CDD-Canine Discognitive Disorder/Dementia

[dcmclcm4]

Has anyone used any medications/supplements for this for their elderly B? My 15 1/2 year old foster this Spring developed a habit of defecating in the crate. I first obtained her in the Fall of last year. I moved her to a bigger wire crate, the one that she came with, but it has not helped. I do not think she knows when she has to go. She has other health issues, such as sight/hearing problems, spondylosis/arthritis-has trouble walking, and urinary problems but her two blood/urine tests have been normal. She eats well as she has all her teeth and has a great sense of smell.

[tanza]

I have not used it, but know people that have and they say it does work, with no side effects. My friend Jeff used it on his Dal and it helped her, but her problem was she got "stuck" in corners…

[dcmclcm4]

Do you know what medication it is? I assume it is a prescription that I would get at the vet.

[nobarkus]

I just went through that with my Nika, 15-1/2 that died last April. Omega 3 fatty acids from fish help some. Her blood tests were good, weight good, eye sight bad, very little hearing, great appetite, teeth in good shape and had to take thyroid meds. As the eye sight gets worse she would get stuck in areas of the house and yard, may poop and pee in the house because she couldn't find her way out the dog door. I had to take her out periodically to prevent accidents. She just got weaker and weaker and had a hard time standing.

[dcmclcm4]

Immediately when she wakes up, I carry her outside. She has tags that jingles and I usually hear them. Sometimes this does not work as I took her out twice within an hour today and even walked her around the yard on a leash since I was leaving to do an errand. She did nothing. I put her in the crate and as soon as I walked away she peed. It is a good thing I have plenty of crate pads!

I leave the patio door open on nice warm days and she will still urinate in the house. She sometimes will go out the door and turn around and come right back in. The one thing she does is follow me around the yard when I am doing yard work or picking up poop but I have to make sure she does not step in it.

What is odd is that she has never pooped in the house, only in the crate. I guess I put her outside often enough in the evening and early morning that she does not do it. I come home at lunch everyday so she is never in her crate more than five hours at a time. She has also pooped in her crate even after being in there for less than two hours.

[nobarkus]

The good thing is she is crate trained. Nika was not so it made it more difficult. She slept on the couch and I had to put the cushions in plastic garbage bags and then a water proof mattress pad on that as a few times she peed in the middle of the night and I would hear her yelp like she was upset for having done that and jump off the couch. I would just remove and replace the sheet, comfort her and tell her it's OK and put her back on the couch to go back to sleep.