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How to help my senior dog with dementia who won't sleep and falls?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed | Male | 14 years and 8 months old

Hello, my dog had Dementia and has been staying up through the night. He is very tired and keeps falling asleep while standing and then crashing on the floor. He doesn’t want to go to sleep and I’m scared he will hurt himself from falling so much.

2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Andrea M. Brodie, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on September 22nd, 2018

You will need to take puma to a veterinarian for an exam. He may not want to lie down due to arthritis pain. So this needs to be assessed and treated with pain medication. As for the dementia: Once dementia (canine cognitive disorder) is diagnosed, there are several possibilities to make him happier (and you too...): 1) leave a night light or small lamp on in the room where he spends most of the night. 2) Unless Puma is deaf, you can leave a radio on (quietly playing) 3) Ask your veterinarian about prescribing Selegiline, a drug which helps dogs, cats and humans with dementia. It does work very well relieving the signs of dementia (pacing, crying, not lying down, confusion, etc.)

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Other Answers

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    Answered By Oneal Bogan, DVM

    Veterinarian

    Published on

    Hi there. A exam with your vet would be a good idea to make sure he isn't staying up for another reason. You can also try 4 mg of melatonin 1 hour before bed to help him sleep. I hope that helps! Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

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