Any advice on night terrors??

A few hours ago, I had a very scary experience with Poppy.

She was asleep in our dining room on the floor and all of a sudden she started making this most horriffic howling noise, but it was a very much distressed noise and it was very loud. I ran into the dining room and she was asleep, I tried to wake her up very gently and pacify her but she kept going (asleep) and it was a constant distressed howling. The lightbulb had gone in that room, so I decided to pick her up and take her to the living room (which in hindsight I probably shouldn't have done).

She then started wee'ing and appeared to awake, so I put her on the floor gently and she just flopped into a heap, lifelessly, for a few seconds I actually thought she was dead, but she lifted her head and looked at me all dozey and ran from me all limp like and hid under the dining room table. I gently coaxed her out and she appeared to snap out of it. She was scared but what of I don't know and was quite confused, she snuggled into me and just cuddled me on the sofa for ages, waggling her tail though, her heart was beating so fast and she was panting. She still hasn't left my side, although her breathing is normal now and she is not distressed.

Poppy has always been a sleep talker, and I leave her to it and it has never been a problem. She had a busy day today and was with me all day long, nothing untoward happened though, no altercations with another dog or that sort of thing.

Would anybody be able to offer advice on what to do in this sort of situation?

Does anybody have any experience of this sort of thing?

Sorry for the long post, she really terrified me and I hope that should this happen again, I am a little bit more prepared to deal with it appropriately without making the situation worse. My poor Poppy...

Thank you for any advise/experience that can be offered.

Is everything OK now ?

Whilst a lot of what you've described sounds like 'heavy dreaming' - some of it sounds like previous experiences I've had with dog fits and strokes.

I don't mean to cause alarm but without knowing you or your dog - I've no idea if you're making more of it than necessary or whether it's a more serious issue that you're perhaps playing down.

From personal experience - If it's as you've described - and out of character - then I would certainly advise getting the dog checked by a vet.

In the meantime (on the off chance it's a problem) - if the dog relapses - turn off the lights, towel over the head, keep the dog calm and squirt some water into the mouth.

Hope it's nothing and that everything is OK...........

Yes she is absolutely fine now and sleeping.

It really was distressing, I almost called the emergency vet but she then she became more with it so I thought I would wait and see. To be honest as she sometimes 'sleep talks' I just assumed it was a very deep sleep. But she has never had anything like this. The howling sound (as best I can describe it) really panicked me, she isn't a very vocal dog as it is, it is hard to describe but it was awful, as if she was in a lot of pain or being attacked. Afterwards when she came to sit with me, it took her about 20 minutes to calm down with her breathing and her heart racing. I tried to get her to drink water but she was having none of it.

I really did think she was dead, she just flopped in half if that makes any sense.

I am going to call the vet first thing in the morning anyway. I cannot stop watching her sleep now!

It can be very distressing - If it happens again and you're concerned - a squeezy bottle just to pop water into the dogs mouth with a towel over the head as they calm down will help.

Again - it may be nothing from your description but you never know.

See your vet and keep us posted

Here's hoping you have a good night

Thanks Phil,

The squeezy bottle seems so obvious now! I never panic at anything, but I just didn't know what to do this time.

I will keep you posted!

It may be nothing but you never know.

If they do 'fit' (and I'm not saying that's the case) then hydration is important as they're not always able to look after themselves or even be themselves. It can be a long night and it may turn out to be no more than 'dreaming'.

Anyway - Keep Poppy close - I'm off to bed and I'll no doubt check in the morning.

My foster had nightterrors for about 3 weeks At first when he did it I thought he was hurt but he was fast asleep and looked startled when I spoke to him.He has had a bad past so presume he was dreaming about that? It appears to have stopped now. If you are concerned that it could be anything other than a dream I would speak to a vet. Hope ypu have a good night

Thanks Egyptgal. I hope that this was just a one off incident.

Poppy seems absolutely fine today, a bit clingy though. I called the vet today and they said to bring Poppy in. They checked her heart and said her heart rate was perfectly fine. The vet thinks that it was probably a night terror episode snd that Poppy was in a very deep sleep but I was given advice on what to look out for next time (hopefully there won't be a next time). For example to check the colour of her gums if it happens again. And if it happens again and she isn't having 'fitting' or shaking and her gums are normal, just to leave her to it until she brings herself around. And to ring the vet straight away if I have any concerns. I am just hoping it doesn't happen again.

That must have been so scary both for you and Poppy. Really hope it doesn't happen again but you appear to have been given some excellent advice. Hugs for Poppyxxx

Glad to hear things are OK