Dog advice please

Hello All. Wonder if any of you can help.

I have a just-turned-twelve year old ESS who has recently seemed to have gone a bit deaf (I can walk normally on a tiled floor right up to him and he startles when I step around him). His eyes have also started to cloud a bit. He does, however, still bounce around like a pup and manages to drag OH for an hour long walk (run in his case!) every day. He comes home happy and still quite bouncy so I assume we're not overdoing his exercise.

He's been a fantastic house dog (apart from the tumbleweed bales of hair he managed to produce on a daily basis!), barks only when he's hear someone knocking the door or coming round the side.

However, recently, he's started randomly barking through the night. He starts around 1.30 and goes for an hour, even if we go downstairs to see what's wrong. It's not a "someone at the door" bark, just a random woof every few seconds. He seems to go quiet for the night just after 3. We tried a Thundershirt on him for a few nights but he gets stressed when we put it on him and we got up this morning to find it on the floor! A bit disappointing as he seemed quieter the first few nights but then started back with a vengeance.

We have no idea what to do next. He has his annual check up in a few weeks so maybe the vet will be able to help, but in the meantime, any advice will be gratefully received.

It did cross my mind that he's ill and trying to tell us something - he had his check up last year and the vet found a lump. His spleen was enlarged so he had a scan there and then and we were told to have him operated on immediately or he could burst it while running around and we'd not be able to save him. It was in such a mess the vet sent a sample off for biopsy but it came back clean - vet sent another as he couldn't believe it wasn't cancerous! He even gave us 4-8 months tops. Well, he's still here and seems as fit as the proverbial's dog. But I'm worried. He's no longer insured - as luck would have it, NOT, we stopped a month before his op as the premiums had tripled after his 10th birthday and were in stupid land price wise. With this in mind, I hope the treatment won't be for expensive long-term drugs (but if it has to be it has to be), so if anyone has any experiences of something that may calm him down, again, it'll be appreciated.

TIA

I would get him checked at the vets as he may be suffering from the doggy equivelent of dementia and there is a medication that the vet can give him. My old lab was on it for the last few years of her life and it made a big diierence to her quality of life.
he might be waking up and not quite knowing where he is. and his barking might be his way trying to "call you to him" as he is feeling confused and worried especially as his hearing isn't to good (I havn't put that very well but I am, sure you know what I mean)
It is always hard when our well loved pets get older and we always want to do what is best for them even if it hurts us to do it.
I have to take Misty my 13yr old cat to the vet this afternoon as she has developed a limp and hasn't been out for 2 days now. This is a cat who ever only came in to eat once or twice a week and went missing for over 8 weeks 2 years ago.
I can only hope she has pulled something and it is a quick fix as she wont tolerate any type of long term treatment well.

Okay I have cat who will be 15 in a few months. He does the hound of the Baskerville howling in the middle of the night. It seems to be a thing dogs and cats do when they get older, its where is everyone, someone talk to me(even if its loud whisper of Shut Up).

Do get him checked out though just to be safe. I was rather ill last night, the vomiting bug so heard Zanzi having a howl on and off jump on the bed to make sure all was well. Then play round with a small ball, oh he found one with a bell in it. And if I leapt up to rush to the toilet that started he howling at me.

Donna - I think I'd start howling at you if you leapt off bed to run to loo, too (from a pet's point of view that is - from a human, I'd be relieved!). I hope you're feeling better. We had it a few years ago. Not nice.

Thanks, Both. I do think it might be an age/confidence loss thing, but he is booked in on Monday - had to wait for "his" vet. He's a funny little thing and growls at all the vets except one so rather than stress him out, we've waited for him to come back from hols. He seems to be getting a little better, too. Last night we only had a few minutes twice.

Update: The ever could find nothing physically wrong with him, but did suggest that his behaviour was due to him getting older. Of course, the minute we booked an appointment with a behaviourist, he decided to stop barking :mysmilie_505:.

We've had a quiet few weeks so far and he seems much more settled (though we did have a blip when the local idiots started setting off fireworks again!).

Thanks for advice and support.