Age-related Cognitive Dysfunction in Dogs

What is it?

Cognitive Dysfunction (CD) is a disease seen in older dogs.

Starting from late middle-age into older age dogs can start to show signs of confusion or changes in their behaviour a they get older.

CD is caused by changes to the cells in the brain making them less able to process or transmit information.

Signs of Cognitive Dysfunction

Symptoms will vary depending on the dog.

One of the most common signs that owners notice is that their elderly dog seems confused sometimes: they may seem to get lost in their own garden or house, they may ask to go out at the wrong door, or get stuck in corners when wandering round the house.

A lot of owners report that their dog just seems vacant; they may spend time staring blankly into space.

A classic sign of CD is a change to sleep/wake routines.

Affected dogs may spend most of the day sleeping, then be awake overnight, often unsettled and wandering round the house.

If they are confused and crying or barking overnight this can further increase the disruption caused to family life.

Confusion can also contribute to a loss of house training.

Dogs may ask to go outside, then come back in and immediately have a wee or a poo.

CD may also cause an increase in anxious behaviours in affected dogs.

This may be seen as separation anxiety in a dog who has always been fine to be left on their own, or confident dogs becoming clingy.

The opposite is also often seen: dogs with CD often show reduced interest in toys or games and they are less inclined to interact with their families or other pets.

They may be less inclined to go for a walk, or do less sniffing and investigating while they are out and about.

You may start to notice signs of CD as early as 8 or 9 years old, but symptoms usually start slowly and progress over several years.

Most owners realise that something is wrong once behavioural changes start to affect family life: keeping everyone awake at night, destructive behaviour, or loss of house training.

Isn’t it just old age?

Just like people, as dogs get older they often lose some of their hearing, and they don’t see as well as they used to.

This means that a lot of the changes seen in CD may be put down to “just old age”.

Getting older doesn’t mean that your dog should be anxious, confused or disinterested in life.

An old dog should still be happy to interact with the world around them… although perhaps at a slower pace.

CD isn’t just a pet ageing: it is a change in brain function that can seriously affect your dog’s quality of life,
as well as your quality of life.

Help for dogs with CD

CD is not just an inevitable part of our dogs getting older:

Symptoms can be prevented, delayed and improved.

Diet

Dogs fed a high quality food are less likely to develop signs of CD compared to dogs fed a low quality diet or table scraps.

Furthermore, a diet supplemented with antioxidants, vitamins, fatty acids and more can help reduce the rate of decline.

There are several commercial diets specifically designed for dogs with CD which combine a high quality food with extra supplements to support brain health.

Your vet can help you choose which one is best for your dog.

Enrichment

Diet works even better when it is combined with activities to stimulate your dog’s brain.

The smaller his world becomes the less their brain will engage.

SO continue to do things like going out for a walk, sitting in the park or on the beach, and give them
things to sniff or chew.

If your dog can’t walk very far they can still go out: put them in a pram or drive to the park in the car and let them out to have a sniff and sit in the grass.

Training will also help to engage your dog’s brain.

Consider though that you may need to adapt things for an older dog!

Instead of “sit” or “come” you may want to ask your elderly dog to “stay”, “look” or “watch”.

Supplements

There are several supplements available which are designed to support dogs with CD.

They contain things like vitamins A, B and E, antioxidants and essential fatty acids.

Also, there is some anecdotal evidence that melatonin supplementation may help improve abnormal sleep patterns seen in CD.

Medication

A few prescription medications have been show to be useful in cases of CD.

Propentofylline works to improve circulation and increase blood flow to the brain.

Selegeline will enhance dopamine activity in the brain and help to protect nerve cells.

Medication is not appropriate in all cases so speak to your vet about the best option for your dog.

Your Vet can Help

There is not a specific test that your vet can do for CD.

Usually diagnosis can be made based on what you tell the vet, along with a physical exam including sight and hearing assessment.

Your vet will probably want to do blood and urine tests to check for other underlying disease: kidney, liver and other diseases are more common as dogs get older.

If your vet does suspect CD then there is lots of advice they can give you to help make things better.

Environmental enrichment (games, toys, encouraging your dog to interact with you) can help prevent and slow progression of CD.

A good diet can help your dog as he ages as well, supporting brain function as well as joint and general health.

Finally, supplements and several medications may also help reduce or prevent the signs of CD.

You and your dog should be able to enjoy their older life: Don’t suffer through sleepless nights, confusion or anxiety.

If you think that your dog may be showing signs of CD then speak to your veterinary team about how they can help.