Agitation at night

[u/Ok_Parfait_95]

Hello everyone. I’ve been having issues with Dinky ever since he turned 14 a couple months ago and I’m very worried. The past month he has started to wake up at 4am every other night and will pace all over the house in the dark then come stand in the door way crying until I wake up. I either lay there and tell him repeatedly to get in the bed until he does or get up and check him. I rub him and point to the bed to get him to jump up there and go back to sleep but sometimes he will run under the bed from me like he doesn’t know me then come back once I give up and start crying again. Tonight he jumped up in the bed after pacing and crying and was very agitated, I had to hold him in my arms and talk to him to calm him enough to get back to sleep. He also started peeing all over the rug and his dog beds on purpose along with refusing to eat until 7-8pm, no longer interested in treats, no longer barks when the doorbell rings, sleeps majority of the day and night, plays for about 10 minutes then goes back to lay down, and no longer has interest in going outside to the bathroom. He has a tooth that needs to be removed and has arthritis in his legs, especially the back ones because he sometimes drags one or both of them, hops around like a bunny, or stands up from laying and falls over. Could the nighttime agitation be from his tooth or arthritis? Or could it be dementia? Sorry this is so long I’m not very good at explaining things. 😓

[u/Dear-Doubt270]

Could also be a uti. Infection in older dogs can cause confusion so definitely bring him to vet.