I have a 10 year old Newfoundland, Pooka. He’s well past the breed average (6-8 years), and in some respects continues the life he has aspired to for many years. He sleeps, he eats, he goes on walks, he sleeps. In other respects though, there are more and more signs that maybe no one is home any more.
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[li]If we call him, he’ll take a step or two and then stand there, looking around.[/li][li]In the back yard, he doesn’t seem to know the way back to the house.[/li][li]He often doesn’t show up for meals.[/li][li]He’ll walk into a room, and then stand there staring into space.[/li][li]He’ll go to the back door, but when we open it to let him out, he won’t. He just stands there.[/li][li]He is occasionally incontinent in the house. He walked up to our piano recently and peed on it.[/li][/ul]
My questions are: Is this approaching dementia? Is he just feeling slow and creaky? Are there dementia signs I should watch for?
I don’t want to keep him here if he’s miserable. By the same token, I don’t want to rush into anything. How do I know?
The incontinence and not eating are the two things that would worry me, but I’m no dog expert. My very elderly cat started not knowing his name-- turned out he’s going deaf.
Is dementia a reason to put a dog down? Unless they are in distress, not remembering how to go outside doesn’t seem to me to be a reason to do it. But that’s just my opinion.
Dogs don’t seem to have the same high-level conscious thinking that we do, so likely he isn’t bothered by being confused. They live more in the moment. His thinking is likely “I feel like walking in the room… I feel like standing here…I feel like I need to pee…” It doesn’t bother him that he can’t remember why he wanted in the room or why he’s standing there looking around. Humans do get bothered by that because we know we had a goal and now we can’t remember it. But I doubt an older dog is bothered at all by it. From what you describe, I don’t think he’s in much distress.
Dogs seem to be bothered by being in pain and not being able to move around on their own. Once you have to start carrying him outside or encouraging him to eat, then it’s more evident that he’s not happy.
Me and my Vet disagreed on when or if I should euthanize my elderly rat terrier…she was 21yrs old…She ate and slept and went outside several times a day…Altho’ she was blind,deaf…she was not in any pain…She knew her persons and seemed happy, She was always crotchety so that never bothered us…We had to have her few leftover teeth removed so her diet had to change., that was hard on her. But she adjusted…And as the story goes she bought the farm peacefully in her sleep one afternoon in her own bed…Of course we were grieved, but happy it was a peaceful end.
Several of your items might be related to a possible loss of vision. I have a elderly cat who’s experiencing this.
Like “… and then stand there, looking around” – May not be able to see you to come to you. If you keep calling so he can locate your position, does he keep coming?
or
“he doesn’t seem to know the way back to the house” – maybe just can’t see well enough to find the way. If you bang the door, or call to him, does he come toward that sound?
and
“He’ll go to the back door, but when we open it to let him out, he won’t. He just stands there.” If he can no longer see his way around, he will hesitate to go out into the less-familiar space outside. Will he go outside if you go with him?
It will be obvious if he is miserable. Until then, let him live the best life he can with you.
I went through it not long ago with my old border collie. He was very deaf and found it difficult to see, in addition to the confusion of doggie dementia. He also seemed more fearful in general because he had so much trouble identifying things. He was an outdoor dog and hated coming indoors, so I stopped fighting with him over that. Just created a very safe space for him outside in a dog house close to the house and let him live out his days on his own terms. He still enjoyed running along the fence lines and getting his daily treats and pets. Always looked forward to his meals.
I think it can be hard to know exactly when is the “right” time to help them on their way, but I have always been guided by quality of life, through many such experiences. So long as they found enjoyment in their day in eating or slogging around the place however unsteadily, and so long as they sniffed the air with interest and were not in pain, I let them have their time despite inconveniences to me. When they lost interest in those things and seemed only miserable, then I called in the vet.
The border collie died in his sleep and I didn’t have to decide. The German shepherd before him required assistance. I waited until he no longer took interest in his food and seemed to be in pain. Called the vet immediately. It was the right time.
I hope this is of help. Best to you as you go through this difficult time with your beloved pet.
Vet visit. There are meds for doggie dementia and there are subtle signs the vet will pick up on that you and/or I might not notice no matter how close we observe or how well we know the beastie.
Dave Barry once remarked that a dog’s brain is like a BB rattling around in a tuna fish can and in this case, the BB might land on the magic spot tomorrow and your dog will be back to “normal” for a spell. And maybe not. If a pet eats, drinks, sleeps and poops–even if the schedule is off–they are holding their own. Hang in there.
