Bad In The Morning

[JulesP]

My old dog is really bad in the mornings. It isn't cold so it can't be that. She will not eat, will not get out of bed, eyes are all funny, is more dotty than normal, shakes. I go to work thinking 'this is it'. I get home and she is at the gate wagging her tail looking a heap brighter, eats dinner but is still a bit dotty.

It is really doing my head in. Everything about her in the morning is saying that she needs her wings. At night she looks like she could go on for a while.

Has anyone else experienced this?

[persephone]

That must be hard to watch... :D

Does your vet have any helpful ideas?

perhaps if she is having so much trouble getting going, she may need her wings ,before she starts really suffering :D

[~Anne~]

A friend has an ancient BC that was like this. The Vet now has him on a range of medications and he is like a spring chook again, although he is beginning to wind back down again. I am not sure what meds he is on but he has been on them for about a year now.

[Erny]

perhaps if she is having so much trouble getting going, she may need her wings ,before she starts really suffering

Depends on whether the "suffering" outweighs the "enjoyment" of life.

A bit of "suffering" (depending to what measure) is not (IMO) the basis on which we make the decision for wings. If the dog is for the most part happy, then for me that's saying "life is ok and I want to live it".

As an aside : The only exception to that is (for example) the instance of my previous girl (bless her cotton socks). She was for the most part happy. Which made it all the harder to make the decision to say 'good bye'. Hers was a case of potential horrible death due to a tumour which would cause the rupture of her adrenal gland and there was not much telling as to when that would occur. I waited until I felt I couldn't gamble with that any longer.

[poodlefan]

No doubt when we are old, we'll get out of bed with aches and pains in the morning and loosen up throughout the day.

Is she on any medication? Something like Cartophen may give her a new lease on life.

[persephone]

No doubt when we are old, we'll get out of bed with aches and pains in the morning and loosen up throughout the day.

*wishes that loosening up thing would happen *

I didn't mean that because a dog has aches & pains that it should be PTS!!

She will not eat, will not get out of bed, eyes are all funny, is more dotty than normal, shakes. I go to work thinking 'this is it'.

This little dog sounds as if she is struggling each day.. and , if the vet has no ideas, and no meds which may help her , then why let her get slowly more uncomfortable and confused?

Depends on whether the "suffering" outweighs the "enjoyment" of life.

I agree.

It's a fine line....

[Dogsfevr]

What issues does she have.

Athritis,heart any med issues that make it harder???

All our oldies take longer in the morning to rise,they are normallly active by mid morning because there active till late.Whilst we work from home where up the back & generally arent in the house fully till midday by which time our oldies new that & would be ready for there time till night.

Your girl could need some meds our is simply in a routine of your daily schedule