Doggie Dimensia?
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Our Basenji is 15 years old and our vet has diagnosed her with pancreatitus. She has started to wander around the house continually and stand in the corner for a minute or two before continuing to wander again. She is eating and drinking fairly well. Has anybody seen this wandering before? Dave
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Many older dogs will get Dementia, all breeds, including Basenjis. I believe there is a medication that helps, you should talk to your Vet about it.
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Yes thank you, We have heard from a friend about the meds. Seeing the vet again monday. Have managed to hold her in my lap and keep her calm for the past ten minutes. that might be a record.
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Oh, hugs for you and your old dear dog. Do let us know what the vet gives her.
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I'm so sorry to hear this. My pit bull suffered from this, too. Its heartrending to see them like that. I hope the meds work.
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I have a 16 1/2 year old border collie mix and she has what appears to be doggie demetia plus deafness, incontinence, arthritis, and partial blindness. She will often wander outside or into a room and seem to get lost. We just go to her and give a gentle nudge to get her to focus on the present again. It's not uncommon for older dogs to get stuck behind doors and furniture and not know quite how to get out. There are drugs that might be useful. We haven't had much success here, but every dog is different so it's worth a try. Good luck to you. It's really tough to watch an old friend decline, but in our case, she still eats, wags her tail and still wrestles with my other dogs so I don't think she's ready to give up just yet. Most of her problems are hassles for us, but not hard for her (except the arthritis, but Rimadyl is helping with that).
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My old shepherd mix also suffered from Cognitive Dysfunction Syndrome. What literally worked a miracle for her, and gave me almost an extra year before I lost her for another reason, was a combination of 2 drugs, Anipryl (selegiline) and Novifit (which is a SAMe). Here are links to 2 sites to give you some additional information:
http://www.virbacvet.com/products/VirbacAnimalHealthBehavioralHealth/NOVIFIT.aspx
http://www.cdsindogs.com/CDSInDogs.aspx?drug=CC&country=US&species=OO&sec=000
Hope this helps. They weren't inexpensive, but the difference they made in Sassy's quality of life was immense. -
I'm so sorry to hear about your old girl. There are a couple of things that have worked for me and my senior B. Supplements and/or foods with antioxidants can help (SAMe is good), as can play time, exercise and activities that provide mental stimulation and keep her active and engaged. I have also found that it helps to stick to a routine and keep things out of the path they follow. (My old boy follows the same paths, and if I leave shoes or anything in the way, he'll stumble over them.) And DAP helps some dogs– calms them down and stops the pacing.
Also, restlessness and wandering can be a sign of pain-- sometimes caused by arthritis, where it hurts or is uncomfortable to lie down so the dog keeps moving. Pancreatitis is very painful. My dog has had it twice, and both times he wouldn't eat or drink and couldn't keep food down. Does your girl have chronic pancreatitis? Maybe she has a tummy ache or would benefit from a different diet?
One last thought, which probably doesn't apply in your case, but sometimes wandering, disorientation and getting stuck in corners can be the aftereffects of a seizure or mild stroke, which otherwise would have gone unnoticed. How are your dog's kidney and liver values? Good luck to you! I hope your old girl feels better soon!
