Cleopatra (Cleo), is the product of the “We have a baby and don’t have time for our dog” story that we hear all to often, and was surrendered to our rescue. She is one of our dogs that had been adopted and returned as her adopters did not want to put her on any medications to help with what they thought was separation anxiety. So instead, they returned her to us 😔.
The dog we got back was a dog that’s behavior went beyond simple anxiety, but more of a frantic behavior. Luckily our main director is in the medical field and can see signs in these animals beyond what some of us might notice. With a vet’s consultation and behavior evaluation, the diagnosis came out to be Dog Dementia.
“Dog Dementia or Canine Cognitive Dysfunction (CCD), an umbrella term for four separate cognitive forms, is an age-related neurobehavioral syndrome in dogs leading to a decline in cognitive function that can be devastating to the human/canine relationship. The forms are as follows:
- Depression or untreated anxieties – circling, wandering, or house soiling
- Dysthymia – dogs can get “stuck” behind furniture or in corners and can’t figure out how to get out. Also, disrupted sleep cycles, whining or growling.
- Confusional Syndrome – A profound decline in cognitive ability. This is similar to Alzheimer where they forget their name or their family.
Medication is available for dogs with Canine Dementia and Cleo is doing fantastic on the medication 😊. She is happy being around other dogs 🐶, has settled in her permanent foster home, and does not have anxiety when her foster mom goes to work. Dogs with dementia can live a number of happy and productive years while on medication. She is comfortable, happy, and enjoying everyday 😃.
If you wish to donate towards her care, please click the link here to donate to our Hospice Dog Program. Thank you 🐾.
