joeblow69

Last year we got a rescue, who just turned 9 (which is getting up there for bulldogs).

He very recently has started showing most of the signs of demenia:
loss of interest in food
pacing in circles all day
staring off into space
messed up sleep schedule (awake all night when he never used to be)

It's quite heartbreaking to watch. Our vet is researching if there are any drugs that can help. So far we've started the following:
Food designed for brain health (Purina Bright Mind ... may be a crock of shit, who knows)
Gingko Biloba (was recommended on one fo the sites I read)
Cannabis (we are trying a 4:1 CDB to THC mixture) ... this has been shown to help dementia in rats

Other than that, just trying to keep him stimulated. Not sure what else we can do. Has anyone else had to deal with this? The vet says that otherwise all his bloodwork and internal organs are great.

He hasn't started attacking anyone or pooping/peeing in the house, so that's a positive.

pyro383

Double check for diabetes.

General Zod

We had an Alaskan Malamute while I was growing up and he was bestest buddy. He used to get so excited when we'd come home after being gone for a little while, or I took him for a walk, or we just spent time together. When he turned about 10 or so he started showing a lot of those symptoms and the vet said he was starting to get dementia and to just try to keep him happy and comfortable (we did get some stuff to help slow it down). Over the next year he became very reclusive and wouldn't get excited anymore about anything.. wouldn't even come to the door to greet us when we came home. Stopped responding to his name after a while also. He just wasn't really there anymore. He didn't go to the bathroom in the house which was good until his hips got bad also and he basically, at that point, I think just kind of gave up.

Oddly it made putting him down much easier when he could no longer get up and really had no good quality of life. He never got mean or anything.. but it was hard watching by buddy slowly fade away..

kefrank

I've had two miniature schnauzers that both had some form of dementia near the end of their life. For the one we lost most recently, his was more severe and his symptoms were:

• Needing to get up in the night for potty and then staying up and being very active
• Having accidents in the house after previously being perfectly housebroken
• Pacing/walking in circles/staring
• Loss of understanding for spatial relationships, getting stuck in corners, etc

It is heartbreaking and very challenging.

Some practical things that helped:
We put him in diapers to deal with the accidents, which worked well.
The loss of understanding spacial relationship made him prone to getting stuck or even falling/hurting himself on other objects. This combined with the pacing made it difficult for us to safely monitor him just being loose in the house. So we got a portable dog pen like , where he could have room to move around but be safely contained. We mainly put him in it when we would leave the house (we never crated him) or when he was antsy and needed to pace without us supervising (like in the middle of the night after getting up).
At nighttime, we set things up so that if he got up I would know (either because he was in the bed with us or was sleeping in the pen and would walk on noisy paper I put in there). That way I could get up and take him out and then try to help calm him.

Some things I'm not sure helped, but did try:
We tried some supplements that are supposed to help brain health, but it was hard to tell if they had any effect.
I tried playing music that is supposedly very calming for dogs (if you search amazon you can find such albums) to help calm him down when he would be active at night. I really don't know if it helped at all.

joeblow69

So, I am completely amazed at how much the CBD oil we started giving him has turned him around.

We actually thought he was going to die soon, because he "forgot" how to eat or drink. He'd put his face into his food bowl, and his mouth would be touching the food, but he wouldn't open up or chew it. Same with water, he'd stick his face in the water, and maybe 1 tongue full every couple seconds instead of constant lapping.

Just 2 days after the CBD, he's mowing through his food like never before, he's more active, he's affectionate again, making little whining noises when he wants something (which he haven't heard in over 2 weeks).

All of the other supplements said they take up to a month before you'll start seeing a difference, so it's got to be the CBD that's working magic. This stuff is amazing!

Vibiana

I'm smiling at the vision of your happy boy. So glad for you both.

joeblow69

Obligatory puppy pic:

Vibiana

He's precious.

Bronkster

It's so damn tough when our pets start showing these signs of aging. I'm really happy for you and your pup that the CBD is working so well! Hope it continues to keep him going!

MeridithHartt

That's heartbreaking and sad for any dog lover. I don't think only ageing creates issues for dogs, even my 12 months puppy is facing a mental and physical problem. His growth is slow, acts down as compared to his siblings, and he just looks like a victim of down syndrome, but I am not sure either down syndrome exists in dogs or not. Even I got this article ( https://ourfitpets.com/behavior/can-...down-syndrome/ ) but still looking to explore more information about the problem of down syndrome in dogs especially in puppies. However, staring Off Into Space, lack of Interest in play and food could be signs of dementia. Here, I am going to share a few tips to help your dog if he is suffering because of dementia:

First of all, go for your vet and ask for a complete treatment, medication and therapies.

You should give him natural supplements. Several natural supplements are available in the market that fights against CCD without any side effect. However, better to consult with your veterinarian before started using these supplements.

You would also face severe kind of anxiety in your dog as a possible symptom of dementia, and you have to make sure that you are trying your best to keep him calm and relax. Music therapy and aromatherapy could be helpful to reduce his anxiety and depression in this phase.

You have to stick him into a routine, give him toys and puzzle games. Also, take care of his eating times as well.

Hopefully, he will recover soon.

cultshock

I think he's fine now (well he was as of last year), good old weed did the trick. Any updates Joe?

MeridithHartt

That's great if he has recovered now. Hopefully, Joe will update us about his health.

Vibiana

I heard he ran off and joined a reggae band.

joeblow69

Well, he's still kickin ... he has spells like old folks do, where he'll be walking somewhere, and just stop and stay frozen for a minute or 2 trying to figure out what the hell he got up for.
We got him one of those yoga exercise balls, and he LOVES to hump that thing, and it seems like that is helping him focus somewhat.
He's on a steroid and anti-consultant (keppra) as well as the CBD. He seems happy still at least.

JimRochester

We thought my little buddy was suffering from some sort of dementia near the end. He was getting confused. Walking in circles. Trouble with bowel control. Not eating. When I took him to the vet for the last time, the vet determined he was blind or going blind rapidly so that was causing most of the confusion. It came on so fast he figured it was a brain tumor. I had to put my little buddy boy down that day. Still get choked up even thinking about it now.

joeblow69

Oh, he does this a lot now, too:

Trevor

Our 17 year old corgi mutt probably has dementia. Walks in circles a lot, poops and pees whenever and wherever he pleases. Might have some cancerous tumors, but we’ve decided not to do much besides pain meds. Ugh. But he still seems happy, so we just keep cleaning the carpet and putting off uncomfortable decisions.

Jon2

Sorry to hear about your pooch, Jim. I've lost my share of canine companions over the years.

He looks like he was a real good boy.

A poodle or poodle-mix, I presume? He's a spitting image of my wife's little llasa-poo.

GatorDeb

Sorry still stuck on CBD oil gave a dog the munchies.

JimRochester

He and his sister were Llasa-poo's. She looked more Llasa, he was more poodle.

My sister breeds dogs and she told me about the CBD oil. But for him he had a lot more problems than just joints and general old age.

Why So Blu?

Good to know about CBD oil as an alternative. I need to get some for myself, too.

ScHoLaR oF SMuT

it is hard to say goodbye to a beloved pet , but they are so worth the joy they bring