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Old October 24th, 2015, 10:33 AM
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SuperWanda SuperWanda is offline
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Dog dementia

Our dog turns 17 next month and her dementia symptoms are sadly progressing. I can handle it during the day, but at night we hardly get any sleep. She is very restless and seems confused. She paces and circles. We need to help her back to bed but she may just get up again or get stuck or fall off her bed. We have tried to decrease her pacing area by closing doors but when the lights go out she seems to be very unsettled. Mostly between the hours of 10 and 1. I have tried leaving lights on, melatonin before bed. I give her a Bach flower calming remedy. I am trying different supplements like more b vitamins and phospholipid. We even got a prescription for anipryl from the vet but it just made her more restless. It is hard because symptoms are not as bad during the day and I still try and give her two walks but she still can't sleep.
Just wondering if anyone here has been through this and what has helped?
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Old October 24th, 2015, 03:23 PM
Barkingdog Barkingdog is offline
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Have tried letting her sleep in your bedroom so she will know where you are at night . She could be thinking she is all alone and trying to find you.
Dementia is very hard for people so it has to be twice as hard on dogs , they have no idea what is happening to them . Or try putting something that smell like you in her bed and see if that comfort her.
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Old October 25th, 2015, 02:25 PM
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Reg Reg is offline
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Hi Super Wanda:

I am sorry to hear about your problems with dementia in your dog, it can be extremely difficult to deal with.

I was doing some research the other day on essential fatty acids, and came up with some information that might be of some value to you. I had some vets a few years back recommend that I start my crew on fish oils as a supplement for EFA's due to the fact that commercial pet foods were lacking in them severely, due to manufacturing methods. Now I have switched to homemade raw food, and I am still using EFA's as well. Now I'm looking for better product like Krill Oil, or Greenlip Muscle Oil when I came across this info.


I am including some websites for you to browse through, and come up with your own conclusions. Product that caught my eye was Moxxor , it might be worth a try. Problem is it will have to be brought in from the States, and it's relatively pricey when you figure in the exchange, but one bottle might give you some idea if it works or not, and if it's worth proceeding with.

http://www.littlebigcat.com/nutritio...-for-your-pet/

http://www.littlebigcat.com/holistic...xxor-omega-3s/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5O_e1MSXwc this one is an infomercial.

Hopefully some of this will be of interest to you. Please keep us informed on how things are progressing.
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Old October 27th, 2015, 04:48 PM
MaxaLisa MaxaLisa is offline
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17 is an amazing age....

I might double check on the melatonin dosage. I've only used small, tiny dosages, but I know some out there use huge amounts.

Cholidin (sp?) is one that some people swear by, but you might have already tried most of the ingredients.

I am trying to think of my mom who has had this problem, and the only thing that helped her was trazadone before bed, though she no longer takes it. I don't know if they have any drugs in that class that they use to treat dogs?

I wonder if some of those Hylands homeopathics might have something for anxiety or the like that could help? I know that their bedwetting remedy helps some dogs with incontinence, and I think the Nerve Tonic that I use in the day for Jazz before she goes to daycare helps. Btw, I've never had luck with Bach rescue remedy, though I have had luck with some of their other ones.

This is probably a useless idea, but I wonder if some goat's milk before bed would help.

If she is in pain, something for pain before bed?

They have a special senior album for dogs here: http://throughadogsear.com/ I swear that the car one I have used for Jazz has helped, but I don't know if it would help enough for what you are dealing with. I think they have a free download of a song or two and maybe you could try it out?
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Old October 28th, 2015, 12:41 PM
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SuperWanda SuperWanda is offline
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Thanks for all of your suggestions.

She did recently sleep in our room but now she is just outside our door. Mainly because she was pacing back and forth around our bed and usually getting stuck by our night stands. She can still see us from her bed and she has access to the kitchen but we thought limiting her roaming area might help us sleep better and help prevent her from getting stuck. Her confusion and circling seems to prevent her from getting back on her bed. During the day, she doesn't have this problem. She paces some but is able to navigate the house and outdoors fine and doesn't get stuck in the circling pattern as she does àt night. I compare it to sundowners in humans.

