Pet Dementia Becoming More Common Among Dogs

[The Straight Story]

Pet Dementia Becoming More Common Among Dogs

Local veterinarians are seeing an interesting trend, more dogs and cats coming into their clinics with signs of senility or dementia.

With better nutrition and better vet care, dogs and cats are living longer, just as people are. That also means our family pets are showing the same signs of old age and dementia that we see in humans.

In one study at the University of California, 62 percent of dogs aged 11 to 16 years exhibited signs of cognitive dysfunction syndrome.

.......

Smith said when she gave the medication to Moki, it worsened his condition.

"It just made him even more out of it, more comatose, more unresponsive," said Smith.

Veterinarians said the best treatment for animal dementia is love and patience.

http://cbs4denver.com/local/dog.dementia.pets.2.1682798.html

[ellie]

1. My dog is 15

and he gets confused. I have to talk slowly and patiently to him. He's my good boy.

[Lorien]

6. This could help:

http://dogsinthenews.com/issues/0209/articles/020918a.htm

[BrklynLiberal]

24. Wow! That is fantastic..

Now I feel even better that I give Boen celery, carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, blueberries....and grainfree food.

Usually when I have a salad, he gets to share.
He likes red peppers, sprouts, apple chunks, and beets in addition to the other veggies that I give him for snacks.

[fleabert]

53. my 13yo chihuahua LOVES veggies and fruits :-)

carrots and romaine lettuce top the list- but it's a long list! She's still feisty and sharp, although beginning to go blind and has a helluva heart condition that medication mitigates.

we call her our 1st Dog-ter (our 1st Daughter is due soon) and she's my DU namesake: Flea!

[Fire1]

7. I've got one about that age. He's still the Alpha of the bunch

and still runs around barking orders. LOL! Doesn't see as well but he makes up for it with hearing and scent.

[EFerrari]

9. My mom hadn't noticed that her 12 yr old Lab mix was deaf

and that her sight is failing. Our Lucy goes on automatic and forgets to turnaround at the end of the driveway. Or, maybe she can't really see the driveway's end any more.

[Bobbieo]

2. My cats are living up to 17 years, now. Old age for them used to be 12 years. ,

[Lorien]

5. Cats can easily live to be 24 years old

given species appropriate human grade nutrition: http://www.bornfreeusa.org/facts.php?more=1&p=359

[kestrel91316]

10. False. I have only known two cats that old in my entire 28-year career.

It's NOT easy. A 24-year-old cat is the equivalent of a 109-year-old person.

And the solution is NOT raw meat or whatever the fad of the week is.......

[havocmom]

13. Had a little pastel tortie make it to 21, on good grade basic cat food, some extra meat, and...

brussels sprouts. Believe me when I say it wasn't my idea of a side dish for cats, but SHE had other ideas whenever I cooked them for myself. Her daddy cat's nick-name was Ali-Baba due to his stealthy ways. She inherited the 'gift' and applied it to Brussels sprout thievery.


No butter on them, no cheese sauce; just steamed lightly for myself and she would swipe a couple and threaten to kill anyone who tried to stop her from enjoying them.

Never got a chance to see if the other cats liked them. She was tiny, but she ruled and they were not allowed in the room with Brussels sprouts.

She did come from sturdy genetic stock, parents and grandparents all lived to pretty ripe old age, but not quite as long as my sweet Smudge lived.

Now, all the old cats are just sweet memories. The new cat took a sniff of Brussels sprouts and said: WANT!!!!!!

I look for a long and healthy time with what will probably be my last cat. She looks to be as vigorous and tough as my old cat soul-mate. Sometimes I wonder if she is getting instructions from the great kitty beyond ;)

[tonysam]

21. +1,000

I can't believe people pushing vegetarian crap onto dogs and cats.

[Sal Minella]

28. My calico will go to GREAT lengths to get her snout into canned

sweet corn. I cherish my fingers enough to just let her chow down until she thinks she's had enough, which is a LOT.

