Proper diagnosis requires:
- A geriatric checkup, including a neurologic exam to check brain and nerve functions.
- Blood and urine tests to rule out medical causes for behavior changes.
- A behavioral history to rule out purely behavioral causes.
"Old dogs can be affected as much as younger dogs by changes such as a move to a new home, the addition of a family member or a change in the owner's work schedule," Landsberg said. Dogs may whine, pace, or house-soil because of stress or anxiety.
Experts suggest many cognitive dysfunction cases go undiagnosed because people assume old age, not a medical condition, is the culprit. A recent survey of veterinarians estimated fewer than 7 percent of owners volunteer such information. Yet a study conducted at the University of California-Davis School of Veterinary Medicine indicates the prevalence of cognitive dysfunction may be high. Thirty-two percent of the 11-year-old dogs and 100 percent of 16-year-old dogs showed one or more signs.
Sparky, a 14-year-old Terrier/Cocker Spaniel mix, was brought to his veterinarian, Dr. Anthony Braithwaite at the Kingsville Animal Clinic in Kingsville, Ontario, to be put to sleep. Dr. Braithwaite could see gray in Sparky's whiskers, but otherwise the dog looked good for his age. "He was bouncing around the room and certainly didn't look like a dog that had come to the end," Dr. Braithwaite said. "Yet I could see that his owner was close to tears, so I had to ask why are we doing this?"
Sparky's owner said he couldn't live with the dog's behavior anymore: Sparky had been defecating indoors, usually in the middle of the night, next to the owner's bed. "That very morning, the man had stepped from his bed, right into the odorous pile, and it as just the last straw," Dr. Braithwaite said. Sparky's owner described other signs of disorientation. After lab work and a checkup ruled out medical problems, the owner tried Anipryl. "About two weeks later, the family sent a lovely thank-you card. Not only had Sparky's nighttime soiling stopped, but he was sleeping through the night and acting more playful than he had for several years. The availability of Anipryl has changed the way we handle geriatric checkups."
L-deprenyl isn't a cure-all and won't help every patient, but experienced veterinarians agree it's worth trying for a month. If no improvement is seen, a second month of increa sed dosage is recommended. If it helps, the medication continues once a day for the remainder of the dog's life. Free of serious side effects, the medication's only drawback is its expense, which can be more than $2 per day, depending on the dog's size.
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