Last week, I wrote about my dog’s onset of Canine Cognitive Dysfunction—CCD. It’s been about three weeks since he was diagnosed. Thanks to our veterinarians and their staff, we are adjusting.
I asked friends online for help introducing CCD, a condition that many novice dog guardians know very little about. I said:
“When I tell friends and neighbors about my dog’s diagnosis, I am most surprised that so many of them—most of whom have or have had dogs—are unaware that such a condition exists. I want novice dog guardians to know what it is because, some day, their own dog may have symptoms and they won’t know what to do.
“I need your help. Has your dog or a dog you know shown symptoms of Canine Cognitive Dysfunction? Will you tell us about it? I want to share your stories of dealing with this condition—which may affect dogs as they age—to inform novice dog guardians.
“This is my first post on the topic. I want to write more. Right now, I want to ‘get the ball rolling’ for a first blog on the subject of Canine Cognitive Dysfunction. I want to approach the topic gently by sharing personal stories from you, along with my own. I do not want to scare the crap out of anyone whose dog is already old!
“First, let’s talk about how we guessed there might be ‘something wrong’ with a dog because we saw unusual behavior we didn’t understand. Go for it! Help me introduce a difficult subject.”
Here are more of their answers and suggestions:
Bobbie Bhambree-Wirkmaa (New York) I’m dealing with it now—Tricky, my 14.5-year-old terrier mix. We are working with a veterinary behaviorist.
Kellie Sisson Snider (Pennsylvania) Pan had it for the last couple of years of his life. He lived to be 17. He also got hit by a car when he was 16 and lost an eye, then we moved. It was a hard year for him. He had all the usual symptoms. He would get lost in corners. He didn’t remember which side to stand on when I was going to open the door. He would forget that he had just eaten and start begging. He would stand in the middle of the room and just bark this awful, weird bark in the evenings, and that could go on for hours. If he wasn’t crated, he paced and barked all night. He started having accidents in the house. It was super sad.
Peggy Frezon (New York) My 16-year-old spaniel Kelly had it. She would pace around the house, fall asleep with her nose in her water bowl, wait on the wrong (hinge) side of the door, get stuck in corners, look very lost. Melatonin and fish oil helped some. Just managing her issues as they came up. Let me know if you have any specific questions.
Paula Shimko (Pennsylvania) Mine would sleep all day—he had sundowners unless we took him to the park for a short walk; then he was able to sleep through the night.
Denise Nuttall (United Kingdom) Yes. Lily has CCD. Early stages. She’s been prescribed Nutramind to help. I’ve noticed she’s losing her inhibitions. For example, she likes to walk to the pet shop. She has been taught not to pull. But nowadays, on this walk, she pulls like a steam engine! No amount of reasoning will get her to walk nicely. Too exciting. She has become extremely playful with us, but is really rough. She was like this as a puppy. Definite changes in behavior. Bless her.
Mandy Lorian (Wisconsin) I’m pretty sure Bodhi has this, but it has been advancing very slowly. I find that if I keep him well exercised during the day, he does less pacing at night. On nights he can’t settle at all, I will sometimes give him Trazodone or Gabapentin. I keep him as active as possible and when he gets stuck in corners, I gently guide him out and give him lots of pets and love. I warn all guests, even those who know him well, to be gentle and patient with him. I give him lots of leeway when following commands and let him do things at his own pace.
George Guba (New York) I have encountered symptoms like that—also sundowners. There are many supplements, but what has helped several of my dogs has been Purina Pro Plan Bright Minds dog food. The formula is specifically designed for older dogs. Most recently I moved my two 13-year-olds [to it] who had been physically and mentally showing signs of aging. Within days, they showed improvements with physical and mental awareness. This is the same result that I’ve had with elderly dogs in the past. Other food manufacturers are starting to produce similar formulas. With Speed, many years ago, he was confused, staring at walls, issues with shadows, etc. After changing to Bright Minds, he returned to the dog he had been.
Debby McMullen (Pennsylvania) I have had three dogs with that condition. I found Anipryl to be super helpful to improve mental awareness, at least for a time. The time it improves things varies with the age and condition of the dog.