She gets a natural diet and has had essential oils for most of her life.She gets some coconut oil and cycles through krill and flax. I recently purchased some herring roe oil with higher DHA levels so feel she is well oiled but will check out the moxxar.

Cholodin is one I haven't tried yet. I do give phosphatidylserine (PS) which is another phosphlipid with vitamin b6 like in a product called senilife but should try some of the other ones like choline. I will look into the homeopathic again as well. At one point we were using nux vomica, maybe I should go back to that again. Pain meds too - I haven't really gotten any although my vet has suggested meloxicam. I do give a small dose of aspirin once in awhile but know these things can be tough on a tummy so have tried to avoid them. She still moves around pretty well but has lost muscle in her hindend. I imagine she is in discomfort but don't notice any panting or whimpering like our younger dog showed with her arthritis.

I hate to say it but I feel that maybe nothing will work at this late stage.

Sorry I haven't connected here in so long,
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  #6  
Old October 28th, 2015, 02:09 PM
Barkingdog Barkingdog is offline
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Is vertigo and dementia the same thing in dog? Could your dog have
vertigo too?
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  #7  
Old October 29th, 2015, 12:07 AM
MaxaLisa MaxaLisa is offline
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I think b6 may increase vivid dreams?

I think you are in a tough spot. My mom's caregiver told us that when she gives her advil, then mom goes to sleep, which just told us that a lot of mom's restlessness was actually pain related. At 17, it might be worth considering. Of course, those drugs might be tough on the system, so there may be a trade off.

Are you uing any type of joint upport, etc?
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  #8  
Old October 29th, 2015, 10:21 AM
bulldoglvr1990 bulldoglvr1990 is offline
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Holistic treatment

I'm so sorry to hear about your dogs condition. I know it can be rough to deal with. My friend's 16 yr old english springer spaniel was having issues as well. They gave her hemp paste and it seemed to help her improve both with the dementia and with sleep. She lived another two years and slept through the night 6/7 nights. I wish you the best with all of you hopefully getting some sleep.
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  #9  
Old October 29th, 2015, 01:37 PM
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SuperWanda SuperWanda is offline
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I think vertigo is more of an inner ear thing. Our younger dog went through vestibulitis and had bad vertigo. The dementia is when beta amyloid plaques deposit in the brain, just like in humans. They both cause spinning. Even dogs that have brain tumors or strokes can also spin but her ears check out fine. She àlso doesn't have issues during the day.

I'm sorry about your Mom MaxaLisa. It is difficult to see the changes age brings. I find there is something unsettling when someone you love is going through that and their personality is changing as well. It is very difficult.
I will consider the pain meds again. I have been reluctant because of the side effects just because she is doing so well in other ways. I would hate to give her something that causes another issue. Maybe I will go back to the small dose of aspirin to see if that helps. I do give natural eggshell membrane which apparently has glucosamine and turmeric powder.

The hemp paste is interesting. I wonder if that is the same as canine cannibis? I have no idea where that sort of thing is available but have heard of it being very effective for humans and dogs experiencing dementia. Don't know much about it.
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Old October 29th, 2015, 03:45 PM
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SuperWanda SuperWanda is offline
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I think I'm also going to try adding some extra magnesium since it is known to promote sleep. Seems simple so worth a try.
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  #11  
Old February 4th, 2016, 01:37 PM
bulldoglvr1990 bulldoglvr1990 is offline
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Smile Cbd

Hi Wanda,
So sad to hear about this, but wow, age 17! Our bulldog didn't make it to 10. You are very lucky. In terms of the dementia and sleeping have you looked into high CBD hemp products? There is a place called Cannadoggy(no it isn't marijuana) that does hemp products for dogs. It could really help your pup sleep through the night and have an easier time recognizing things she knows.

Best,
Beth
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Old February 9th, 2016, 08:10 PM
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SuperWanda SuperWanda is offline
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Thank you Beth, I am sad to say that Shiloh has passed àway. Yes, 17 was an amazing age for her. Do bull dogs generally have a shorter lifespan? I guess it is all based on weight so even though a bull dog may be shorter in stature, they probably weigh more and therefore live a shorter life. We were lucky to have our dog for as long as we did, but the last few years have been very hard. Getting old isn't always a fun event.
I appreciate your advice and will remember for future pets.
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