Dementia in dogs (1 Viewer)

[lorger]

Just wondering if anyone has been unfortunate and watched their dog suffer from dementia and could maybe give us tips on dealing with it, our wee JR Toby who will be 16 this year is as fit as a fiddle and still looks like a much younger dog. Unfortunately about a year ago he starting showing signs of having cognitive issues and the vet thought it was early onset of dementia, we have medication for him that he takes daily which although making him calmer we though was working. Now after about a year of medication he seems to be getting worse.

Some days he's ok without being 100%, most nights now he just looks at you and cries, we don't think he is in pain we just thing he's confused or wants something. He's always been a women's dog as in he doted on our daughter and was ill when she left home and sits with Lorr for a cuddle every night. Now he just jumps up on the sofa looks at her and cries before jumping back down and this can go on all night. He will cry to get out in the garden and before you shut the door he's crying to get back in.

If we take him a walk he gets all exciting to get his lead on then once outside has no interest in walking, other days he will walk a couple of miles and is full of energy. Our daughter has a 18 month old Golden retriever and they are best of friends but sometime Toby won't even acknowledge he's here, sometimes he doesn't even acknowledge we are here.

If anyone has went through this and could give us tips or advice please feel free.

 

[Dawn B]

Try Aktivait. Worked wonders on our older dogs

 

[Phill D]

A sad time Gerry, it must be heart breaking for you all.

Toby and you all have my heart felt sympathy.

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[Coastal Cruiser.]

Just wondering if anyone has been unfortunate and watched their dog suffer from dementia and could maybe give us tips on dealing with it, our wee JR Toby who will be 16 this year is as fit as a fiddle and still looks like a much younger dog. Unfortunately about a year ago he starting showing signs of having cognitive issues and the vet thought it was early onset of dementia, we have medication for him that he takes daily which although making him calmer we though was working. Now after about a year of medication he seems to be getting worse.

Some days he's ok without being 100%, most nights now he just looks at you and cries, we don't think he is in pain we just thing he's confused or wants something. He's always been a women's dog as in he doted on our daughter and was ill when she left home and sits with Lorr for a cuddle every night. Now he just jumps up on the sofa looks at her and cries before jumping back down and this can go on all night. He will cry to get out in the garden and before you shut the door he's crying to get back in.

If we take him a walk he gets all exciting to get his lead on then once outside has no interest in walking, other days he will walk a couple of miles and is full of energy. Our daughter has a 18 month old Golden retriever and they are best of friends but sometime Toby won't even acknowledge he's here, sometimes he doesn't even acknowledge we are here.

If anyone has went through this and could give us tips or advice please feel free.

My boy Jack Charlie has been showing signs, he is coming up to 16 and for the last year he doesn’t like anyone touching him and will run off screaming, he also sits whining a lot for no reason.
He is also near constantly licking his paw apparently another sign.
Still likes his food and considering he is on heart tablets that are supposed to make him pee a lot is very good in the house so that’s a relief as another sign of dementia is them loosing bladder control

It’s a shame as I use to lay on the floor and him and his sister would run over and attack me but he just runs the other way now

Hopefully your pup will not get to bad and still have a good quality of life…

 

[Flairy]

I’m so sorry we’ve just lost our princess (Trudy) its upsetting for you all you can only do your best.

 

[TheBig1]

Sadly, the same as with humans. Sometimes glacially slow, but then you get sudden almost instant decline. They get confused, know they want something but no idea what. Many vets just sedate them so they get less upset. With every dog I have known with cognitive issues, it's different and finding coping strategies

My daughter's staffie will cry to go out, sniff round the garden then promptly cry to come in then has accidents in the house. The kids have been told to go out with him and not come back in till he has had a wee. Having company in the garden helps. Especially if they get him to run about a bit

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[TheBig1]

forgot to say if he starts whining in the evening, one of the cats will cuddle up with him, and it helps

 

[Speve]

We had a Patterdale with dementia and he was on medication that worked quite well it was Canergy for dogs which improves vascular circulation in the brain. He lived till 15 and a half and was on it for some time

 

[lorger]

He is also near constantly licking his paw apparently another sign.