[tblue37]

39. Cats are carnivores, but some of them also like some other stuff.

Many years ago I had a Tonkinese who had to have a couple of ounces of tomato juice every morning with my (then) husband, and who also loved apple, though it had to be slightly chewed into chunks for him. Whenever I tried to eat an apple, Sammy would climb all over me and yowl until I chewed some up and hand fed it to him. I never got to eat more than half of an apple. He demanded the rest. He also liked spaghetti--but only with tomato sauce.

My 5-year-old Paris likes to have 3 pieces of popcorn when I have mine. I eat the Orville Redenbacher Light Natural microwave stuff, and that is the only kind she likes.

My old Gabby used to insist that my son share his stir fried vegetables with her, and she also liked saltines--and so does Paris. Paris likes tortilla chips, too. I don't give her much, but she demands three bites. That's all she wants--but she really wants it.

I don't try to get my cats to eat that stuff. I don't offer it to them. They get Science Diet dry cat food, and the three of them share one little can of Fancy Feast moist food as a treat. But almost every cat I have ever had (though not my other current 5-year-old, Tango) has demanded some weird thing as a treat. Sammy with his apples and tomato juice and spaghetti with tomato sauce; Gabby with her stir-fried veggies, Paris with her popcorn, saltines, and tortilla chips. Even the cats I had as a girl had some weird foods they wanted.

[Liberty Belle]

43. Cats need taurine. They go blind without it.

Some very irresponsible pet food manufacturers have left this out, which ought to be criminal, and they were marketing their products as healthy!

former health food industry editor here. Cats and dogs are carnivores by nature, so while it's okay to give them vegetables, don't deprive them of meat. Especially cats.

[Captain Hilts]

8. Mr. Peabody got to 22. Anwar and Little Skeezix to 16. nt

[tblue37]

34. My Lila kitty is 17 1/2 years old. I think that these may be our last few months together,

though. She is okay right now, but she had some real problems about 2 months ago.

Another girl kitty, Gabby, developed a fast-moving jaw cancer back in 2005--at the age of 19. I had to have her put to sleep. Nearly killed me to do it, but she was in pain.

But although my cats tend to live a long time, none of them have developed demenetia, thank goodness. That would really get to me.

I remember when cats that didn't die from something else pretty much always died at age 15 from kidney failure, but now that doesn't happen to my cats any more, because they know how to prevent it and how to treat it when it gets started. My old Lila has somewhat impaired kidney function, but when it first started showing on her blood tests, we changed her diet, and that was 3 years ago. Her kidneys are not as good as they were when she was young, but she is still trucking. I hope she doesn't lave me too soon. I love her dearly.

I also have two (now) 5-old cats that I rescued as kittens when my Gabby died in 2005.

[Lorien]

3. Better nutrition???? BWHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!

No, it's now legal for "feed grade" pet foods (Purina, Science Diet, Iams, Alpo, Friskies, Eukanba and all the other grocery store brands) to contain anything unfit for human consumption; decayed meat, industrial waste, even euthanized animals from shelters: http://www.bornfreeusa.org/facts.php?more=1&p=359

If you want safe pet food Google "USDA pet food" or "human grade pet food".

[kestrel91316]

11. Like it or not, the truth of the matter is, improved nutrition and medical

care have greatly extended the average life span of pets over the past 50 years.

I know it pains you to hear this, lol.

[havocmom]

14. Yep, better understanding of nutritional needs and better food has made a difference

We lost a very dear cat to a rather nasty condition. Shortly after his death, research about taurine for cats came out. If it had been widely known sooner, that good chap would have probably lived to a decent age. He was a wonderful cat and his sudden decline and demise was a real heartbreak.

Am so glad they found out just how important taurine was for cats. Wish it had come out sooner. Now, I see cat foods all have it added.

Two of the old cats did get a bit prone to confusion from time to time, near their ends, at 16 and 18 respectively. But my old tortie, ah, she napped a lot toward the end, but her mind was fine. Hearing was lacking, but she was still top cat; all three pounds of her.

[tonysam]

22. +1,000 n/t

[BrklynLiberal]

27. Most veterinarians..and MDs for that matter know very little about nutrition..

and as far as most Pete Food Companies...they really only give a damn about the bottom line...

I know it probably pains you to read this, lol.

