He has recently had trouble walking and has accidents in the house. She’s almost blind and can hear a little. It’s perplexing to us humans when they suddenly start acting strange. It’s linked on the “When to Say Goodbye?” page. Bit desperate and want to sleep! Thankfully she is with my mum as we manage this. Your checklist has been really eye opening because I realize he is in the severe stages of CCD. We just started her on Senilife and are in hopes we can bring her back, cognitively, for as long as possible. He has severe arthritis and bad joints. In the last couple of weeks he’s seemed more distressed and it’s been much harder for me to help him calm down so I think his quality of life is degrading. BARBIE , Shiba (4/10/2001): My worries with her started in January 2017. Number 4. I am so sorry it’s happening, though. Have you heard of dogs having these symptoms from cancer? Hi – I just watched your video of Cricket and it hits home. It gets over 90 degrees in the summer and he goes in and out and I’ve had to bring him inside many times. I now know what the term, a Heavy Heart means. I think it will help others. We had a bearded collie who had dementia that was diagnosed, but his symptoms were completely different than Tuckers, so I’m not sure. My dog has all the same symptoms only worse (been close to a year since symptoms Started) 16year old yorkie. My question is, do dogs with CCD “sundown.” I know people do, but was wondering if you have heard of this in dogs? I would possibly euthanize a dog because of dementia alone, because I’ve seen how far it can go. Any info you can give would be very helpful. She is so sweet and will miss her when she is gone. Hi Barbara, I am going to vets tomorrow to have her pain meds reviewed in case it is a discomfort problem, and blood pressure urinary infection checks, but I think she just forgets to rest ??? I’m glad she gets such wonderful care not only from you but her vet team. Be sure and talk to your vet about Maisy so you can get a certain diagnosis. He is otherwise a fit and healthy dog, but has just deteriorated over the past couple of months. Any of these could be signs your dog has a tail problem. She has a “team” of doctors and they all love her but I feel like there’s something missing in her care. I am crying as I type this, but I guess we’ll be off to the vet on Monday to find out what I can [possibly do. Thank you. I’m sorry that I am so very late publishing your comment. It could **be** pain, or it could be something else going wrong. I am so sorry for them. Suppertime! I have heard that it can bring a sense of security to animals. And definitely send a photo for the gallery; would love to seen him. We keep the floors covered with newspaper for any accidents. She will be 15 in June, and I feel so sad that she may be confused about her surroundings or who we are at times. Since you know there are medications, I assume that they are not working for your dog. Hi Catherine, She seems to have no enthusiasm for anything even walks , very little recognition for me shes disorientated, wobbly, shes circling incessantly. We honestly don’t know what direction to go. Yes, it’s so hard. Hi Kathie, that sounds really tough. Only a vet can tell. He also does this in the middle of the night. I hope you can talk to your vet about Tucker. I’m so sorry things are hard for Sushi and you are having to look at that hard decision. I took him to animal emergency hospital because he was barking non-stop and sounded like he was in pain. He becomes increasingly “squirrelly” at night. I want to give him “rest”, but my husband says he is waiting until he appears to be in pain or becomes immobile. I dropped her off and her late brother for a routine scheduled dental cleaning. I thank you for your help. He loves his bone, picks it up and doesn’t know what to do with it…..we usually find it in his water bowl. Mornings rough but after meds he was able to function much better. >>EILEEN IN THE VIDEO: Many of us have gone through that up and down. A vet can ask you some questions and start to work on a diagnosis. Thank you for your site. Mentioning that he could have CCD… But could it just be at night? The treatment page is among my most viewed pages. Have you looked at the Quality of Life index? Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. But most of the symptoms of dementia can also be symptoms of other neurological problems too. There were some negative indicators I had not thought of, and some activities I was worried about that were put into perspective. I noticed my 14 year old cocker spaniel/eskie mix, Emma, is doing some things that she never did before. The thing is, there are so many possibilities for these mental oddities that can happen to dogs, not just dementia. She won’t eat the pumpkin to help with loose stool, lastly she has symptoms of dementia, some days are better then others, I am struggling with putting her to sleep but she has list the gleam in her eyes. Our love goes with them. Over the course of these visits Barbie takes Melotonin (so she can relax and sleep at night and I can too), Cyclosporine (it suppresses her immune system since it’s unknown