my pet dog

Question
QUESTION: Hello....my dog is 14 years old now...she is going done hill now....she eats good drinks ok her bowels are good and she pees...but her back legs are getting weak which the vet said is her muscles are not good any more....now she has been walking back and forth from one room to another and sometmes in circles and the only way to stop her is for me to hold her or she is sooo tired she finally lays down....she never crys though she seems to be getting confused where she is when its night time and dark in the room...do you have any idea why she keeps walking and walking in slow motion all the time or in circles?

ANSWER: Weakened back legs in an older dog are usually a result of many things such as heart problems, spinal problems or central nervous system problems. Muscles are not normally an issue, except for them being weakened by the above causes.

Senior onset senility is not uncommon. Many dogs and cats show senility by wandering, yowling (in the case of cats), howling or other vocalizations. Crying out, confusion and sometimes being startled easily are also symptoms of it.

There are many drugs on the market for this problem, but they cannot stop or cure it, merely slow it down some. Inisotol and Cholodine are two amino acids that you can buy from a vets that can help also. Cholidin is the brand name I believe. We have used it for many years with fairly good results.

I have an 11 year old dog as well as a 14 yr old cat, so I totally understand what you are going through. My cat Floyd, lived to be 19 and he had many periods of crying out looking for me, sometimes while he was standing on my chest!

Heartbreaking as it can be, they are not in pain but are lost at times. Being there to calm her down helps, but you should have your vet give you something for her to help her regain some cognitive abilities.

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QUESTION: Thanks so much for answering me right away...i just called my vet and they told me that there is no medicine to help slow down the senility so I am at a lost as what to do for her....do you feel its mean to keep her alive when she is getting confussed? I love her dearly and dont want her to leave me but I also dont want her to suffer at all and I just dont know what to do...do you have some advice for me? I was told a year ago that she has a heart mur mur...you have older animals too I see..its so hard when they are in the older stages, I just hate it..thank you again...debbie

Answer
I am sorry that your vet is not willing to explore some options for her. I know they don't reverse the aging process, but some of these supplements do help.

Here is a link for the Cholodin that you can buy over the counter. It will not hurt her as long as you follow the dosage on the bottle. It is a chewable tablet and they really like the taste.

http://www.healthypets.com/cholodin.html

Anipryl is a drug that has to be prescribed that works on cognitive dysfunction in dogs. It is also used in humans. This drug has been around quite a while and is fairly effective.

Here is some information on it at the PetPlace.com
http://www.petplace.com/drug-library/selegiline-hcl-anipryl/page1.aspx
Don't let the side effects scare you, they have to be listed but are very rare. It is a matter of choice which is worse, the drugs or the behavior.

The sad thing about senility in dogs is that they seem in pain when they are not. Confused is a good way to put it. There are other drugs out there too, such as Clomicalm, but the ones I mentioned are widely used. If you need to, find a vet that is willing to treat her.

If her behavior becomes hard for you to deal with, or you think she is suffering by being confused, then you are going to have to think about giving her the gift to end her suffering. When my 15 1/2 yr old dog Cameo got sick, she never got senile, but her physical pain was much worse to deal with. Sound mind and sick body. I would have found it much easier to let her go if her mind had been gone.

There are no easy answers Debbie, but only ones that you have to feel right about. This a difficult decision to make, so maybe consult a new vet or try the cholodin first. Then you can say you gave it your all.
She will be blessed in the end no matter what.
Let me know how it goes.