Doggie Dementia

[brindlehound]

Has anyone here had their dog diagnosed with dementia? If so, how did you deal with it?

 

Based on Magic's behavior lately, the vet feels he has doggie dementia in addition to his other issues (LS, LP, arthritis). The most frustrating thing is his not sleeping through the night. I give him a tramadol around 9:15 or so which helps him sleep most of the time.

[cleptogrey]

i dealt with it, my late welsh terrier had it. we tried sedatives- a very stoned welsh terrier stumbling around and peeing in his bed every time he nested. he was disoriented for a while, but when his nights were mixed up and he could no longer feel safe anywhere(we watched him panic one too many times even during the day) we decided that it was time. it's not great watching a totally disoriented dog get more confused....yet he still went gung-ho after the soccer ball, and he was also blind and deaf. it's not a pleasant decision.

[dante2zoe]

Carol, Indy had it. His hearing and vision also deteriorated, which magnified his confusion. He would also sundown, so I had timers set up that it never got dark in the house and I kept a low light on for him at night. He also took Cholodin, an amino acid, I believe, that did help. He didn't do well if left alone at night, in the dark, so I made sure he was with me all night and could touch me. He was unable to sleep through the night and would get very restless, so we would go outside once or twice every night. I was fortunate in that he was small enough that I could carry him. I made sure he got regular walks and exercise because that helped, too.

 

I am sorry that you and Magic are going through this. It is not fun.

[schultzlc]

I am so sorry you are going through this with Magic, and hope you are able to find a solution to help with his issues.

 

I believe that my old man Zippy had dementia, though it was never diagnosed by a vet. He was only with me for 10 days, so I unfortunately never got the chance to see the "real him." He would seem fine sometimes, but other times he would walk towards a wall, but once he was there, he wouldn't be able to figure out how to turn himself back around, and would just stand there and whine until I could walk him back to his bed. He would also get lost in a back bedroom, and could never seem to find the door to go out. It was really hard to watch him in that inconsolable state.

[brindlehound]

Thanks for all the comments. Magic's dementia probably isn't too horrible. The worst is not sleeping through the night. It's not every night. He hasn't peed in the house and poops maybe once every couple of days. As far as confusion, he sometimes seems confused but even that is not severe. He has trouble backing up but that could be his LS. I gather, like his other issues, it will get worse over time.

[greyhead]

Shane was looking like he had dementia earlier this year. After lots of specialists, exams, and experimentation, it turned out that what looked like cognitive confusion was really just a completely understandable reaction to pain! And yes, he too has back pain from LSS, but he also had a (presumed) kidney infection on top of (definite) kidney disease. As soon as we got him on a strong antibiotic, we were able to drastically reduce or eliminate all the other stuff we were giving him for pain (e.g., gabapentin, tramadol) and to relax him (melatonin, alprazolam, etc.) He still takes gabapentin for the LSS, and tramadol as needed for that and for arthritis flares. Treat his pain more aggressively and see if he doesn't seem more with it and sleep through the night, would be my advice.

[SarahsBlackPack]

My old guy Malone had it. We found that he was more restless at night and more wanting to be petted more at night. Our vet ran all sorts of blood work, we had x-rays done of his chest. And they found nothing. Our vet did take him overnight to see exactly what syptoms he was showing. And she said for a 12 year old hound he was pretty healthly, his heart was slightly enlarged. But that was it. And after confering with several other vets. The only thing she could call it was canine dementia. So we started him on Fluexatine and after about a month of being on it he was doing great!

[Guest normaandburrell]

We had a cocker beagle mix that had it. He was deaf, blind, incontinent of bowel and bladder, and had arthritis. He began to snap and bite, just because he didn't want to do what he was told anymore. Our vet suggested selegilene for dogs with dementia that are withdrawn, but he didn't have anything for his biting behavior. Ultimately we just decided it was time. We had grandchildren and we couldn't have him biting them. I guess it affects all dogs differently.