Aging pets face dementia

Has your fur baby been a treasured member of your family for years? Has he spent his lifetime sharing family experiences with you providing loyalty and unconditional love to everyone in the family? Is your pet now much older and considered a senior?

If indeed you have an older pet who’s been in your family for years, you are very familiar with his behavior. You know what he likes and doesn’t like. You know how he’ll respond in certain situations. You know what brings him joy.

But just like people, your older pet may experience changes as he ages. Physically, he may slow down a bit, have some aching joints and may not be quite as active as before. He may watch you throw that ball and expect you to retrieve it for him.

Mentally, he may not be quite as alert as he used to be. He might not be able to learn as quickly as he did when he was younger. He may appear a little foggy.

You may notice some really strange things, too. When it’s time to go outside and he’s at the door he may wait on the hinge side of the door rather than the open side. And when outside, he might not be able to find his way back to the door.

If this sounds familiar, you need to know pets can show symptoms very similar to Alzheimer’s in people. In dogs and cats it’s known as cognitive dysfunction syndrome and it can look like dementia.

An older dog may exhibit signs of being disoriented, not able to find his way around an area he was previously familiar with, appearing lost, circling, just to name a few. Older cats experiencing senility may become increasingly vocal, forget to use their litter box, have sleep disturbance, fail to groom themselves or become cranky.

If you notice these symptoms in your pet, have him examined by a veterinarian to rule out any other medical issues. If no other medical problems are diagnosed he just might have dementia.

If that’s the case then plans for keeping him safe need to be made. Closer supervision should be provided especially while he’s outside.

I’ve lost count of the number of times a family will contact me to ask for my help in locating their missing senior pet. The stories are all so similar with the family telling me their lost pet has never wandered off before.

And that’s the way it happens. The elderly dog or cat that has never left the yard before becomes so confused he doesn’t even know where home is anymore. So he takes off on a journey to try to find where he’s supposed to be and it’s typically the opposite direction of his home. It’s amazing how far an elderly pet can travel.

The signs of pet senility may be subtle at first. Please be aware. And please be understanding of a dog or cat that has been loyal for years and now needs your patience and protection. This is the time he needs you most.

This story was originally published August 5, 2017 at 1:39 PM with the headline "Aging pets face dementia."