Senior dog/ CDS

Question
Our 16 year mixed breed dog (sheltie like) has the classic symptoms of doggie alzheimers.It breaks my heat to see her look so lost and confused all the time. She eats well, but sleeps most of the day. When she is awake she is a shell of the dog I once knew,  staring blankly into corners and doorways, losing her balance,  forgetting all the tricks she once knew and has even snapped at us as we try to help her. My husband and I decided to let her live out her days as long as she was still eating well, but I wonder how much quality our girl has in her life at present and if we are doing the right thing by not letting her go sooner. Any advice you can give would be helpful.

Answer

Hi Nancy,

Actually, there is an FDA approved medication that could help your dog's condition (it's called Canine Cognitive Dysfunction Syndrome, or CCDS). The medication is called Anipryl (selegiline hydrochloride) it can dramatically improve the lives of dogs suffering from CCDS, helping to restore and renew the relationships between senior dogs and their families.

Studies using Anipryl for the treatment of CCDS have shown that after 30 days, 80% of dogs showed improvement in overall cognitive response compared to pretreatment evaluation and improvements in individual clinical signs also were observed. After 60 days, 77% of dogs showed improvement in overall cognitive response compared to pretreatment evaluation. This medication should definitely help extend the quality of life for your dog. It's a prescription medication, so a trip to your vet's office is called for.

There is a pet life quality assessment scale. The scale test is scored from 1 to 10, with 10 being maximum health. You can see that scale here: http://www.homevet.com/petcare/documents/quality.pdf

I hope that helps.

Patti