While senior dogs can live good, enjoyable lives with their pet parents, getting older is not without challenges. Dogs can develop dementia, also called cognitive dysfunction, as they age.
Key Takeaways
- Dog dementia is like Alzheimer’s disease in people. Affected dogs may act confused and forgetful. Dogs with dementia have age-related damage to their brain.
- There is no cure for dog dementia. Cognitive dysfunction is managed rather than cured.
- While dogs don’t necessarily recover from dementia, they can show improvement with nutritional, medical, and behavioral support.
What Is Dog Dementia?
Dog dementia is like Alzheimer’s disease in people. Affected dogs may act confused and forgetful. Dogs with dementia have age-related damage to their brain. These changes make them easily lost and anxious and forget things that they used to know. Dog dementia doesn’t happen overnight. Cognitive dysfunction is usually a very gradual, slowly worsening syndrome.
Affected dogs often wander the house aimlessly, sometimes forgetting where they are. This is usually worse in the evening before bed. They may get lost in corners and bark or generally seem more anxious.
Dog dementia is not considered a medical emergency.
Causes of Dog Dementia
Dog dementia is caused by deterioration of the brain in aging dogs.
Dogs affected by cognitive dysfunction have a buildup of a protein called beta-amyloid that forms plaques on the brain.
These plaques slow the sending of signals between brain cells. These brain cells, called neurons, become dysfunctional, interfering with memory, learning, and spatial awareness. With damaged neurons and reduced blood flow to the brain, the mind does not work as well as it used to.
Senior dogs are at the highest risk for developing this condition: 28% of dogs aged 11–12 are affected, and 68% of dogs 15–16 years old have cognitive dysfunction syndrome, according to a study done on prevalence of dementia.
How Veterinarians Diagnose Dog Dementia
A diagnosis of cognitive dysfunction syndrome is based on a history of your dog’s behaviors at home. Your veterinarian will likely want to rule out other medical conditions that can cause similar symptoms first before diagnosing dog dementia.
A physical exam, blood work, and X-rays are often done in senior patients to screen for underlying disease. Many common problems in seniors can cause symptoms like dementia.
Liver disease can lead to ammonia buildup and mental confusion. Kidney disease, urinary infections, and bladder stones can all lead to potty accidents in the house. Arthritis can lead to increased anxiety and pacing, as affected pets try to avoid the pain of laying down.
Rarely, CT scans may be recommended to look for any tumors or abnormalities in the brain.
Before your vet visit, sit down and think about your pet’s changes with age. You can ask yourself the following screening questions:
If you answered yes to any of these questions, let your vet know. Your vet may ask you to fill out a CAnine DEmentia Scale (CADES) worksheet to check how severe their cognitive changes are.
Treatment of Dog Dementia
There is no cure for dog dementia. Cognitive dysfunction is managed rather than cured.
The best thing you can do is catch dementia changes early and try to slow it down. Treatment is usually a combination of environmental changes, nutritional supplements, special diets, and medications.
Environmental modifications are important for pet patients with dog dementia. With changes to the brain as your dog ages, they may become confused and can accidentally hurt themselves.
Night lights can be helpful to minimize their confusion in the dark if they have night walks. Keeping your dog in a small room that is difficult to get lost in may reduce their vocalizing and confusion. Some senior pets may also be more comfortable in a dog crate at night, such as this Frisco Fold & Carry Double Door Collapsible Wire Dog Crate.
Nutritional supplements can be helpful in slowing aging changes in the brain. Some studies have shown that Omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin E, apoaequorin, and coenzyme Q supplements (like Vetality, Senilife, and Neutricks) may reduce dementia-related signs, while other studies have been inconclusive.
Nutramax Denosyl has a free radical scavenger, called SAM-e, that can help dogs with cognitive dysfunction have improved awareness and activity.
Sometimes, vets will prescribe an FDA-approved medication called selegiline to help with cognitive dysfunction and senility.
This medication can help dogs with dementia have fewer sleep-wake cycle issues, have less house soiling, and improve their brain activity.
Selegiline can’t be given with certain medications, like trazodone, Proin, fluoxetine, and tramadol.
Trazodone may also be prescribed by some veterinarians to help senior patients with dementia-related anxiety.
When discussing medications with your veterinarian, make sure to let them know any meds that your dog is currently taking.
Recovery and Management of Dog Dementia
While dogs don’t necessarily recover from dementia, they can show improvement with nutritional, medical, and behavioral support.
The idea is to help keep the brain active and delay the speed that cognitive function worsens.
Realistic expectations for some pet parents may mean understanding that your dog’s life can look a little different as they enter their golden years, but with patience and adaptability, quality of life can often be maintained.
Keeping a regular routine and schedule is helpful for pets with dementia. Increasing activity during the day, such as 30-minute slow walks twice a day, can help the mind be more quiet at night.
Other management strategies may be aimed at lowering your dog’s anxiety as they go through dementia changes. Plug-in wall pheromones, like this one by ThunderEase, and calming collars, such as this Zenidog collar, are made with the pheromones released when puppies nurse from their mothers and may subtly reduce stress in some pups.
ThunderShirts can provide constant, gentle pressure to help relax some dogs.
Most pets with cognitive changes benefit from a combination of management options in their routine, environment, and diet, rather than just one thing.
Prevention of Dog Dementia
Despite dementia being very common in dogs, it can be delayed by starting nutritional and behavioral support early on.
Keeping your senior dog on a good supplement, giving a senior diet, and maintaining a regular schedule with twice-daily walks will go a long way to help brain health.
Dog Dementia FAQs
What is the life expectancy of a dog with dementia?
As most dogs with dementia are already seniors at the time of diagnosis, the life expectancy is usually only a few years.
What are the symptoms of dementia in dogs?
The most common symptoms of dementia in dogs are pacing at night, getting lost and vocalizing randomly, house soiling, increased anxiety, and behavior changes in their interaction with household members.
How does a dog act if they have dementia?
Dogs with dementia generally act confused. They readily get lost and seem to forget things easily. They may go outdoors to go to the bathroom, forget to go, then go in the house. They may also get lost in corners, or you may find them in a room barking at seemingly nothing. They will often be restless in the evening and pace.
Can a dog recover from dementia?
While dogs can’t recover from dementia, they can show improved symptoms, and you can slow the worsening of cognitive dysfunction.
Why is dog dementia worse at night?
The sleep-wake cycle is controlled by a certain part of the brain.
When dogs get dementia they have a weakening of the brain, and this portion can be affected. Without good sleep-wake patterns, the internal clock is off, leading to confusion at night.
