My dog has dementia. Any advice please.

Yes we had a much-loved old dog, 18, who had developed dementia. It went on for several years.
So many times we thought it was the end, then he'd have a steroid injection at the vets and he'd bounce back again.
He went off his food but would enjoy pasta, baked beans, vegetables so I cooked these for him.
He lost his sight and hearing so we had to keep him on a lead when we took him out. One day he refused to walk and I had to carry him home: he was quite a big dog!
He went to a lovely pet sitter whenever we went away and it was while we were on holiday one time that I got the call from the vet to say this was finally the end.
Our son came out of work to be with our dog and the pet sitter while he was put to sleep. The vet kept his body in the freezer until we came home so we could say goodbye properly.

We do have another dog now, but I don't think I'd move heaven and earth for him like we did for the previous one ?

Shel - my nearly 15 year old cocker has dementia, for him it's been quite gradual, but he is awake a lot at night and he does bark angrily at the fridge and the washing machine. He can't see 100% and he's completely deaf, but he has got used to sign language for the main commands. To us he seems really happy, loves his food, trots round the park as if he owns it, still "laughs" when he manages to spit out a tablet we've given him. You have some useful ways of managing the problem that we haven't tried, thank you. I realise his quality of life will deteriorate as time goes on, but he's far from that stage yet, only my DH is finding the interrupted nights a trial.

Shel - I still wonder if we made the right decision at the right time, so appreciate your post.

My 15 year old dog has dementia, I took him to the vet who said if he's happy in his dementia leave him be, if he is unhappy then that's the time to say goodbye, my dog whinges a lot but always wags his tail madly when out in the woods, or when the children talk to him though he's stone deaf he just grumbles but is not in pain, I give him valerian drops on a biscuit at night and shut him in the front room with a night light, otherwise he is up and down the stairs all night wandering, he goes out into the back garden last thing and whoever is up first lets him out again , there will be a time when he is obviously unhappy and then that will be the time to say goodbye

kathsue you've just described the last few weeks of our darling border collie. She was 15. As well as the symptoms you describe she was almost stone deaf which would add to her confusion.
we were moving back to England from France and the vet said this would add to her confusion so we made the dreaded decision. It's so hard because they trust us to look after them .

One thing to remember with dogs is that they don't always show that they are ill. I had a Westie who occasionally used to do a little yelp as though she had stepped on a tin tac. One day she was sick and had diarrhea so the next day she went to the vet. It was though that she'd eaten something bad and she had antibiotics etc. She should have shown signs of getting a bit better but no change so the next day (Sunday) I took her back. He kept her in overnight, on a drip, with the intention of xraying her. Next morning I had a phone call to say she'd died earlier that day. At that point they were able to feel her body and she had cancer - whilst she was alive they couldn't feel anything.

I asked the vet why I hadn't noticed anything and he said that because they are pack animals they often won't show signs of being ill because they must stay with the pack. I thought afterwards that the little yelps might have been because she was sometimes in pain.

So, please remember that whilst your dogs may seem to be happy they are often hurting and not showing it.

We have a Toy Poodle with dementia, she has been on Vivotonin for the past two years. Thoroughly recommend. It is obvious she is getting past the help of medication now (18 years old) but we are still getting a good night's sleep. I am not sure if they are suitable for dogs with kidney problems, but worth asking your vet if your current medication does not work. We have had to adapt our lives around our dog, during daytime hours we take her outside for toileting purposes every 30/40 minutes - unless she is fast asleep of course! Bowls of water, raised, in every room. Still goes for a walk every day. She is our old dog but with extra needs!
Good luck with the medication and don't give up yet.

I’m not a dog owner but before the pandemic I did a lot of childcare for my DS at his house. They had a lovely dog who was becoming increasingly more frail. He seemed confused, became very immobile and lost control of his bowels and sometimes his bladder. With young children around there was of course a hygiene issue. I cleaned up after him willingly but it became more and more unpleasant. I said very little to my DS and DIL but was so relieved when they finally reached the difficult decision to say goodbye. I feel they left it too long and the dog was unhappy. Comfort yourself that you’re doing the best for your dog. It will be hard but you will recover from the loss.

My neighbour has a dog that is going blind and deaf, and has dementia. At the moment she still has a good quality of life (although she always has to be on a lead because she gets lost very easily) and sometimes even reverts to being like a puppy, running around and having fun. But my neighbour knows it won't be long and is psyching herself up for the time when the little dog passes away naturally (which I hope it does) or has to be put to sleep.

So sorry to hear about your lovely dog kathsue I think you are doing the right thing by making her last days as happy as you can. You do have to consider your own health in all this, don't feel guilty about that.
Don't leave it too long to put her to sleep, we did this recently and realised we were keeping on for our sakes rather than the dog's. Be strong for her, bon courage.