why her RBC count is low), Xanax (1/2 a tablet in the morning and at night) this helps reduce her pacing/anxiety), weekly B12 injection, and her new medication weekly injection Aranesp (man-made protein that helps produce RBC). She would get lost in the house, stared at walls, would walk into chairs, getting stuck not knowing know how to get out. She did not have cancer or other diseases. In retrospect my sweet boy was chewing on blankets a lot! Also, she has cataracts and is deaf for about 4 years. I just recently found you and your book and I wish I had done more research sooner…My 16yr old Maltese x has been showing signs of dementia for the past 1.5yrs and is getting worse. I have a 16 year old Lhasa Apso mix named Bugs……he’s got CCD and its pathetic to see my once hyper playful and bouncy pet losing his balance and falling asleep wherever he falls. These past couple months have been very tough as my grandma just passed away last month and now I am having to deal with the high probability of my best four legged friend passing away soon. When do we decide when is it not fair to her? I’m so glad the site was helpful. Thank you, for your uplifting care and thoughts. I was talking to my college age daughter and she said right away he has doggie dementia. I know it’s hard. Thank you for your video its exactly what my 19 year old Scooter is doing, he has had a bad week, stuck more often but u still feel he has a quality of life, still looks forward to his treats, when dogs are your family it’s hard to watch them go through what my grandfather went through. We asked Gill Taylor to write an article about what is happening to the Pomeranian, as a whole, as a breed. I’ve found that he calms down when I hold him and although he is also nippy at times (like many other people I’ve been bitten several times) he clearly enjoys being held close. How do I make the decision to put an otherwise healthy dog to sleep. My mother had Alzheimer’s so I experienced this in both ways. I’m sorry for my delayed response. Only wags his tail when he sees another dog, no greetings for me though which is sad. (this breed is very quick to housebreak) He also has some hearing loss, odd way of standing, unsteady gait, stares into mirrors. If your Pomeranian stood over you while you ate… it would be annoying. I hope he and you have some good times left. You are already doing the best thing by taking her to the vet. I’m now struggling with the final decision-I know that I would not want to live with the fear and anxiety. We have a 15 year old Shiba Inu, named Sadie. We now need to pay more attention to Bernard and try to work out what his quality of life is and perhaps make that decision that we know we don’t want to make. Good luck with your schnoodle. I also feel so Wrong about being there in her last moments ! Feeding time he’s his happy jumpy self. As more dogs get diagnosed, as is now happening, I think QOL scales will be amended to include this element and weighing it appropriately. Best wishes to you and your dog. On the Treatments page on this website, I include all of the treatments that have shown in studies that they may help. It’s really really hard emotionally to euthanize a dog because of behavior, but it can be a valid choice. I know what you mean about thanking her. I hope your guy is still doing OK. Dementia nurses are angels, in my book. Poor guy went thru hell and back yet returned to his normal happy little self! How do they treat this? It’s so important that people don’t jump to conclusions and you’re so right telling people to seek an official diagnosis I always say CCD is a diagnosis of exclusion. My Sherloch a 14 yr old Pomeranian has started to stare in corners and just act strange. He’s my boy and the recognition in his face when he sees me warms my heart. He is off and on with eating, but thankfully has not lost any weight. First of all, I know everyone is going to say "take her to the vet" But Im only 16 and my parents wont do crap about it, my mom told me shed call tommorrow morning. I know that sounds kind of cold and clinical, but it can be helpful to see a vet’s idea of how to look at a pet’s quality of life. Post was not sent - check your email addresses! In the meantime, kudos to you for observing Scarlet so carefully and also finding out what she really enjoys! I hope Emma is doing OK. Again thanks so much for your kindness and videos, Irma Mittermeier. Occasional aggression towards up but was only odd moments. When I call him he no longer comes to me (he was always the 1st to) and when he finally looks up and sees me coming outside to get him, he gets this “OMG I know you, so happy to see you” happy look on his face. I believe she had this before the surgery and we just didn’t notice it and I believe the anesthesia made it worse….Is that possible…. This behavior comes about once or twice a week, could this be dementia.? We took in a stray daschund. My 13 year old “Schnug” ( schnauzer/pug) is going through this and I didn’t know what was going on until I saw this video. I have a rescue shtz Tzu who is 3 years oldd,she had a liver shunt and is on medication,but she has every sign of dementia,up