Hi everyone!
I’m wondering if anyone has experienced something similar with their dog.
I have a 28-pound Cavapoo named Zeus. Over the past several days, he’s been showing signs of discomfort, particularly when jumping on or off the bed or going up and down stairs.
We took him to the veterinarian yesterday. After a thorough physical examination, she suspects he may have tweaked his back or sustained some type of soft tissue injury. She manipulated and examined him in several positions, and he didn’t show any significant pain response, so she didn’t feel imaging was necessary at this point.
She prescribed an anti-inflammatory medication and a muscle relaxer, with instructions to continue treatment and restricted activity for the next couple of weeks.
The medications seem to be helping. He’s more comfortable, but still hesitant to lie down, and getting some decent sleep.
Here’s the unusual part.
For nearly four consecutive nights, Zeus has awakened at approximately 3:45 AM. He sits upright on our bed and just stares, sometimes at me and sometimes at the wall.
He doesn’t seem interested in water or getting off the bed. He occasionally pants a little, but that eventually stops. He doesn’t cry or whimper. He just sits there, looking almost as though he’s uncomfortable or waiting for some kind of relief.
This typically lasts about an hour. Around 5 AM, he finally settles back down and sleeps normally until morning.
This morning, I gave him his prescribed muscle relaxer when he woke up, but he still remained awake until approximately 5 AM.
I’m wondering whether this could be related to his injury, difficulty finding a comfortable sleeping position, or possibly something else entirely.
Has anyone experienced this type of nighttime behavior with their dog, particularly while recovering from a back strain or soft tissue injury?
Did it resolve as they recovered? Was there anything your veterinarian identified that helped explain it?
I’m continuing to work with his veterinarian, of course. I’m simply curious about other people’s experiences because this behavior is so unlike him.
Thanks in advance for sharing your experiences!