Senior dog- is this the beginning of the end?

[Gizmo_]

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Our 12 year old dog’s behaviour has changed drastically over the last few weeks.
Very grumpy, nesting under the bed, hardly ever coming out, on occasions growling and snapping.

He had a vet exam not long ago and all was clear.
I’ve had family dogs in the past and neither ever behaved this way so not really sure what this is. Is this the beginning of the end?

 

[JudyN]

What tests did your vet do? Did they take bloods and if so, what did they check it for? Have there been any changes in your dog's life or routines, changes in the neighbourhood, or anything that might seem insignificant to you but are upsetting him?

Does he have times when he is better/worse than others, e.g. evenings, nights, better/worse on walks or in the house? Are there still activities he enjoys?

It is possible that it is the start of dog dementia, aka canine cognitive dysfunction. There are medications that can slow the decline, but you do first want to make sure that everything else has been ruled out. My dog had dementia, but the symptoms were more generalised anxiety, particularly in the evening and night, and developing obsessions like digging holes in the garden. The symptoms can vary from dog to dog though.

 

[Hemlock]

Definitely get a full vet check. Sudden changes like this are so often due to pain. Some pains such as toothache can come on very quickly.

 

[Montysdad]

Pain was my first thought as well,usually sociable dogs will hide away and can be grumpy or snappy when they
are in pain, I would try to rule that in or out first,they do tend to hide away if they are suffering from headaches as well.

 

[arealhuman]

My thinking was some form of pain, too. Perhaps a vet check as has been mentioned will be helpful, and suitable pain relief. I'm sorry you and your dog are going through this.

It's been a few days since your post - how are things going?

 

[Gizmo_]

All clear at the vet, they haven’t done bloods but will do if this carries on. They said he’s in a good condition for his age, just old.

He has better days when he seems back to normal and then days when he’s under the bed not wanting to see anyone.

We are very gentle with him, giving fuss when he wants to and just making him as comfortable as possible but it certainly seems that he’s aging faster than we would have liked

 

[Montysdad]

From past experience, Vets do not always go beyond the basic tests to find the true cause of a dogs illness,
I had 4 different diagnosis on my last dog before he was sadly put to sleep.
Just out of interest,what breed of dog is yours, 12 can be old for some breeds, others can live to 15
and beyond in relative health.i have 3 reach that age and it was pretty obvious that the decline was down
to normal old age problems.None of those showed a sudden change in behaviour so I would be inclined
to ask the Vet to investigate further

 

[arealhuman]

Hi @Gizmo_, I just wondered how your dog was getting on, any updates to share? Thanks.