Kathsue, you are having a very sad and difficult time . We love our pets so much . However , sometimes we must do the kindest thing and say goodbye. My much loved elderly cat was put to sleep, it was heartbreaking.
My vet suggested putting him to sleep , I decided to take him home, that evening he was very lethargic and obviously feeling ill. The next morning I knew what to do , I took him straight to the vet and said goodbye. The process was very calm and peaceful. My vet said " remember unlike you he is unaware of what is happening" That was comforting. Afterwards I felt sad but relieved. I am thinking about you and I feel sure you will come to the correct decision.

Thank you for the hugs and flowers. I needed them.

Just have to add that she's not confused all the time. She still enjoys her food, going out for walks and playing with her ball in the garden. She still has some quality of life. If she didn't I wouldn't hesitate to have her PTS.

We had the vet come to the house to put our beloved dog to sleep. He was in his own bed & quietly drifted off. The last voice he heard was my partner's. Having the vet at the house was a great comfort to us & meant our dear dog was as relaxed as possible in his familiar environment. Why not think of doing the same when you think the end is nigh.
Sending a hug & kind thoughts as you get through this.

I’ve just read the OP and realised the little dog has kidney failure too. This will only get worse and even with treatment her condition might deteriorate very quickly. I do think that, sadly, the time has come to say goodbye. No matter how many pets we have it ever gets any easier.....

TBH, geekesse, they don’t necessarily work for humans, either, but we don’t have the option of releasing them from their unending anxiety and confusion.

So sorry to hear that your dog has developed dementia, I think the time has come for her to be put to sleep, it’s the kindest thing you can do for her,

Put the poor creature out of her misery. She is confused and frightened, and the kinds of therapy that humans can use to help ease the confusion of dementia don’t work for dogs. Keeping her alive just because you can’t bear to say goodbye isn’t kind.

I’m so sorry to hear this, OP.
My son in law’s parents’ dog had dementia. He was very upset on returning home after working abroad, that the dog no longer remembered him at all.

I’ve also seen it in a dog at a Cinnamon Trust home. The dog was endlessly pacing back and forth, much the same as I’d often seen in my FiL with dementia.

As your vet said, it’s not going to get better and will very likely only get worse. Heartbreaking though I know it is, if you’re finding it hard to cope, maybe it’s time to think about saying goodbye to her.

My first dog developed dementia and kept me awake at night. She would bark at cupboards or doors and didn’t know day from night (she had been blind from an early age). Even though I was a lot younger then with no health problems I can remember how exhausted I was. I took her to the vets one day and he gave her Valium. As I left he said to me, by the way, they’re for the dog, not you. Another dog had dementia and was also incontinent. Just prior to having her pts I watched her in the garden as she stumbled around bumping into things and I realised that her quality of life was not good. Both times I should have made the decision sooner. It’s awful to have to decide that for a condition that isn’t actually life threatening but you have to weigh up both your dogs quality of life with your own and not feel any guilt having given her a lovely life. I do know exactly what you’re going through, though. x

Such a difficult time for you ?

Thank you all for your kind replies. I've just been to the vets to pick up more of her tablets.

I've tried leaving lights on and giving her lots of cuddles but it doesn't work for long. I've spent a good few hours on the sofa with her trying to soothe her to sleep. Once I found myself singing her a lullaby I was so desperate!

She does have other health problems i.e. arthritis following a cruciate ligament injury, cataracts and some benign skin growths.

I'm going to see how she gets on with these new tablets but if they don't help I know I'll have to consider euthanasia. In the meantime, as Septimia said, I am going to take her to some of her favourite places and hope she enjoys her last few weeks.

We had our lovely little Jack Russell for nearly 16 years. He was hard work initially very stubborn not house trained when we got him. I worked hard training him and adored him over the years he gave us great pleasure.
He started doing weird things walking backwards was one of them and being aggressive. Not sleeping barking all the time and messing in the house. I admit we put up with it for ages but had to seek advice from the vet. We were both very upset talking to the vet about it he took it into his own hands. He said he could see the stress we were under and did not want us to take our dog home. He reckoned our dog was suffering severe dementia and it had clearly been going on along time.
We agreed it had been tearing us apart we decided to say goodbye sooner rather than later. We realised we had not done our dog any favour being in denial of his behaviour.
We miss him dearly but it was the right thing to do as we gave him a good life.

I have asked my partner to assist me (as much as he can legally) should I develop dementia. It is disgraceful that we can show compassion to our pets but not fellow humans.

I am so sorry kathsue that your old girl is suffering. You know in your heart that it would be a kindness to assist her to pass peacefully.

blondenana , I did exactly the same when my dog had dementia, I left it a few months longer than I should have done to take the hard road and felt very guilty. So sorry for you Kathsue ?