wanting to go out all night but just standing looking about her,staring at the wall,iss this not very young for dementia,we love her to bits,we will do anything for her she had such a bad start in life. He greets me at the door with my other dogs and he seems to genuinely enjoy being snuggled. I have a 15 and 17 year old pom as well, and they are both as alert as puppies. Plus the seizures, tremors and muscle twitches and the last month-he is waking up once, twice, 20x a night and yelping like he is in agony. It ramped up quickly from barking at her, Rounding her up, to snapping at her, finally overnight he started attacking her so I sadly have had to seperate them for first time in 13yrs. Meals have been a nightmare of Cooper my foster fur baby is 14yrs old, deaf and blind. We’ve tested and x rayed. Roberta, I hope you can get your dog to the vet to ask that question. It’s always a hard conversation, and I hope you and the rescue can see eye-to-eye about him, whatever the decision may be. That’s a really hard way to lose a companion, but I don’t fault you at all. That’s my point of view and others may disagree. My little Cricket lived for a long time with dog dementia. (9 sounds young-ish for a Yorkie.) She’s done it three times now in the last 2 weeks. The first night, Tuesday, I was thinking maybe it was just the time change still, but after it happened last night I’m not so sure. He also sleeps more during the day and is wakeful at night. He has fallen in the pool and gets stuck in corners and barks. Dear Eileen, The … Hi Maria, Hi Will, >>EILEEN NARRATING: We start adding salmon oil to her food and drops of vitamins with iiron. Sorry for the delay–I have been sick. He paces, turns in circles, gets stuck in EVERYTHING, can’t sleep at night, and uses the bathroom where ever he feels like it then steps in it. I had never heard of inflammatory brain disease in dogs so I learned something today. Recently, I noticed that when she eats her dry food, she has been very messy. Vets do what is known as a “diagnosis of exclusion.” In other words, they consider all the symptoms and rule out other things that could cause those symptoms. He will still come when I call him, however there are times that even if I’m looking at him and calling him he’ll just stare back at me and tip his head, and then eventually will slowly come to me. We have learned that in order to get him to stop we actually have to get him to move from where he is laying. Take care. I just don’t know how much longer my husband and I can do this. The video with Cricket was wonderful. It will just mean that you have saved her some future suffering. Is there anything else I can do? If you have ever gone through the progression of Alzheimer’s with a friend or loved one then maybe you can realize what type of emotional pain they go through. What can I do. I do my own research in my area and I take Barbie to a vet oncologist. Good luck. I’m wondering whether it is now time to put him down even though he’s still doing ok by all other standards. Good luck. Going to the hinge side of the door is exactly what our dog is doing & getting between me & the cabinet & stands on my feet. I figured it was old age, but feel it has be dementia too. He’d be agitated and I just didn’t realize it may have been signs he wasn’t feeling well months before! Again, thanks for your comment, and I really think we are on the same page about this. So I’ve been looking on my IPad and came across your site. He barks incessantly. You did well for him with the information you had. He flinches when we approach him as if we were about to strike him (not the case). I only take him out when the weather is nice now. I was shocked and amazed at how similar your descriptions were. Seeing the pictures and video of cricket made me realize that Jack shows the same symptoms and that they are due to the dementia. I wonder if you can help me I have a terrier cross and he has just recently started to lay down and stare at his hind legs when we distract him from this for a while he will go straight back to it some times he will just ignore us when we call him. I can tell how much you love him. We are seniors too. The information was REALLY useful. I want to do the best for Jed. Although I know the term is not entirely accurate, I often feel his behavior is “manic” and that he is clearly not in control of whatever motivates him to pace etc… hi Eileen, thank you so much for this website, we have a 12 year old patterdale and we have noticed in the past 6 months his behaviour changing. when I got her home, she started showing the signs like standing at the hinged side of the door and pacing. Now it’s starting to stand and stare at Nothing and not move, getting into trash when possible like a puppy. P.S. My husband and I had to make the devasting decision two days ago. He’s now started running in there in the day time now, in a very scared way and cowering. She was everything to us. Maisy sounds like a cutie! So sorry your guy is showing some signs. Then an oral sarcoma treated with stereotactic radiotherapy, cancer gone!! I cry in my mind and even shed a tear with just the thought of losing her!