My deaf/blind dog whines constantly and doesn't sleep at night.?

Jl9

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Jun 3, 2008
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Last year I adopted a blind and deaf elderly dachshund that was found wandering in the streets of Las Vegas. He's estimated to be around 13 years old. I've had him now for about 8 months. He cries LOUDLY if he thinks he's alone in the room (which I attribute to separation anxiety because he can't see or hear), but more of a concern is that over the past 7 weeks, he's not sleeping through the night anymore. He sleeps in bed with me and my husband because he will literally cry all night long if he's in his kennel. We have tried to console him, give him snacks thinking maybe he's hungry, drinks of water incase he's thirsty, taking him outside because maybe he's got to go to the bathroom. Pretty much everything you'd try with a baby, we've tried with this dog. Since he can't hear or see, we don't really have any other way to communicate with him other than smell or touch, but those don't seem to work. We only get about 2 hours of sleep a night now. Any advice is welcome!!
 
Man I just found this, maybe a WHOLE YEAR LATE. But nevertheless I'll give it a shot if ya still on it.

If your dog is that old...from nwo on I'll refer to him as pup coz mentally they never get old :p.

I do not know what might have happended to him before. Since he is blind, any blind creature will feel fear when not constantly in company of somebody, more so if he is also deaf which is extremely sad.

Problem with your dog...or not problem, issue, is that he might have been abbused or attacked by a person or other dogs thus the slightest hint that he is alone will induse fear or kick in the post traumatic stress disorder (yes it not only happens to human soldiers) and recolect the fear of pain he suffered before.

The only "theory" that I heard once in a dog show, was that if you adopt a kind of dog that is deprived of its 2nd best sense, hearing, they need constant company, more so if blind, and thus a dog that is not only deaf, and blind, needs to sleep next to somebody, to feel the touch and company of someone constantly 24/7.

A friend in a dog show had a blind pup, yet not deaf, the only way he fixed the pup's fear was letting him sleep on his bed every night...more or less the pup slept to the right of my pal and he hugged him every night.....teddy bear style.

And until now it works wonders.

Lastly, if you adopt a pup you have to take into account that 'adopting' is VERY different from buying from a litter.

YOU DOT NOT know, NOR can you even begin to imagine that happened to that pup. They might be very sad because they had owners and the owners left him alone for some reason, and since animals have a sense of loyalty humans can barely understand that is extremely traumatic.

And so if you choose to have a pet, adopting it, but even more with certain issues to his health or problems with his body, it takes a VERY long time to somewhat mend wounds. on top of this, he is 13!, which means he has suffered for an undetermined amount of time and thus he mental wounds can be severe.

There is the chance it might take 6 months of constant company, it can be a year, or it can be he will remain in a constant state of fear for the remainder of his days.

Nobody can tell how long will it take, but adopting an animal is not something you do out of compassion only, you have to take into account the animal your getting might have a memory that will never be healed, and I would be not only dissapointed by extremely angry at those that adopt an animal and then leave it because the pup's problems wont heal.
 
blind/deaf dog

i also have a blind and deaf dog about the same age, coincidentally.
he has just recently started the same behavior where he will wander around the room at night and whine as he walks.

i don't want to put him in my bed with me because i am afraid he will fall off the edge.

the only thing that seems to work so far is wrapping him in a warm blanket and putting him to bed much like a child.
consoling, petting and wrapping in the blanket until he seems comfortable.

sometimes this does not work if he is full of energy.
 
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