Doggie Dementia

[rodeo65]

I'm so upset to see the decline in our 16yo peke/spanielX. It's hard to watch. Over the past six months or so, we've seen more and more things cropping up. She's lost her hearing, night vision is poor, back problems from when she was a puppy are showing themselves again. We've kept her pretty healthy - weight down and a specialized diet with joint support that has really done wonders over the years (she started showing joint issues around age seven or so after surgery to correct several blown discs as a pup.) Now we're starting to see her back end just give out as she walks, or stands and she'll just plop down to a sit.

Since the start of the summer she has been standing in the middle of the room, or sometimes pacing. She is very hard to get to settle down in the evenings if DH and I are sitting reading or watching TV she paces. Or stands.

With our first dog, the decision was clear if not easy - he had cancer and the tumor was very fast growing. No questions there. With her it seems to be so gradual and she still seems to enjoy being petted or rolling on her back or giving a quick nip at our other dog's paws that we still think she has quality of life. She doesn't seem to be in pain, at least not licking or biting at herself. It's just hard to know what is happening when it is just a little more decline every couple of weeks.

 

[nathalee81]

I'm so sorry about your pup.

We had a foster pup that suffered from dementia, among many other ailments. A couple of months after we discovered he had dementia, we discovered he had congestive heart failure. As I said, he had many other ailments, but this is the one that forced us to make the painful decision of letting him go. His quality of life was just too low at that point.

You will know when it is time. Just keep what up what you are doing, and make your pup as comfortable and happy as you can. I'll keep you and your pup in my thoughts...

 

[luvwinnie]

A well known integrative vet has written a book on the topic, here is a link with some info:
http://www.wearethecure.org/blog/natural-remedies-for-treating-canine-dementia%E2%80%A6/

Hoping you can find some treatment to make things a bit easier. Poor pup.

 

[hereyago]

I am so very sorry. I've never had pup have that, but reading your post breaks my heart.

 

[rodeo65]

A well known integrative vet has written a book on the topic, here is a link with some info:
http://www.wearethecure.org/blog/natural-remedies-for-treating-canine-dementia%E2%80%A6/

Hoping you can find some treatment to make things a bit easier. Poor pup.

Thank you for the info. I'll look into anything that might help. I realize she is probably in her last months or maybe year with us given her age, and she really has done so well after her spine issues as a baby - we thought we were going to lose her then she was in so much pain and then paralyzed until the surgery. My kids are going to be devastated.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

How do you know it's dementia? It could be that she's in pain when she's laying down in certain positions or something similar to that. (I know people for which this is the case.) Is she on any medication for pain? You might want to consult your vet about it and see if it makes a difference in her behavior before you make any further decisions. The possibility of pain is high if she's had issues in the past (although it could present itself differently this time.)

 

[apirateslifeforme]

I'm sorry about your dog. My dog has also been diagnosed with mild dementia (17.5-year-old cocker spaniel) and she does some of the same things - the pacing and the night restlessness. She also occasionally "circles the wagons" - just walks in circles, almost like she's looking for a place to sit, but at the last second, she circles around again. Finally she'll wear herself out and just drop down. She's lost her hearing completely, and her night vision is very poor. But she's more with it than not...she recognizes me, my mother, and my fiance. Still gets up, comes to us, perks her ears up, and wags her tail when she sees us. She has a nice hearty appetite...our vet says that physically, there's nothing wrong with her; nice strong heart, all organs are functioning quite well for a dog her age, last week's blood test came out "excellent"...apparently she's a freak of nature If she makes it to her 18th birthday in March, she'll be one of his top 10 oldest patients...but I don't think she'll pass up the 22-year-old beagle.

I don't know which is worse...watching a mental, but not physical decline, or vice versa. You're in my thoughts...

 

[luvmy2sams]

These posts make me tear up, as I can relate to several of them. Our 16-year-old cocker spaniel, Daisy, suffered from dementia along with the beginning stages of kidney failure. Her kidney functioning was still in the high-normal range, and it was controlled with diet. Circling the wagons became more and more frequent over the last 8 months or so. She even had an episode in early April when we thought we would lose her. Turns out that she was just mildly dehyrdrated, which exasperated her dementia symptoms. Watching the decline was painful.

I can't count the number of conversations we had with our vet regarding quality of life and our desire that Daisy not be in any pain. He assured us that she was one of those "freaks of nature" and that he wouldn't hesitate to tell us if he saw any decline that wouldn't be apparent to us. Although we knew the days ahead of her were fewer than those behind her, she would bound around the house like a puppy at times, and made us shake our heads in disbelief at her energy on more than one occasion.

The circling picked up over the last week or so, and the vet told us this could be a sign of a further slip into dementia or a drop in organ function. Turns out it was the latter. She had a stroke on Thursday morning that told us in no uncertain terms that it was time to say goodbye. Although we knew it was absolutely the right decision to make, it broke our hearts. She was my little shadow, and I keep expecting to look down at my feet and see her curled up there.