[gateley]

31. I agree, except I think the pet food companies KNOW, they just, as you say,

look at the bottom line. That's why they push dry food -- biggest profit. And some vets only go by what the pet food companies claim about being healthy. I had one vet proudly tell me she fed her cat tuna every day. I just about screamed.

[glinda]

33. Many PF Companies are putting pork in for filler because it is cheap. Pork is bad for dogs.

[gateley]

46. And they think that the consumer will go "oh, pork -- that's protein,

it'll be good for Fido."

It gets tougher and tougher to find real quaity food, but thankfully there are some companies out there doing a good job. And I've even seen the big bags of dog food in the grocery stores have Grain Free! on the front, so apparently they're getting input and adjusting their products to keep the consumers buying.

[glinda]

32. Many Vets carry foods that give them incentives likes Iams, etc.... they are bought.

[gateley]

45. And not only that, they trust what the companies are claiming. My

dad was a doctor and when he was going to give me a medication, he'd look it up in the PDR. Well, hell -- the PDR just had the info that the pharmaceutical company puts in their inserts! It's probably the same with vets -- have a question, go to the company info.

[BrklynLiberal]

51. EXACTLY!! I cannot believe that there are still vets out there that sell anything

made by Science Death...

[troubledamerican]

42. Dog food = peanut shells for filler & "fiber"... Would you eat peanut shells for nutrition?

http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview/id/222486.html

[flvegan]

12. You beat me to it.

[Dappleganger]

17. We use Flint River Ranch

and Blue Buffalo for the dogs, and Evo for the kitties and hedgehog.

[glinda]

35. Procter and Gamble just bought out Evo, Calif. Natural, Instinct and a bunch others.

[glinda]

38. All ten of our pets ate poisoned food so I am now really really concerned since the F((&&%

FDA does NOTHING to test and regulate pet food. We just lost our dog to the cancer that ate her from the crappy high end poisoned pet food. I have a cat on subQ IV's every day from his kidneys being damaged. Most my pets have tumors appearing right after the poisoning. Yet the Government does NOTHING and the LAWSUIT is stalled.

[tonysam]

23. Who cares about an animal "rights" website? They're full of shit anyway.

They don't even believe there should be domesticated animals, so anything they say I immediately discount as garbage.

[BrklynLiberal]

25. I agree 100%..and my first reaction to the post was...bad nutrition is responsible.

Did you see my note about P&G buying Natura...?

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=243&topic_id=42305&mesg_id=42305

A lot of brands that once were decent will be going down the toilet now...

[glinda]

36. and "can" linings. They say that contributes to elderly dementia.

[BrklynLiberal]

48. Yes! I saw that! They are lined with the same chemical that is in some plastic bottles..

the kind you SHOULD NOT use!!!!

[Liberty Belle]

44. Could they be feeding them cow brains? Has that been banned from pet food?

Perhaps this is Kreutzfeld Jacob - Mad Cow disease.

[gateley]

29. I'm absolutely whack about what I feed my kitten. She has not had one nugget

of dry food except for the ones she steals from the dog dish (not my dog, otherwise SHE wouldn't be getting dry food, either).

I actually get kind of miffed at all the fruits and veggies even the good brands add to their food, since I read cats are truly carnivores (as opposed to omnivores like dogs), but it's interesting reading here some of the fruits/vegetables cats DO eat.

Guess I won't sweat it, and I hope when I'm able to try to introduce some raw into her little tummy. :hi:

PS -- Don't you take care of rescue Bengals or something like that -- or am I thinking of another DUer?

[Bobbieo]

4. My cats are living up to 17 years, now. Old age for them used to be 12 years. ,

[Walk away]

15. I have been a pet sitter for fifteen years and lately I have been seeing more of this.

In advance stages the dogs will walk for an hour or more in circles without a regular pattern. You have to pick them up and hold them to stop them.

I have some serious concerns about what I would choose to do if Henry or Robbie someday began to suffer like that. You still have them and you can pet and love them but how much distress does it cause them? We don't know but can we afford to anthropomorphize and project incorrectly?

[cutlassmama]

16. Maybe they aren't suffering. If they don't know any better then maybe

they don't realize it.

