Canine Alzheimer's?

[Nicholas]

A while back we started noticing that one of our older dogs (he's 13) started acting strangely. He's been acting as if he's confused, wandering around aimlessly, acting as if he's lost in the house or when he's outside, staring into space or at a wall, not responding to when he's called. He even seems to forget why he was put outside and then peeing or pooping inside. He has also been getting up in the middle of the night and leaving, rather than staying in bed all night like he has for several years. Our first guess was that his eyesight was going, and I did notice that his eyes looked cloudy. He also has been friendly with our cat, which is odd. We have to keep the cat and dogs separate because Indiana (the dog I'm talking about) likes to control things, but the cat wouldn't like that and he and the rest would have killed him. But recently, when the other dogs aren't there, he's actually been nuzzling with the cat. So, since he had a vet appointment today, we decided to ask.

It turns out that he has cataracts in both eyes, and the vet said that in a year he may only be able to see light and shadow. We also found out that he exhibits most of the signs of something called Cognitive Dysfunction Syndrome, which is akin to Alzheimer's.

Other than that though, his health is ok.

[Dr. Jack Bauer]

"other than that"??? That sounds horrible!

[mossrose]

Our cat started going slowly blind when she was about 10. She learned to manage unless we moved the furniture, and she could still find a patch of sunshine on the floor inerrantly.

She lived to be 18.

I am sorry about the CDS. That is a worse thing, than blindness, I think, for an animal. Because an animal can adapt to something like blindness or deafness, but CDS is different.

:huggy:

[Nicholas]

"other than that"??? That sounds horrible!

He's 13 years old, and is in relatively good health. It's not good, but considering his age he's doing fairly well.

Our dogs have usually lived to be 16 or so, and one of our cats lived to be around 20.

[Nicholas]

Our cat started going slowly blind when she was about 10. She learned to manage unless we moved the furniture, and she could still find a patch of sunshine on the floor inerrantly.

She lived to be 18.

I am sorry about the CDS. That is a worse thing, than blindness, I think, for an animal. Because an animal can adapt to something like blindness or deafness, but CDS is different.

:huggy:

Thanks. Atleast now we know what the problem is, and so can better handle it.

If anyone has any advice on how to help Indy deal with these problems, I would appreciate it.

[Teallaura]

I've never had something exactly like that but here's what little I can offer:

1) Keep a strict routine. Base it on your existing routine so he has a better chance of making the association.

2) Have the other dogs on the same routine. When he hasn't got a clue he'll follow their lead.

3) Get puppy pads and use them at night.

4) Let him play with the cat if he likes but remember he may get short tempered as this progresses and take precautions accordingly.

5) Restrict the areas he's allowed in. That sounds mean but it lets him learn those areas well so he doesn't get as disoriented.

6) When you take him out wait until he goes and give him a treat when he does. He'll make the positive association longer.

7) Give him some extra time but don't spoil him to where the other dogs get jealous.

Dunno but hope it helps.

[Crow]

They've got a medication out that might help your dog.

http://vetmedicine.about.com/cs/diseasesall/a/aniprylseniors.htm

[Nicholas]

I've never had something exactly like that but here's what little I can offer:

1) Keep a strict routine. Base it on your existing routine so he has a better chance of making the association.

2) Have the other dogs on the same routine. When he hasn't got a clue he'll follow their lead.

3) Get puppy pads and use them at night.

4) Let him play with the cat if he likes but remember he may get short tempered as this progresses and take precautions accordingly.

5) Restrict the areas he's allowed in. That sounds mean but it lets him learn those areas well so he doesn't get as disoriented.

6) When you take him out wait until he goes and give him a treat when he does. He'll make the positive association longer.

7) Give him some extra time but don't spoil him to where the other dogs get jealous.

Dunno but hope it helps.

Thanks for the advice Teal:hug:

I'll make sure to let you all know how things go.

[Nicholas]

They've got a medication out that might help your dog.

http://vetmedicine.about.com/cs/diseasesall/a/aniprylseniors.htm

It'd be something to look into, although it might be very expensive. It's interesting that the site mentions cushings disease, because a few years back he was diagnosed with that as well, along with hypothyroidism.

[Nicholas]

To give some of your a better idea of what type of Dog Indy is, I'll post some pictures of him with both me and other dogs. He is somewhere around 40 pounds. Although he is overweight, his large size is partially natural, because he is apparently a throwback to when dachshunds were originally supposed to be 30 pounds.
The two pictures below should give you an idea of his size.

The first picture shows him cuddling with two puppies from a litter our female Kirby (The Second) had had.
The second picture shows him beside me, with Kirby poking her head out from under the covers.

[Teallaura]

They're all cute. He's a handsome dog.

[Nicholas]

They're all cute. He's a handsome dog.

Thanks. Right now he's next to me in my bed and he's snoring.

[JardinPrayer]

Hiya. We went through this with our 11-year-old yellow Labrador a few years ago. Same diagnosis...essentially senility. We were told the medication might delay the advancement of the natural process, but nothing would actually help her get better than she was at that stage. She used to come in to my home office and just rest her chin on my lap and look up at me like she had no idea where she was or what she was supposed to do next.

Ultimately, we made the choice to day goodbye to her when we had to pack up for an interstate move. Practically speaking, having the frequent accidents made having the house constantly ready to show for sale difficult and we felt sure she would not have made the trip well. We tried everything...Lab rescue groups, ads for adoption, habitats for old and sick dogs...mostly what I got was a lot of verbal abuse from animal rights extremists who could not believe I would consider giving her up (let alone putting her down) because it was "inconvenient," in their eyes. It was a painful enough time in our lives without that.

We've been dogless for 3 years now while we've settled in to our new home with our 2 cats and parakeet. We're about to rectify that. This is such an emotional decision, and I pray you are led to do what is best for your pet...whatever that may be in your situation.

Blessings...

Jardin

[Nicholas]

Just thought that I'd update you guys on how our dog is doing. Indiana seems to be coping with his cataracts and canine alzheimers. Aside from some of the problems that I mentioned earlier he seems to be adapting fairly well.