As our beloved pets age, several new challenges may arise when it comes to their care due to the physical and cognitive decline that comes with aging. Many people may be aware that older pets are more likely to develop certain illnesses, such as kidney disease, but did you know that pets can also get dementia? In this article, we will further explore dementia in pets, how to recognize it, and what can be done if your pet develops it.
Cognitive Dysfunction Syndrome – Dementia
Cognitive Dysfunction Syndrome (CDS), more commonly referred to as dementia, is a decline in the cognitive abilities of your pet that affects their recognition, perception, learning, and memory. It is caused by the changes in the brain that can happen when aging. Dementia in pets is often compared to Alzheimer’s disease in humans, as the most common reasons for Cognitive Dysfunction Syndrome in dogs and cats are the same as those of Alzheimer’s disease in humans.
The most common causes of CDS are oxidative damage in the brain cells ajd poor blood circulation due to vascular insufficiency, and deteriorated oxygen metabolism in the brain cells.
which results in less available oxygen. These causes lead to toxic proteins, which result in an increased death rate of neurons, which are the cells that relay information throughout the brain. If the neurons can’t work properly, the brain can’t fully do what it’s supposed to do. The increased death rate of neurons is especially seen in areas where memory is stored.
The occurrence of CDS in dogs is high, ranging from 28% in 11 to 12 year old dogs and 68% in the age group of 15 to 16 years old. In cats, CDS was seen in 36% of the population of 11 to 21 year old cats.
Symptoms
Signs of dementia in pets include:
- Change in sleeping patterns. This may mean that your pet may start sleeping more during the day and will start waking at night. When awake at night, they may be noisy and agitated.
- House soiling: A once house-trained pet may start soiling inside the home/outside their litter box.
- Increased signs of disorientation. A disoriented pet may look confused. For example, they may start wandering aimlessly and get stuck behind furniture, unable to get out. They may also get “stuck” in a corner of a room. Familiar objects may be avoided because they no longer recognise them. Other signals of disorientation are running into walls or doors and staring blankly at them.
- Interactions with people and other pets may get affected. This means that your pet may become more clingy while once being independent. They may lose interest in strokes and petting, and could even avoid contact. Increased agitation and aggression are also possible.
- Activity levels may change, such as a pet that once was very active, may become restless or lethargic. Any interest they may have had in sniffing, exploring, and playing may stop.
- They may lose interest/forget to eat. The opposite is also possible, they may keep asking for food as they forget they have just emptied their bowl.
- Self hygiene may be neglected
- Increased anxiety
- Increased vocalisation, such as more barking and/or meowing.
- Learning and memory may be affected. Once learned behaviours may be forgotten, learning new behaviours can go more slowly, or your pet may be unable to adapt to change.
Diagnosis and Treatment
CDS is underdiagnosed, with one of the reasons being that caregivers often assume behaviour changes are the result of aging. Veterinarians can also miss the signs. Because dementia in pets can look similar to other health problems, diagnosis happens through exclusion. This means that a veterinarian will rule out all other potential medical causes that may give the same symptoms.
There is no cure to CDS, but there are ways you can slow the progression, and keep your pet as comfortable as possible.
- Supplements and Medication. There is medication available that helps slow down the progression of CDS. These can be prescribed by a veterinarian.
- Enrichment. The brain is like a muscle, and by training it you can slow down decline. Training your pet’s brain can be done through enrichment. When doing enrichment, one must stay realistic with their expectations, as the key is exercising the brain and not success in training.
- Environmental enrichment. Create new opportunities for your dog or cat to explore, hunt, or climb. This will help their brain stay alert.
- Don’t make too many changes inside your home, where your pet spends most of its time. This helps prevent confusion.
- Be Patient and alert: Your pet can’t help it if it soils inside the home or forgets other behaviours. Set your pet up for success by providing more toilet breaks or more litter boxes. Also ensure that the surroundings of your pet are safe to prevent them from hurting themselves.
- If your pet is having trouble with waking at night, but sleeping during the day. keep them busy in the daytime. This will help them sleep better at night.
- Resources need to be easily accessible.
- Create protected resting areas, away from other pets and kids, as a pet with dementia can be less tolerant.
Conclusion
Dementia in pets is under diagnosed, but by keeping an eye out for the signs, detection and intervention can be started in the early stages. While there is no cure, there are steps one can take to slow down the progression and keep the pet as comfortable as possible.
Would you like to know more about our pet care services? Feel free to contact us for more information.