Cherie Marshall (Washington) My dog Mattie the basset had this—came on fairly quick and she went downhill fairly quickly. Nothing was much help, med wise. Nothing seemed comforting for her (petting/holding her = no). She was scared of noises, and as she grew worse over time, she got confused, wearing a worried expression on her face most of the time. When certain noises would make a sound on my phone, sounds on the TV, etc., she would jump or look around trying to figure out what the noise was, where it was coming from. She was unable to rest or sleep at night and would wander around coming up to me like she wanted “help,” but didn’t want to be held since that was not comforting to her. We tried everything. Our second basset, Fred, was confused by her behavior. She would walk up to him and he would growl at her, warning her to get out of his face, but she ignored his warnings and I feared he would bite her. He never did, but he was upset by her behavior. I eventually found that her quality of life was slim to none and had to make the decision to have her PTS to give the only thing left that was possible, and that was peace.
Timothy Page (Oregon) I looked at the list of symptoms, and only found one thing that Lalo (13 this August) has begun doing that is unusual: night barking. We have a doggy door, so he can go out whenever he needs to. It’s next to the slider where he stands in front of the glass and barks. It’s pretty much always only at night. He goes on steadily barking like there is something out there, but a fairly mellow bark, not aggressive. He is beginning to have some hearing and vision loss, but nothing else listed is a symptom.
Sandie Hanlon (Massachusetts) My oldest dog has some hearing and vision loss, which I think can also complicate a diagnosis. My vet as well as many friends/breeders have all said they put their dogs on PPP Bright Mind food and they have seen some improvement. I tried it for a while, but his kidney disease was more serious and he’s on a kidney diet. My vet has me using products I can get online, Senilife supplement and Vetri Science Canine Senior Vitality Pro supplement. My boy does get restless at night so I have him on melatonin and Gabapentin at night. He still gets up once, but then is resting the night.
Don Hanson (Maine) This can be a tough topic. I’ve had the experience of seeing two grandparents and caring for my mother who went through the human equivalent. I’ve also had two dogs that have had CCD as well as a staff member who had a dog with CCD, and some clients. Like with people, it’s a spectrum. Neither of our dogs had a severe case; however, my friend’s dog became dangerously aggressive. This is one of those times I would encourage a client to seek out a second opinion from vets taking a more holistic approach focused on nutrients comprised of fresh whole food. Chinese medicine and homeopathy may also be helpful.
Kate Wilson (Michigan) Our sweet dog Della has CCD, she was getting very anxious and confused, so our vet started her on Paxil and Gabapentin. She still has days she doesn’t seem to know us from strangers and gets stuck staring at nothing, but she is very happy now. When you walk up, she’s so happy and surprised, so optimistic, and seems to really enjoy life. We give her all the things she loves, the food and the walks. And it is hard. You have to grieve your lost relationship in small pieces, but I think you also meet them for who they are today. As long as we can keep her quality of life, I can do that for her.
REMEMBER ME? Loving and Caring for a Dog with Canine Cognitive Dysfunction
by Eileen Anderson
Remember Me? tells the poignant story of author Eileen Anderson’s small terrier Cricket, who developed canine cognitive dysfunction. As Cricket’s dementia worsened she paced, she circled, she stood in corners, she forgot what she was doing, and at times she lost and found her owner repeatedly. For the last weeks of her life she even forgot how to drink water. As Cricket’s condition deteriorated and her needs became more extensive, Anderson learned about the disease and developed methods to care for her dog. She shares these methods in Remember Me? and her calm, conversational tone is soothing to dog owners who are suffering—sometimes more than their dogs. Remember Me? has been critically recognized, winning the 2016 Maxwell Award from the Dog Writers Association of America for a book on health, behavior, or general care. “When her own dog is diagnosed with CCD, Anderson makes it her task to understand this dog counterpart to human Alzheimer’s disease … Those of us who adore and champion older dogs are in her debt for this stellar resource.” —Jean Donaldson, author of “The Culture Clash,” founder of the Academy for Dog Trainers
Eileen Anderson (Arkansas) I sell the ebook directly on my site, but not the paperback. The site has a bunch of links where it is sold. (The last one, Book Depository, has gone out of business.) I don’t really care where people buy it. I do get better royalties when they buy the ebook from my site, but some people have trouble with the download process. Barnes and Noble carries the paperback (for the Amazon objectors). I do bulk orders, too.
P.S. In case you’re wondering, dogs are not the only animals who may develop cognitive dysfunction:
Connie Price (California) I currently have a senior cat with the feline version of this—Feline Cognitive Dysfunction: FCD.
