Senior dog sleeping more, struggling to get up. Is it aging or pain?
Updated On September 23rd, 2025
My dog seems to be sleeping more and having a harder time getting up from her bed. She's 7 years old, is this just part of getting older? Anything I can do?
3 Answers
Most Helpful Answer
Published on December 11th, 2017
Hi there! Your dog may be getting sore and arthritic, which would make it harder for her to get up when she's laying down. There are many possible treatments for arthritis in dogs, including pain medication, physical therapy, acupuncture, Adequan injections, laser treatments, specially-formulated foods, and a variety of supplements. It would be a great idea to have your dog examined by a veterinarian to determine if treatment is needed at this time and, if so, which treatment would be more appropriate. Please remember there are no safe over the counter pain medications for dogs, so you will need to have these prescribed by a veterinarian. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach and best of luck to you and your dog!
228Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Related Answers from Veterinarians
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Published on June 3rd, 2017
Unfortunately you can't give her anything, pain killers that we use for us are toxic to dogs, if she needs pain meds you will need to get a prescription from your vet, in the meantime keep her rested, minimum walks and see hoe she is by the end of the weekend.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
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Published on April 30th, 2018
Unfortunately there is no safe medications over the counter for pain. It sounds like she is having some arthritis flare-ups which is very common at this age in large dogs. I would get Bella on a good glucosamine/chondroitin supplement. It will take a while to reach good levels but after 4-6 weeks it should really help her out. You can talk to your veterinarian about a good brand they recommend. They can also prescribe her some anti-inflammatories to use for pain.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
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