Pet Dog Files: Dog Insomnia.

Probably one of the most annoying and frustrating things that you will encounter as a dog owner is to see your dog restless all throughout the night. And not just one night, but for many nights already and possibly more nights to come. And if you see your dog wandering around while the sun is not up, you cannot help but wonder yourself what the cause might be.

Well, you might be in for a surprise for the causes might be so simple you might have overlooked it or never thought of it.

Sleep disorders aren’t just a problem for humans, they can affect your dog as well. You may be surprised to learn dogs sometimes have trouble sleeping too.

Dogs sleep a lot, but can adapt their sleeping patterns so they should be able to sleep through the night. If your furry friend is waking up and whining during the night, is extra tired during the day, or seems to fall asleep suddenly, they may have trouble sleeping or even a sleep disorder. And there could be many other reasons.

PUPPIES:

Puppies have been comforted at night by the company of their litter mates and mother. Now they are alone and may have trouble sleeping.

SENIOR DOGS:

Senior dogs may be in pain, due to health issues such as muscle aches, joint problems or arthritis. Bladder control for puppies and senior dogs sometimes makes it impossible to sleep through the night without a “pit stop.”

OVERWEIGHT DOGS:

Overweight dogs can be prone to sleep apnea, a condition where they stop breathing while they sleep. That can cause them to wake in a panic and it is a serious condition so you should check with your veterinarian.

ITCHING:

Do you have a scratching dog that is driving you crazy?

Does he wake you up in the middle of the night with his mournful yelps while his leg pounds on the ground with a beat that would make any drummer envious?

Scratching can indicate a presence of ear mites, dry skin or fleas, but it can also alert the dog owner to more serious conditions that need to be attended to.

SUGGESTIONS:

Here are a few suggestions that may help your dog sleep through the night. Experiment with them to find the ones that work best for you and your pet.

Exercise, Exercise and Exercise. Giving your dog lots of exercise a few hours before bedtime is helpful. If you do it immediately before bedtime, they may still be ‘wired’. A trip to the dog park or a long walk together sometimes is just enough to take the edge off.

And please, save your breath! Don’t even say it! A fenced-in backyard is not exercise.

Make that ‘last call’ as late as possible. The mission is to go out, tend to business, come inside and hit the bed.

Don’t Coochy-Coo or play with a sleepy dog ready for his bed.

The most common cause of canine insomnia is pent-up energy and inadequate exercise. To combat it, establish a routine and provide your dog with a comfy bed.

NEW PUPPY:

Let a new puppy adjust to your home. It may take a few days (and nights) to adjust to the new household and routine. Establish ground rules at the beginning to create a good routine. This will help your puppy understand the end of day rituals that lead to getting to sleep in the new household.

Feed your puppy at the same time in the evening, followed by a trip outside 15-20 minutes later for your puppy to relieve.

For a sleepless puppy, create a good sleep environment, you can offer a warm blanket for sleeping. Place a clock that makes a rhythmic ticking sound nearby. You can also try playing the radio softly.

If you place the pup in a crate, this should be close to you or in your bedroom so that the puppy is near you. This way, he can communicate when he needs to go outside to eliminate during the night.

Insomnia in Older Dogs:

1. Physical conditions, such as pain from arthritis, hip dysplasia or some kind of injuries, parasite infestations (especially flea infestation), kidney problems, urinary incontinence, diabetes and allergies.

2. Emotional disorders, such as depression, anxiety and stress.

3. Prescribed medications, often used to treat a variety of autoimmune or allergic disorders.

4. Old age, which is often associated to the development of painful conditions, such as cancer, arthritis, kidney disorders, diabetes and behavioral changes caused by degeneration of the nervous system (this resulting syndrome is similar to that caused by Alzheimer’s disease in humans).

5. Lack or inadequacy of exercise, which can cause the dog not to be tired enough not to have a good sleep.

Not surprisingly, sleeplessness and insomnia are more often observed in older dogs. It should be also underlined that insomnia is often accompanied by other signs that should cause a more serious underlying problem to be suspected.

When insomnia is associated to one or more of these signs, then a visit to the veterinarian is highly recommended.

When to See a Vet:

If your dog has insomnia and is showing some of these signs, then a visit to the vet is suggested.

· Your dog has recently started to drink more water and the need to urinate has become more frequent.

· Your dog has been hit by a car or has had some kind of physical trauma, even if she seems fine afterward.

· Your dog seems stiff, and his joints are swollen.

· Your dog wakes up at night and starts whining or crying as if in pain.

· Your aging dog is starting to act disoriented (e.g. does not know where he is), and/or clumsy (e.g. bumps into furniture).

· Red or bloodshot eyes (check with your vet for reasons).

· Your dog wakes up at night, shivering or shaking even when it is not cold.

Allergy:

Just like humans who suffer from allergy problems, if a dog symptoms go untreated they’re going to be miserable.

Unfortunately, they have no way of telling you just how bad it is.

If you have a dog suffering from allergies have a couple of treatment options. You can choose expensive mail-order medication, or you can try inexpensive over-the-counter medication like ‘Benadryl’ for dogs with allergy problems.

Benadryl for Dogs – Really?

If you’re giving your dog Benadryl, it’s highly recommended that you purchase a 100% pure formulation designed to be safe for dogs (and cats). You can purchase generic Benadryl (Diphenhydramine) meant especially for dogs.

Dosage – How much and how long:

The rule of thumb that applies in most situation here is that if your dog weighs 10 pounds, 10 mg of Benadryl can be given two to three times a day. Basically it means, for every pound your dog weighs, they can have 1 mg of Benadryl 2 to 3 times a day.

Duration:

Usually you can give your dog Benadryl for a period of 2 to 3 weeks. That should be long enough for you to get an idea if the treatment is working or not. If it is working, you need to consult your vet if the dosage can be continued further.

Regardless if you’re going to treat your dog allergies with Benadryl or just jump into prescription medication,

it never hurts to call your vet first.

Homeopathic Medicine:

Homeopathic treatment of diseases is relatively uncommon, the practice on animals has been around for 200 years and devotees are convinced it works.

Homeopathy has almost fully replaced the need for any convention drug or hormone treatments on some units.

Persistent individual cases can still be treated using antibiotics.

But once the obstacles to recovery are removed, there is no reason why homeopathic treatments cannot achieve the same or even greater levels of success than antibiotics.

SIMPLE HOME REMEDIES FOR AN ITCHING DOG: