I am not a vet, but please have your vet check out the adrenal glands. It could be under active. The thyroid might also need to be checked--blood test.

Dogs do that when they get old. Sometimes, they can't get comfortable. You might want to take her to a vet just to make sure everything is working properly for her and maybe some medicine to help her get some sleep. Make sure she drinks lots of water.

I am a vet, actually, but what you describe could be caused by a broad range of problems. It sounds like your dog is experiencing some discomfort. A general physical examination would be a logical first step to try and find out what might be wrong.

My bichon started doing this when she was around that age. Not trying to scare u or anything, but after a few months of doing that she would stay upstairs in my bedroom all day and then she finally past away at the age of 14.I learned from the vet that usually dogs tend to hide when they are dying.Your dog is pretty old, maybe this is whats happening to her.I would definitley take her to the vet to see what he thinks.

I have a 15 year old west highland terrier, who is doing this also. He just paces and is panting constantly. He has plenty of water, but is off his food. His legs are not very good and appear to be seizing up sometimes. Over the last couple of he has fallen over with nothing surrounding him and nothing has gotten in his way. Should we take him to the Vets or will this just disorientate him even more? It just seems as though he cannot get comfortable in his bed at all anymore.

This is exactly what my old Boxer is doing. She has arthritis, and I give her a pain pill at bedtime. The thirst thing is very possibly Diabetes. She sure sounds like she is in pain, with the panting and pacing. I hope you will have a vet check her out. Good Luck to you.

Umm my girlfriend recently picked up a dog that was wandering in traffic. We are currently looking for the owners but in the meantime the dog has some very distressing habits. It doesn't sleep or eat or drink and it hasn't defecated in about 3 days. It doesn't sleep at all I had to go hold it until it passed out from exhaustion because it paced around our living room for 7 hours. When the animal does stop it jerks all over even while sleeping and randomly it will collapse in the floor. I am worried about this animal please any help will be appreciated. I will try to take it to a vet soon. I think that it is a Jack Russell.

Take the dog to the vet asap! I have a 13 year old lab weimeraner mix who has a hemangioma sarcoma of the spleen. When it bleeds out, she will drink excessive water and will pant and pace due to the pain. I have medication for her and that helps ease her discomfort. It is a terminal situation unfortunately and she only has a few more days on this earth. Each day she is here is such a blessing. When her episodes of bleeding and pain increase I will do the humane thing and have her euthanized. Don't let your pet suffer.

Read the following exchange. I found it in a similiar search for my full blood chow: My dog, 15 years old,a mixed chow, has cushing's ... Sent to Dog Experts October 18 02:19 PM My dog, 15 years old,a mixed chow, has cushing's disease. How can I get her not to drink so much water. She has stopped eating (this is day four) and today, 1st day, is on ANIPRYL 10mg per day.1. Will this help? 2. Is this enough medication. She is Lethargic, Anorexia, Pants, generaly week and I'm sure depressed. I'm trying different foods she likes but she doesn't want them. I gave the Anipryl pills with liverwurst and her vitamins (liquid) with vanilla ice cream. I 'm afraid if she doesn't starting eating soon It might be to late to even help her. My vet says this is normal for her to drink water. she consuming about one full quart per day, it's so much water that she doesn't feel hungry. what else can I do?? Customer (name blocked for privacy) Status: Closed Value: $9 Answer October 18 3:21 PM (1 hour and 2 minutes and 13 seconds later) ACCEPTEDCheck Mark Hyperadrenocorticism (Cushing’s) is the result of overproduction of cortisol by the adrenal glands. This may be the result of a tumor on one of the adrenals ( uncommon), a tumor of the pituitary gland which causes release of hormones that signal the adrenal glands to produce cortisol (90% of cases), or iatrogenic (man-made, caused as the result of giving the dog steroid medications for too long a period of time or at too high a dosage). The disease is seen most commonly in middle-aged to older animals and certain breeds (Poodles, Beagles, Boston Terriers, Dachsunds) seem to have a higher breed predilection. Cortisol has effects on every major organ system in the body. Generally, clinical signs include excessive drinking and urination, increased appetite, increased panting, lethargy, hair loss, weakness, and a pot belly that is a result of a combination between enlargement of the liver and a weakening of the muscles of the abdominal wall. These patients also tend to develop darkening of the skin and comedones (black heads). If the Cushing's is a result of an adrenal tumor (best determined via ultrasound exam), then surgical removal of the affected adrenal gland is the treatment of choice. Prognosis is generally good following surgery. Treatment for pituitary tumors usually involves use of a drug called mitotane (Lysodren). This drug destroys the part of the adrenal glands responsible for making the excess cortisol; it does nothing for the pituitary tumor itself. Treatment can be hard on the patient and includes: lethargy, decreased appetite, vomiting, diarrhea, and ataxia (wobbly gait). It may also lead to the opposite of Cushing's, that is, it may cause very low levels of cortisol, which brings with it it's own very serious and potentially fatal consequences. So animals on this medication should be monitored very closely, especially in the initial loading phase (higher doses of drug given initially, then weaned to lowest effective dose). Another treatment for Cushing's involves the use of a drug called selegiline hydrochloride (Anipryl). This helps to decrease the pituitary's signal to the adrenals by modifying levels of the hormone ACTH. It is generally much better tolerated than mitotane, but it must be given daily for the rest of the patient's life. You did not give your dog's body weight, but the dose that she is receiving (10 mg) is appropriate for a 19 pound dog. I would expect a Chow mix to be larger than this, so she probably isn't getting enough medication. If she is around 19 pounds, then the dose is correct and it will just take you a few days to begin to see improvement. It is NOT normal for her to drink excessively, so if this doesn't begin to resolve on the medication then her dose will need to be altered (can go as high as 2 mg/kg/day) or she'll need to be switched to Lysodren. Untreated/ uncontrolled Cushing's is ultimately fatal as it can lead to multiple organ dysfunction. The elevated cortisol levels alter the body's response to insulin, so these patient's can become diabetic. The animal will likely suffer kidney damage as a result of high blood pressure and loss of large sized proteins through the filtering mechanism of the kidney. They are at high risk of developing blood clots to the lungs; and they may develop neurologic signs if the tumor in the pituitary (which is located in the brain) becomes large. I hope the information was helpful. Picture RGK -- Veterinarian -- 100% Positive Feedback on 240 Dog Accepts 6 years experience as small animal vet, 17 years experience in the animal care field

I have a Shepard mix that for about a week has been panting and pacing on and off. I got him from a pound so exact age is unknown but vet put him around 8 as of now. He drinks plenty and still eats. Is this something that can be breed issue or in most dogs.

i am currently house sitting and the dog i am looking after will lay down very slowly, then after the time of getting down she will get back up again and go for a walk and lie somewhere else. She comes to the door and just stares at me then walks off again. i feel like she is trying to tell me something. she has a red mark on her elbow she keeps licking and looks soor and her back legs keep clicking when she walks. do you know of any home remedies to stop pain?? this is not my dog and i am only a student and i dont have the money to take her to the vet... i feel sorry for her. i found some dog painkillers in the fridge but they are out of date. do you think it will be alright to give to her???

My dog is 12.8 yrs. old, large neutered golden retriever 95 lbs., but not overweight. Suddenly he was unable to walk properly around the corner before he started panting. My vet and I attributed it to arthritis, but after a couple weeks I took him in for an ultrasound of his abdomen and his heart/lungs. They found an abscess in his abodomen that was ready to burst and cause toxic poisoning, so I rushed him to a vet downtown and they did exploratory surgery and found an isolated tumor in his small intestine near the ileum, removed it and resectioned him. Before doing all this, they tested to be sure he was healthy otherwise. He was on IV antibiotics and pain medication for 10 days, came home, and he is doing well in that respect, but he is still panting too heavily and just goes out to potty and comes back exhausted. What they did not do is check is upper respiratory and now they are telling me that laryngeal dysfunction or paralysis is possible especially in larger breeds. Tomorrow he gets his staples out, and I might x-ray that area. He did have slight pneumonia and slight anemia but the vet said that should not of caused the problem. He did have cancer, but it was isolated, and although it might return before he dies, it was worth a shot. If your dog pants too heavily, and you have checked the obvious, you might want to check upper respiratory as well. I attributed (and so did the vet) that his panting was from the great pain he was having. He has been home a week now, eating really well, drinking gobs, but I didn't get a dog that can walk any distance -- not 1 minute's worth. At rest, he breathes normally. I feel bad for him because just 2 months ago he was diving in the water.

My west highland terrier, 18 1/2 years of age, and just died on 9/19/09. She paced around the house and appeared disoriented. She would go on walks endlessly if I allowed her to and when she was alone outdoors she walked in circles. I now realize there was great discomfort and probably paid from her aging body. I questioned myself if she knew who I was, eating habits changed also. I miss her greatly and only other pet owners can fully understand the attachment to this cherished family member. Pam Ware

She is in pain. Take her to the vet.

It may be old age (dementia) but I would take him to the vet.

That is for the vet to examine and find.

It sounds like she is in pain, but I wouldn't have a clue which of the many possibilities would be causing it. I'd take her to the vet and let them figure it out. At that age, arthritis and cancer would probably be the likely suspects.

take her to the vet but DONT let your vet put your dog down unless she is in pain. My dog has had cancer and the vet suggested we put him down 4 years ago. he is PERFECTLY happy and plays just as much as the other two