab mix, weighs 37 lbs and is 9 years old.  I got him when he was 2 years old.  He is a great dog.  Very affectionate with other people as well.  

My dog always sleeps in my bed with me.  In the past he would never wake me up UNLESS on the VERY RARE occasion he needed to go out due to vomiting or the weather outside got bad (as in raining/thundering) and he would wake up and be scared and shake.  Lately, the past 5 nights, he will wake up and has done varying things each night.  One night he woke and went to get in the closet and was shaking like he was scared.  Another night he woke up and got on top of me and started shaking.  Last night I heard him digging into the carpet by my bed and also saw him shaking like he was scared.  He eventually calms down and we go to sleep.  This is highly unusual for him.  There have been times when we would be on the couch or in the bed and he will start shaking and look around and up, almost like he is looking at something that might be scary.  I know that may seem far fetched but that is exactly what his eyes look like they are doing.  Anyway, I always felt so lucky that he was the type dog to sleep through the night and when he woke in the morning would stay quiet and still until I woke up.  I am so baffled at this new behavior.  I'm probably going to call the vet this week but I really don't know if this is medical or just behavioral.  He seems fine at all other times.  Plays in the yard, loves his walks and rides in the car, appetite is good. Any input would be greatly appreciated.  Thanks, Lynn

ANSWER: Any sudden (and alarming) change in behavior of any dog, especially an older dog, is cause for alarm.  You need a veterinary consult ASAP.  Your dog may be experiencing the onset of a neurological event (or may already have experienced one); he may be rapidly losing cognitive function as a result or may be experiencing low level seizures as a result.  SOMETHING is causing this dog A: pain; B: cognitive dysfunction and fear.  There are many (many) excellent veterinarians, and then there are not so excellent: I don't know in which category your veterinarian lies.  However, I think most responsible veterinarians would want (at least) a neurological consult because of this sudden behavior.  Neurological evaluation is quite difficult in dogs, but a dog experiencing (or having experienced) a neurological insult (like a stroke, or a burgeoning brain lesion) should present at least minimal symptoms on basic evaluation.  This dog IS experiencing something physical; it is possible (remotely, given your description and the dog's age) that something environmental (that you did not notice, being asleep) may have precipitated what appears to be a panic state.  But my best guess is that it's physical.  Have a complete metabolic panel run on this dog (blood work), possibly a full body xray (to rule out visible cancer activity) and a neurological evaluation.  IF the dog checks out OK, and IF this behavior persists, repost.

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QUESTION: Thanks Jill for your quick reply.  I must say I was shocked when I read your answer.  I so did not go there in my head.  That really worries me and I am definitely going to take him to the vet.  I will re-post if necessary.  Lynn

ANSWER: YES, please repost with results.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Hi Jill,

I took my dog to the vet yesterday.  Tests done were:  urinalysis, metabolic eval (blood work), stool sample, temperature.  The urinalysis came back and doc said fine, however, he didn't just rely on the printed test result, he looked at urine under microscope and said WBC was elevated and there was bacteria in urine.  Initially, he examined his body with his hand and when he touched my dog in a certain area near his bladder it hurt my dog - my dog who never bites tried to bite the doc.  His temp was 101 - normal, stool normal.  The doc prescribed antibiotics.  Last nite my dog still woke up but this time with no shaking but also at one waking got under the bed.  I had been advised to give him Benadryl so he and I could sleep through the nite.  At this point I did.  However, he woke a few hours later.  I am going to see how he does in the next few days and reconnect with the vet.  I asked the vet could it be neurological - he said a possibility - he also said he may want to do an ultrasound of his abdomen/bladder.  I will stick with this vet for a few more days, then I will more than likely get a second opinion here.  Ultimately, if this continues, I will take him to a Vet Hospital out of town.

Now, let me say something here.  A friend of mine gave my dog a new frisbee.  My dog was not going through any of this prior to the frisbee.  I know this may be a long shot, but as I was just sitting outside and noticing the frisbee on the ground I started wondering - could there be something in it that was toxic to my pet.  The frisbee does say it was from China.  I do not know if this is just a coincidence, i.e., my dog having this behavior AFTER playing with this toy.  However, I am going to call my vet now.  Thank you so much for your concern and time.  

Sincerely,  Lynn

Answer
The dog DOES have some physical condition that is causing him pain, and that WAS most likely the cause of his sudden behavior change.  I dunno about the frisbee...sometimes things just seem to be connected but they're coincidental.  Get rid of the frisbee anyway.  Let the vet do the abdominal ultrasound; there's something going on here and the dog requires (in my opinion) a thorough evaluation (including thoracic x-ray, if it were my dog.)  Please repost with results.

PS: I did some research.  The dog should have an abdominal ultrasound.  He may have a bladder or kidney problem (stones, tumor, etc.)