ETA: Every post above is good advice. Says the non-expert wonder mutt.
In past dogs it’s been very clear when they are losing cognition (they’ve acted much like my grandma did when she was in the last stages of Alzheimer’s). The sad thing is that they continued eating, etc and it made The Decision far more difficult.
Two of my senile dogs stroked out when things were really bad, a small mercy.
It’s wrenching to let go. If you trust your vet, get an assessment.
Sorry your old friend is reaching the twilight years - it’s tough.
We had a border collie/lab mix who was approaching her 16th birthday - well past the 12-14 years our vet said was typical. She’d walk into a corner and stand there staring, as if lost. She seemed to be mostly deaf. She started peeing in the house. We knew it was time and we had her put down.
It was a difficult decision, but it was the right one. Bernie was a good girl and she deserved a peaceful end. I hate when we have to make that decision, but we’ve never doubted our choices.
I’m going to suggest that you are seeing a combination of behaviors which are indeed indicative of dementia. One of those is often called “sundown syndrome” or “sundowning,” where fading light seems to trigger the symptoms. The other is an aversion to crossing doorways or thresholds. (Dogs may not recognize doors, doorways, or other similar features as being suitable for passing through. Some dogs will get “stuck” in a vestibule or a room and need to be coaxed or carried out.)
I agree that it is probably not causing nearly as much discomfort or anxiety to the dog as it does to the owner. My wife and I have had several dogs with fairly severe dementia, but we have waited until the physical symptoms made euthanasia the only choice before acting. In at least one case, the physical symptoms of advanced old age did not appear for a couple years after the “sundowning.”
One of our cats (exact age unclear, but at least 21-22) will occasionally start crying as if she doesn’t know where she is. She’ll snap out of it when she sees/feels (she’s too deaf to hear voices) one of her people. So far, she seems reasonably happy most of the time (though she’d definitely losing weight and having a harder time climbing/jumping) – given that, there’s no need to consider “letting go” just yet, but it’s clearly a matter of time.
I agree with T-Bonham, get his eyes checked first. If they’re fine for a dog his age, then maybe he has dementia.
I can also sympathize. My female greyhound is 13.5, healthy relative to her age, but she does have osteoarthritis, laryngeal paralysis, slight cataracts and increasing weakness in her back end. She’s still happy and active within her physical limits but I know her time is growing short. She’s been my velcro dog and baby girl for many years so it’s going to be hard to see her go. I cherish every minute with her but am watching for the moment her life is no longer happy. I refuse to make my animals suffer in order to avoid my own pain. It’s a tough call to identify “that” moment, though.
Confusion is common and not that serious most of the time. We rebuilt the deck on our house when Tia was quite old, the steps were in a new location, but she kept on walking up to where they used to be when she wanted to come. After a while she’d meander over to the new dog steps that were easy for her to use.
Not eating and incontinence are more important indications of problems. The incontinence could be as a result of some problem, possibly an infection, or possibly renal problems, or just age. Not eating is a bad sign in dogs, although it could be a minor treatable problem. Old dogs have a hard time with digestion, with a variety of problems related to kidney, liver, and other organ functions, and maybe nothing but a new diet is needed.
I’m sorry to hear about Pooka’s problems. The end of life is tough on dogs. If he seems comfortable he’s probably ok, physical illness is more of a problem than mental as long as he’s not becoming aggressive. If he’s not in pain then slowing down until he finally stops might be the best way for a dog to wrap up his life.
I guess it’s hard for me to understand that confusion is not scary to a dog, but perhaps it is not. It is hard to get him back in the house now, because he stops and stands so many times on the way to the door.
On the plus side, he is still very happy to see me. I’m just not certain I can say that the rest of his life gives him any real pleasure. I will talk to the vet and see if there’s anything else to be done.
Dogs can get vertigo just like people do , I met a woman and her dog was doing the same things as your dog . A vet was able to help the dog , and told that people put their dogs to sleep when it not necessary . That is a very good sign your dog still know you .
As others have said, he may just be losing his eyesight. I’d take him to the vet and see if they can check that. We’re having some of the same things with our old Schnauzer, but we think he has cataracts. I’m planning to have the vet check his eyes next time I take him in. When I had to have my last dog put down I was absolutely crushed, so I won’t do that until it’s absolutely necessary. Yes, I’m a big old wuss. Good luck with your old boy.