I forgot to mention he is constantly licking things from the carpet to our hands.

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[Coastal Cruiser.]

I forgot to mention he is constantly licking things from the carpet to our hands.

Mine licks his paw or MrsCCs foot/leg and during the day he paces around a lot whereas his sister is happy to sleep..

 

[Speve]

lorger we bought the canergy online www.portalmascota.net a lot cheaper than our vet could supply.

 

[Gina M]

It's heart breaking. My boy had Degenerative Myelopathy and doggy dementia. He would forget who I was and where his water bowls were. He once ran around the house and garden frantic then he dived onto the bird bath and drank the whole lot. He got stuck in a doorway once just walking around in circles I had to gently coax him into walking through it. As he got worse with his back legs collapsing I was so busy caring for him, lifting him to the toilet and hand feeding him that I just ignored the dementia so I didn't speak to the Vet about it and he died soon after.

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[Chris]

Sorry to hear that Gerry

 

[Minxy]

We've had it with our dogs, it can be quite distressing for the owner and dog, it's very similar to what happens with humans with dementia sometimes they remember stuff, other times they don't and can get quite distressed.

We had one who was happy as anything in her own world but we had a hell of a time getting her to eat anything and in the end all she would have was meatballs in tomato sauce ... I'm sure you can imagine what came out the other end when she had accidents!

The only bits of advice I can give are:

• Loneliness - never leave him alone if you can help it as they soon get distressed if they think they are all alone, even if you're in the next room and talking, it doesn't necessarily mean they know you're still about.
• Environment - don't change things/move furniture as the memory of where stuff has been for years will stay with them and give them comfort.
• Routines - keep them as normal as possible, don't suddenly change walking routes and preferably do the same one every day.
• Visits - try to keep visits from others to a minimum unless they are well known to Toby as this can cause anxiety as they don't know how to deal with 'strangers' or those they perceive to be one.
• Meds - you are already using some meds but they won't stop dementia, they can just delay it developing a bit and there's no guarantee they'll continue to work which is what you're finding now but I'd be vary wary of using other meds/supplements if they are difficult to administer (eg stick down their throat) as this will cause them distress so really isn't worth it.
• Fear - be careful, you know your dog and he knows you most of the time but they can, and do, react totally out of the blue sometimes when they have dementia as they don't always recognise who you are and will go into 'defensive' mode, I had this with one of ours and nearly lost my nose! This is especially important for any visitors no matter how well known they are to Toby.
• Bedding, toys etc - don't launder them if you can help it as the familiar smells will be comforting as it's one of the senses that can trigger memories.
• Food - keep on with what Toby is used to and if he's picky which tends to happen don't just jump in with something new, give it a bit of time as often they will 'remember' they like the original food and eat it but if you give something 'better' the chances are they'll always demand it.
• Night time - you don't mention what he's like overnight but if he's getting distressed you may need to take him into your bedroom (if yo don't already) so he has the comfort of 'hearing' you breathing so knows he's not alone.
• Whining - there's not a lot you can do about this except to try to distract him when it starts and stay 'happy' rather than have a sad face as this will play into his feeling bad - also it might help if you can get some old bits of clothing from your daughter so that he can 'smell' her - get her to wear them though if they've been washed to put her scent back on them.

If I think of anything else I'll post more but these things should help you understand how he feels and how to hopefully mediate the issues a bit.

 

[Minxy]

I forgot to mention he is constantly licking things from the carpet to our hands.

Ours have done that, some with dementia, some without, some from an early age, others never. Our Tazzy likes to lick and currently has 'pinkish' stained front legs form doing so! She's definitely 'all there though' despite being 12. Our Lily had done it since she was about 5 and lived to 14 (until she went quadroplegic from a neck nerve issue).

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[Grianan]

I’m so sorry to hear this Gerry. My friend’s dog had dementia, walked into furniture, forgot he had been fed etc. It’s heartbreaking.

 

[Langtoftlad]

No advice, just hugs for you all.
Poor Toby

 

[lorger]

I’m so sorry to hear this Gerry. My friend’s dog had dementia, walked into furniture, forgot he had been fed etc. It’s heartbreaking.

