Why is my senior puggle trembling and hiding at night? Is he sick?

Question

I have a puggle who's behavior changes in the evening. He starts to tremble, his towngue hangs out, he pants heavily, The latest thing the past couple of nights he's been going under the bed and he has never done this before. He seems to wander around aimlessly. Could he be at the end of his life? Pet's info: Dog | Puggle | Male | neutered | 11 years and 5 months old | 35 lbs

Jessica Desrosiers · Accepted Answer

I'd be more concerned that there is something going on at night that is startling him, rather than "end of life", however with any behavior change in a pet, scheduling a vet visit to rule out any health issues is always the first step. Since he is a senior, it could also be that he is having some hearing/vision loss, and this may be affecting him in the evenings. Strange sounds (to him) such as someone coming home from work, neighbors, wild animals, etc may be startling him as he can't recognize what it is. At night, his vision may also worsen in the dark and frighten him. Adding in nightlights or even playing a soothing music or TV show may help resolve some of his anxiety. Pheromone diffusers can also be used to help reduce stress. If he checks out healthy, looking for any triggers that happen at the same time he starts to panic can help. Are there fireworks going off for the holiday already? New people in the house? Etc. Making a space where he can go and lay down comfortably and relax away from scary sounds and objects can help reduce some of his stress.

Why is my senior puggle trembling and hiding at night? Is he sick?

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