[Walk away]

19. I Just don't know. Dogs in the wild would never suffer through an illness...

the way that pets do. That kind of stress is something humans choose but dogs don't understand. How do we know?

It's just something to consider. I have had hundreds of clients over the years and have been present at the end of many pets lives including my own. It's difficult to tell people it is time to start thinking of saying goodbye when they see human traits in their pets. A wag of a tail or a lick means something different to a dog than a person.

[ChickMagic]

52. Circling in dogs

is usually a sign of stroke. From research done at this institution a long time ago, even a small stroke causing no other ill effects, will cause circling. That, too, can be because of poor nutrition. They could have bad lipid panels.

[KT2000]

18. Tons of neurotoxins

are dumped into our air, food and water every year. Many yards harbor chemicals that are nerve poisons from applied yard chemicals.
Some of the remedies for fleas are organophosphate pesticides (nerve poisons).
Cats are suffering more dementia too.

Seattle Slew ended his years with dementia.

Dementia is common in older adults now too.

[RC]

20. How much of this dementia is really Mad Cow or similar?

Remember how the bu$h USDA had a problem with inspecting our meat supply.

[KT2000]

26. Chemicals in the brain

You might find this interesting:
The olfactory nerve goes right into the brain. Some chemicals are carried into the brain through this pathway. Exposure to some chemicals loosen the tight junctions in the nose allowing material to pass through. Also, they have found that stress affects the blood-brain barrier that has always been thought to protect the brain from dangerous chemicals.

From Science News:

"Scientists have known that air pollution can impair airways and blood vessels. The emerging surprise is what it might do to the brain. Increasingly, studies have been highlighting inflammation-provoking nanopollutants as a potential source of nerve cell damage."
snip
"Other toxicologists at the meeting presented data, largely from animal studies, tracking the movement of billionth-of-a-meter–scale particles into the brain, where they triggered inflammation and abnormalities characteristic of Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s.

http://www.sciencenews.org/view/feature/id/58906/title/Destination_brain

[glinda]

37. maybe that is how it will all end. We will all go nuts like the tea-baggers while the planet burns.

[BrklynLiberal]

49. OMIGAWD! LOLOLOL

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

Guess even if they use us for food, ala Soylent Green, they will get the "madness" too...

[demosincebirth]

30. Maybe they ought to give them Aricept.for dementia @ 7 bucks a pill.

[classysassy]

40. I feed my three ( 12,11 and 10 )

twice a day chicken and a low cal cereal,My wife refer to me as the K9 chef,My 12 year old Crimedog is slowing down but Woody(Durward) 11 and his baby sister Sassy are still very active.

[classysassy]

41. Thats Durwood as in Durwood Kirby

[BrklynLiberal]

50. Or, as Rocky and his Friends would say, The Kurwood Dirby..lololol

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Durward_Kirby

Kirby's name was spoofed in the animated series The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show, where a man's hat was called the "Kirward Derby". It supposedly had magic powers that made its wearer the smartest person in the world. Kirby considered suing in court, but his business manager pointed out that it would only bring more attention to the show.

In the movie Pulp Fiction (1994), the character of Mia Wallace (Uma Thurman) orders a "Durward Kirby" Burger. This is a humorous reference to the soundtrack in the scene, when "Bullwinkle" is being played.[

[Posteritatis]

47. Wonder how it breaks down by breed

I'm curious if some of the more intrinsically genetically broken breeds of dogs (insert rant about exaggerating characteristics, creating breeds whose brains are larger than their skulls, etc, here) are more likely to have more of this sort of problem than other lines.

[EnviroBat]

54. My Mom is constantly giving her Labs people food, scraps and stuff.

I tell her not to do it but, she's old and doesn't listen to me anymore. All of her dogs have some form of cancer. Coincidence? I think not...

[ensho]

55. dogs and cats eat a lot of seafood with mercury in it and

meat with all kinds of toxins. and who knows what in dry kibble.

we see what is happening in fish re: man made hormones.

and I've known that we would see what it does to dogs and cats.

and what it is doing to us humans.

the tipping point has long ago tipped.