Alzheimer’s in dogs and cats

After Ewok's cra-cra hour, she settles down to sleep. 

We love our fur kids, don’t we? We share their antics on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and other social media. These days, pet healthcare is so good, animals are living longer lives. I love that! However, experts have discovered that just as in humans, dogs and cats can develop behavioral disorders as they age.

Fido and Fluffy can suffer from forms of Alzheimer’s Disease and Sundowner Syndrome. Veterinarians have seen increasing cases of canine and feline dementia or Cognitive Dysfunction Syndrome (CDS).

Signs Fido or Fluffy is suffering from the disorder may include things like confusion, agitation, restlessness, pacing, barking at nothing, irritability or an extreme need to cling to their humans.

It’s distressing to see our pets suffer. What can we do to help? Older pets often develop arthritis, so we can keep soft blankets or doggie/kitty beds around the house to help them rest. We can make sure they have a good senior diet and stay physically active.

Ewok Babe Reynders, a Shih-poo (Shih-tzu-Poodle mix) is my senior fur kid. She is 13 and at her last appointment the vet said she is in good health, albeit a couple of pounds overweight. (She loves her snippets of human food!)

These days, she sleeps with the abandon of a puppy. Her favorite spot is on her “perch,” which is the back of a loveseat placed beside my front window. From there, she surveys her kingdom and barks at everything. She’s always done that, so that’s nothing new.

Ewok begs at the stair railing.

CDS is part of her life now, I fear. She often doesn’t hear when I come home from work. Staring into space and zoning out for a few seconds, as if she’s entered the Twilight Zone, is a common occurrence. Responding to her name and following commands comes with difficulty.
It breaks my heart when she has one of her seizures. The best thing is to hold her until it passes. Fireworks, shrill screams and thunderstorms reduce her to a quivering, panting mess. She scratches, she paces, she shreds magazines. No amount of consoling helps.
Then there’s her crazy hour when she freaks out. Every day at about 5 p.m., she runs around the family room, shaking up her toys, stirring up her blankets and scratching at the upstairs railing. She’s been outside, she’s eaten dinner and she’s gobbled a couple of rawhide bones, to which she is hopelessly addicted.

What does she want? I don’t know. I don’t think she knows, either. There’s nothing to do but understand this is how her life is now. And love her unconditionally.
Do you have, or have you ever had a senior dog or cat that exhibits signs of dementia? How did you help them? 

Ewok is addicted to rawhide bones.