[EmilyB]

Stormy is approaching 10 this year.

She has been to the vet about 6 times over the past couple years for what has consistently been diagnosed as behavioral urination. (Could be true, she hates Priscilla). She is on Propalin, it's not a leaking thing, but a deliberate pee.

The other thing that I have always mentioned to the vets is that she looks at her shadow, everywhere.

The vets I have seen don't seem to think that is an issue.

Apparently it is all in her head, but what to do?

She paces around here all evening.

 

[mmctaq]

If the pacing at night is new-ish, it could be Canine Cognative Dysfunction. The only time I had a dog afflicted with this, Anipryl worked like magic.

If you really think that there is something with her eyes, you need an eye guy. Is she weirder in low-light situations? Will she exit the lit house into the dark outside comfortably? If it is all in her head, is it actually a big deal?

 

[EmilyB]

Well, it is a big deal only because she is clearly unhappy.

Lower light actually yes, this is when she can see her shadow or reflection on the wall or wherever. She will go out in the dark just fine.

We do have an eye guy here that I could probably get a referral to. I'll do a bit more reading on CDS before I go in as well.

 

[MeadowCat]

I don't know about medical issues and wouldn't even hazard a guess, but if she's clear medically and it's behavioral/anxiety issues, have you considered medication at all? There are quite a few different drugs that are used very successfully in those types of situations.

 

[EmilyB]

I am thinking at this point the symptoms are not so much those of anxiety but closer to the ones for dementia.

•General confusion or disorientation
•Wandering and/or pacing
•Restlessness, sleeplessness at night
•Acting "dazed" or staring off into space
•Getting "stuck" in corners or small spaces
•Seeming to be lost in familiar places
•Going to the wrong side of familiar doors
•Not responding well to his name or to commands he once knew
•Acting withdrawn; interacting less with familiar people and other pets
•Forgetting housetraining; having "accidents" in areas where he never did before
•Less enthusiastic about games, toys or foods that used to create excitement
•Other behaviors that are unusual for your dog

Dementia in Dogs - Canine Cognitive Dysfunction

In fact, my husband just got home from taking them to the park and said Stormy was cramming herself in behind the back seat.

I have an appointment for next Saturday, but it does seem this is what we might be looking at.

 

[monicaei]

That sounds JUST like our Roman when he got older. Our vet diagnosed as dementia, it's a hard thing to watch and hard to live with. Particuarly the potty issues. Upside to it was he was happy as a clam and in no pain. He was acting bizarre, but he had no idea how confused he was, if that makes sense.

I have also had experience with loss of vision. When Julian was at the end stage of her lymphoma one of the lymph nodes behind her left eye enlarged and put pressure on the optic nerve and she lost her vision. It was not subtle. She was clearly disoriented and panicked and generally discombobulated. We let her go the next day.

Good luck, and I genuinely think the symptoms you list sound ALOT like dementia.

 

[eegreen]

Our last Dobe was diagnosed with dementia a few months before his 12th birthday. He had all the classic symptoms and we tried the medication but unfortunately, it didn't help him very much. I'm hoping all is OK with Stormy and sending good vibes.

 

[EmilyB]

How is it diagnosed, only by the symptoms?

 

[monicaei]

Yes. At least that's how it was diagnosed for us. There were some meds, but after doing some research and watching him we decided not to try them. He was ok, the success rate was poor, and the listed side effects didn't seem worth it. Roman was happy, but odd, untreated til the day he left us.

 

[mmctaq]

There were some meds, but after doing some research and watching him we decided not to try them. He was ok, the success rate was poor, and the listed side effects didn't seem worth it.

I had a dog on Anipryl for something like three years. It took two weeks for him to go from severely addled to normally functioning. I think the success rate is fairly high for this medication. I did liver value testing every six months or so, and nothing was ever out of whack. I know I got lucky on two counts (it worked and had no side effects), but I cannot imagine NOT trying it if the situation ever arises again.

 

[melbrod]

My sister had a cat with dementia. The cat would eat all the food out of her dish, walk in a circle through the kitchen, dining room, den--by the time she got back to her food dish, she had forgotten she had eaten and would sit at her dish crying for more--all day long. It was very hard to deal with.
But the cat wasn't really in any pain, per se--she was just.....forgetful.

I hope you can find a successful treatment for whatever ails your dog--good luck.

 

[EmilyB]

I couldn't deal with that, even if it was just a cat.....

 

[mmctaq]

I couldn't deal with that, even if it was just a cat.....

My cat wants to know what you mean by "just a cat."

 

[melbrod]

Most cats and dogs seem to be "just a ....."

until they're yours.

 

[EmilyB]

Relax, I was joking.... I'm severely allergic to cats but I've had some great ones, at least for a while, over the years.

 

[melbrod]

My sister was always the cat person and I was the dog person in our house--until we got our cat. And you know............



Cats aren't so bad after all. (and they're easier than dogs. shhhhhhh......)

 

[Toby'shuman]

So sorry your poor baby is going through this, I do hope something can be done to help her lots of love and a big :kiss: on its way to help her and you through this.

 

[Sarahnichole]

My 3-year-old dobie has eye sight issues from an injury as a pup. She's a shadow chaser. She has done this all of her life. Since it's "normal" for her, and I've known she had eye sight issues since she opened her eyes, it doesn't really worry me much, but if I had a dog start doing things like that when they were older, it would freak me out. I hope your boy is okay. My girl not only chases shadows, she seems to have real trouble with depth perception and tracking movement. Transitions in flooring make her nervous (especially if linoleum is involved). She will stare at the place where the floor changes from one type of flooring to the next and refuse to move unless I "help" her by keeping a hand on her neck. Her eyesight makes daily life a little bit harder for her than the others, but I've learned that the more I talk to her and the bigger my movements are when trying to get her attention, the better reaction I get. I also make sure she stays on a very strict routine. It helps her out a lot. Sometimes if I'm in the yard playing with her and she gets distracted and wanders off, if she sees me in a different area than where I was when she left my side, she will bark at me like I'm an intruder. I just talk calmly to her and call her name and then she knows it's me and comes running. I don't know if any of this is sounding familiar or not to you, but I would definitely get an eye exam. Bad eyesight can definitely make them act strangely and is a lot less heartbreaking than I would imagine dementia to be. I'll be hoping and praying for you!

 

[Patches Mom]

Dogs can also have Alzheimer's my Papillon had it she was 13 when it started 1st she loved to fetch the ball slept with the ball in her mouth all her life. Then one day she acted like she had never seen a ball never played ball again. Then she was incontinent I used cloth diapers and pads also used Aloe Vera type baby wipes from the dollar store to keep her clean. Then she would get stuck in different areas like under the table,not know how a door worked stand on the wrong side. Then towards the end she did not know us, I brushed her teeth every day, brushed her she became scared of getting brushed about a week before I had to put her down she quit eating. I tried to fix her favorite things sausage,chicken, liver & hamburger she would not eat loosing weight like crazy. Took her to the vet to be put to sleep I waited a little too long but it was hard to tell because she had rallied before.She was 14 1/2 years old.
Forgot, back then the vet said giving her Salmon oil would help.