"Oh, What Now?": Ralph's Thoughts

My RLS has annoyed me on and off for approximately 6 years. Most of the time I can ignore it; if it is frustrating during the hours of sleep, just pop another tablet and it will go away. Occasionally it decides it wants to be the most annoying thing I have ever experienced!

I let my new rescue dog sleep in my bed

Recently we adopted a new rescue dog. He is learning all the ropes of how our household works. He’s one smart cookie! One thing they always say is never let a rescue dog sleep on your bed; this was doubly so for Ralph, as he has boundary issues and snaps if you try to remove him from somewhere he wants to be — especially the bed.

Obviously, Ralph is now sleeping on my bed. The issue for the poor boy is that his previous owners didn’t suffer from RLS! So, he is having to adjust to sleeping with an air dancer lying next to him! He is very vocal, as he is 10 years old. We have adopted him for his twilight years. To say that he acts like an old man is so very true.

Me, Ralph, and my RLS symptoms

As all sufferers of RLS know, it has a tendency to butt in at the most inappropriate moment. My tingly feeling starts in my knee, it aches, and then my thigh gets so irritated there is just no ignoring it. As Ralph is a very cuddly dog, he loves to lay all over you to get the best position for a stroke, and inevitably he lays across my legs!

You can see the exasperation in his face as I exclaim that I am “sick to death of my stupid knee!” He feels me starting to move, gesturing to him to get off my legs — otherwise, things will get desperate! The extra weight of him ramps up my RLS tenfold, making the sensation almost unbearable. Ralph's reaction to this is to sigh at me.

After manhandling him off my lap and taking a stroll around the room to walk off the initial pain of the attack, he sits up on the sofa (always be aware of your surroundings — Ralph's motto!) just in case there are treats being offered. He takes one look at me and lets out the biggest sigh known to dog kind.

Can my dog sense my RLS?

This scenario is played out at least another 7-10 times during bedtime as he cuddles up to me, wanting the closeness of his human, only to hear her saying nasty things about her body, flailing her legs around, and eternally turning over.

Ralph seems to have learned the best way to sleep with me now. He comes to bed and has a quick cuddle when we first clamber under the duvet, followed by him heading to the bottom of the bed, curling up in a ball, and waiting for me to go to sleep. Then, he comes back up the bed and lays next to me for the remainder of the night.

I wonder what he thinks about my RLS? Apart from it being extremely inconvenient for him, can he sense the electrical charges in my legs and attribute them to the fact I need to move? Is there anything he can feel or see that gives him a heads-up that something is about to happen?

Does your pet seem to sense an onset of RLS symptoms? Share with us in the comments below!