That’s another thing he does, after he’s ate he sometimes stands at his bowl as if f he’s not been fed.

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[Grianan]

That’s another thing he does, after he’s ate he sometimes stands at his bowl as if f he’s not been fed.

I have no experience but would try to think of it in a similar way to a physical illness. I see one patient in my mums nursing home in constant distress … I wonder if you can find ways to alleviate the distress. May be worth looking at something like canine natural cures?

 

[Gina M]

I have no experience but would try to think of it in a similar way to a physical illness. I see one patient in my mums nursing home in constant distress … I wonder if you can find ways to alleviate the distress. May be worth looking at something like canine natural cures?

I worked in a Nursing home many years ago and a patient had dementia she used to cry out for her daughter and ask "where is our Carol, she hasn't come home yet?" some of the nurses used to tell her "she's dead, has been for years" and she used to be up all night walking the floor and crying. One night I told her, she's on her way, she missed the bus she will catch the next one. Result was she went to sleep. Some would say that was wrong of me to do that though It is so much more difficult to watch your dog go through it as you can't talk them out of their distress

 

[RogerIvy]

The only bits of advice I can give are:

You've given some really good advice there Minxy.
Our old (16yr) lakeland terrier has dementia and what you said is spot on. We've got a decision to make ....

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[lorger]

Thanks to everyone for your tips and advice, reading about some of the things you’ve went through with your own dogs confirms its dementia.
I didn’t list everything he does as they become the normal, someone mentioned their dog getting stuck. I’ve had to close off the space up the side of our garage as he walk up there and just barks to get out, there’s enough space for me to turn around.
At night he’s generally ok but sometimes he’ll start barking and when I come to see him he’s just standing in the middle of the room staring at the wall, this can happen every night for a week then nothing for a month.

That’s the thing some days you wouldn’t know anything was wrong then the next you wonder if he’s in pain with the crying, the vet assured us he isn’t.

Thankfully he seems happy most of the time and he’s not in pain.

 

[Gina M]

You love him so much he knows that, I am sure

 

[Minxy]

I worked in a Nursing home many years ago and a patient had dementia she used to cry out for her daughter and ask "where is our Carol, she hasn't come home yet?" some of the nurses used to tell her "she's dead, has been for years" and she used to be up all night walking the floor and crying. One night I told her, she's on her way, she missed the bus she will catch the next one. Result was she went to sleep. Some would say that was wrong of me to do that though It is so much more difficult to watch your dog go through it as you can't talk them out of their distress

What you were doing was totally correct Gina, there's no point in being 'honest' when all it does is cause issues, at the end of the day you have to do what is best for the resident which is often not telling them the truth especially if it's just because the carer's want to be factual. We never ever tell my Mum we're going on holiday now, and no-one tells her at the home either, as it just distresses her and she stops eating, last time someone told her (my flaming sister in law!!) it was nearly a month before they got her back to eating normally and during that time she lost a lot of weight.

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[Minxy]

Thankfully he seems happy most of the time and he’s not in pain.

It's distressing to see them like that but he won't be in pain, not what we'd call 'physical' pain, just confused and unsettled mostly something you just have to try to manage as best you can. We knew when our Barley had had enough as she used to constantly walk round and round the furniture in the lounge and got to the point where she simply wouldn't stay still for more than a few minutes rest, that and her not eating properly meant she was almost like a skeleton by the end but until it got to the point we could sense she was no longer happy we cared for her as best we could, it was hard but we don't regret it one bit.

 

[weekenders]

lorger Our Toby (shih tzu) is 15, he’s deaf, almost blind, he had ulcers in his eyes, so now on optimune eye drops everyday, has arthritis and now been told he has a heart murmur, he coughs and heaves on and off all day, but he’s not on any meds for this yet.
Toby also licks his feet a lot, so has pink fur through all the licking.
He tends to bark a lot at the moment, especially if you are in the kitchen as he thinks it feed time again.
We don’t feel it’s fair to take him abroad at the moment, wouldn’t be fair to him, so uk hols for us at the moment.
He still wants to go for a walk, but only short walk, eats well and drinks well.
Our last shih tzu/yorkie was 17