OP....Your furry friend will tell you when it is time. It's never easy, but you will know. It's the last gift you can give to a good friend.

 

[roliepolieoliefan]

My collie was 16 years old and distributed the same symptoms that you mention. She would pace and pace and pace. Then would stop and look around like she didn't know where she was. It was very sad.

Before her symptoms got bad. At first they were very subtle, hardly anything we would even think would need checked. Just thought it was signs of her getting old. I let her out with my other dog to go to the bathroom. It was late, dark. Natasha never left the yard. We had 3 acres and in all her years never stepped foot over the property line. I went in the house for a couple minutes, I come out and the other dog was there and Natasha was nowhere to be found.
It was horrible. We lived on a road that wasn't busy, but well traveled with no street lights. I was a basketcase. Then there were acres and acres of land around us .
I never thought we would find her or I was afraid a car would hit her. Thank goodness a woman the street over left her dog out and when it barked she looked and it was Natasha,. Another bad thing I bathed her that day took her collar off and didn't put it back on. The woman figured she was someones dog because she was well taken care of. The woman called the local animal control, who came and got her.
I called the next morning and thank goodness they had her. The animal control officer took my Natasha to her home for the night because she didn't want to put her in the kennel. She said she knew someone would claim her.

When we went to pick her up, I ran to her bawling. Natasha had this blank stare, like she was looking straight through me and didn't know who I was. She happily came with us, but I will never forget that. She was so affectionate, so loving. She was my dog before we had kids and now she looked at me like she didn't know me.

We kept her for about another year , then her arthritis got the best of her and we had to put her down.

Its very sad to watch the dog you once knew , disappear. She never became nasty, just distant and not affectionate like she once was.

I watched her like crazy after that one incident and will never never be that stupid again. To this day, I think what could have happened to her and thank GOD he was definetly with her that night.

to you and your pooch. I know how difficult it is.

 

[Pastamom]

I feel your pain OP

We had to put our 14 yr old dog down last week. It was one of the toughest decisions we have ever made. He had diabetes and was getting confused/lost in our house more often. We couldn't control his diabetes effectively anymore and he started having accidents also. We knew things weren't going to get better with him anymore. We were also worried that we would find him after he had gotten "stuck" or fallen down the stairs.

We told the kids and gave him the best day we could think of. All his favorite treats - including 2 steak bones and lots of love.

Our vet told us we did the right thing, which made us feel a little better.

Good Luck to you and your family.

 

[MickeyMom2Boys]

I'm so sorry to hear about your dog. We had to put our 10 year old boxer down due to kidney failure a week ago and it is so difficult. I miss him terribly. I often refer to him as our first born - he was such a huge part of our family.

On the standing in the middle of the floor, pacing and having a hard time settling down at night - this could very well be pain. Dogs do not show pain like we do, and it takes a lot of pain for them to show it at all. Pacing, unable to settle, and shaking are definite signs of pain.

As far as making that dreadful decision to put him down, our vet gave me some good advice and it turned out to be very true for us. My boy had kidney failure and by his numbers I knew he was at the end. I also knew it was a slow and aganizing death and I did not want him to go through that. I was also torn because 2 of my kids were about to have their tonsils out and I was faced with putting him down the day before or taking a chance of having to do it the day of or day after their surgery. They were dealing with so much with the surgery I didn't want them dealing with losing him too. The vet said nobody wants to do it too soon or too late. The best advice she could offer us was that we would know when it was the right time. She said "You don't have to make a decision now. You will know. One day you will look at him and decide that this is not what you want for him and you will be ready." She was so right. I truly believe he knew we needed him that week. He stayed strong and still seemed pretty happy. He still looked for attention and had that spark in his eyes. My husband wouldn't even talk to me about a plan. "He kept saying he's fine right now." Then, the day my boys started to feel better, he started to shut down. The look in his eyes was gone and his eyes started to look sad. Then he started to bleed from his mouth and nose. We got up one morning and saw the blood and the look in his eyes and we knew he was done. We took him that day. I miss him terribly and the house feels so empty (even with 3 kids and a bulldog) without him there. But I am fully at peace with our decision.

Good luck with your dog. That is one of the hardest decisions to make. Sending hugs and prayers your way.

 

[horseshowmom]

OP, here's a hug. I know how it is having been there many times with both pets and horses. We had to have our old dog put down a few months ago and just found out last week that my daughter's 12 year old cat has a brain tumor. We don't know how much longer he has, but he's had several seizures (now on meds to help). It's just plain hard.

 

[dngnb8]

Sometimes the greatest act of love is saying good bye.

/hugs

 

[Uncle Remus]

Sometimes the greatest act of love is saying good bye.

/hugs

Simply said 'n so true!

 

[dngnb8]

Simply said 'n so true!

