Night Walking

[Guest]

I have a 14 year old, very healthy and very active Jack Russell. In the last year he has lost a lot of his hearing, but is not deaf. I can also see a little clouding over his eyes, but he never bumps into things and always recognises people when they come in.

My conundrum is this: he (Rocky) sleeps in my room on his own bed (a very large, stuffed round mattress), I made it myself to make sure that if he ever suffered from arthritis and such he would always be comfortable in that bed. Generally he goes to bed when I do and goes straight off to sleep no problem and usually sleeps until someone stirs the following morning and has done this since he was a puppy. But in the last 2 weeks he has started waking up about 3 or 4am, and starts wandering the house, checking all the rooms, goes out for a wee through the doggy door. Normally he would go out then get back in his bed or if it was very cold he would climb the steps onto my bed and cuddle into my back, but now he can't seem to settle again after waking. He wanders through the house, going into my parents room and shifting the curtains (he knows that usually wakes them) eventually he will lay just inside my bedroom door, but doesn't relax, he's up again within 15 minutes doing another lap of the house. Could his hearing loss and partial blindness be causing him anxiety in the night. I always leave the bathroom light on, so theres always a light to see by. Like I say this is a new behavioural trait and is there anything I can do to make him feel more relaxed?

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[Guest rhapsodical78]

It could be dementia.

I would recommend a vet visit to make sure he's not in pain.

[Erny]

Moving this to the "health" forum might generate more responses. I agree with Rhapsodical78 .... could be dementia. Or it could be the result of some seizure activity - seizure's can be subtle, although the restlessness that follows is often evident regardless.

Are you certain the behaviour only occurs at night time? Could it be that it occurs during the day but, being not so obvious a difference, has gone unnoticed?

Are there any other behavioural changes that you might have observed but haven't yet connected to anything?

Either way, a Vet check would be adviseable.