That may be, but it doesnt help the hurt. When youre 4 legged family member has lived a long life, look back on the love. What really hurts is when theyre young and you lose them way too soon. We lost our Keeta when she was just under 2 years old. Its been 3 years, and my eyes still leak when I think about it.

When you have to say good bye to someone you love, they are always in your heart.

 

[chrysano]

Thank you for the info. . I've never had pup have that, but reading your post and it broke my heart, it really did

 

[tink_lover]

We lost our 11 year old boxer in July. It was so hard watching him deteriorate. He had been so healthy up until the last few months. Then he lost tons of weight and you could see in his eyes he wasn't happy. His last week, the vet sad his heart was so erratic, he could go at any time. He stopped eating and drinking and would just stand - I think it was difficult for him to lay down. We knew it was time. He was such a gentle guy and I miss him every day.

 

[rodeo65]

Thanks to all who've posted and I'm sorry for those who've already been through what is ahead for us.

She seems good today. I was just outside playing with the two dogs and she was trying to jump up and nip at my hands to pet her when I was giving attention to the other dog. She can do a little jump up but can't stay with her front paws on my leg like she used to.

The vet did suggest dementia at her check up in June. Her bloodwork was fine and other than the obvious signs of age - hearing, vision and general arthritic stuff she seemed pretty good. The standing episodes have been more and more frequent over the summer. It's not nice to laugh, but I have to when sometimes she'll put her head up and her tongue is sticking out just a little. I keep thinking - a critter of lesser intelligence but she has actually been a pretty smart dog in her day.

Overall just sad to see decline as it would be in any person or animal we love. I hate seeing signs of aging in my parents too.

 

[Uncle Remus]

Thanks to all who've posted and I'm sorry for those who've already been through what is ahead for us.

She seems good today. I was just outside playing with the two dogs and she was trying to jump up and nip at my hands to pet her when I was giving attention to the other dog. She can do a little jump up but can't stay with her front paws on my leg like she used to.

The vet did suggest dementia at her check up in June. Her bloodwork was fine and other than the obvious signs of age - hearing, vision and general arthritic stuff she seemed pretty good. The standing episodes have been more and more frequent over the summer. It's not nice to laugh, but I have to when sometimes she'll put her head up and her tongue is sticking out just a little. I keep thinking - a critter of lesser intelligence but she has actually been a pretty smart dog in her day.

Overall just sad to see decline as it would be in any person or animal we love. I hate seeing signs of aging in my parents too.

Wait til ya feel the signs of agin', it's a trip when ya remember dancin' on the table doin' your Janis Joplin impression like it was just yesterday.

Give your ol' dog a few extra hugs, it'll be alright.

 

[walden]

I'm so upset to see the decline in our 16yo peke/spanielX. It's hard to watch. Over the past six months or so, we've seen more and more things cropping up. She's lost her hearing, night vision is poor, back problems from when she was a puppy are showing themselves again. We've kept her pretty healthy - weight down and a specialized diet with joint support that has really done wonders over the years (she started showing joint issues around age seven or so after surgery to correct several blown discs as a pup.) Now we're starting to see her back end just give out as she walks, or stands and she'll just plop down to a sit.

Since the start of the summer she has been standing in the middle of the room, or sometimes pacing. She is very hard to get to settle down in the evenings if DH and I are sitting reading or watching TV she paces. Or stands.

With our first dog, the decision was clear if not easy - he had cancer and the tumor was very fast growing. No questions there. With her it seems to be so gradual and she still seems to enjoy being petted or rolling on her back or giving a quick nip at our other dog's paws that we still think she has quality of life. She doesn't seem to be in pain, at least not licking or biting at herself. It's just hard to know what is happening when it is just a little more decline every couple of weeks.

Coming in a bit late here.
Having said that, CCD is not a clear cut diagnosis and I'd continue talking to your vet and exploring other causes.

Just a few thoughts and things to look for: the weakness/loss of rear end function could be pain related arthritis, or something else. Is your dog scuffing her back paws or knuckling under? (Knuckling under -- if you take a back paw, and bend it so that the knuckles are on the floor does she quickly right it? If she doesn't, this is something to tell your vet as it could be some type of treatable neuropathy.)

You might want to make a list of more "cognitive" things that are worrying you now, and add to it as other things come up. This gives you something to discuss with the vet and can be helpful in assessing quality of life. Barking at "nothing" and getting lost in the yard and house were the first signs with my dog.

There are treatments for CCD that you can research and try. I had my JRT on a dopamine-type pill, but didn't think they helped much. Some people have tried anti-oxidants and Omega 3 diets, and some people think vitamen B supplements help. I don't know.

In the meantime, keep her safe. Getting lost is very frequent with dogs with dementia so she should be on leash walks only, carefully supervised even in a fenced yard, and watch in case she starts losing her way in the house too. You may have to confine her to a safe room at some point.

Thanks for taking care of your elderly pup and good luck.