10 Signs to Tell if Your Ageing Dog is Confused
Confusion among canines is a common flaw when your dog gets older. Unlike other defects associated with aging, confusion is much more severe. It is a sign of serious mental disorder a problem known as Canine Cognitive Dysfunction Syndrome. Canine Cognitive Dysfunction (CCD) is a mental condition similar to dementia or Alzheimer’s disease in humans. It is related to the aging of a dog’s brain. Even though the symptoms may seem mild at first, they gradually worsen over time – a process known as cognitive decline. As a matter of fact, estimates show that by age eleven, fifty percent of dogs display signs of CCD.
By the time, they reach age fifteen, the percentage increase to sixty. With such alarming figures, it is important for every dog owner to know if their senior companion is falling victim to this mental dysfunction for early detection and treatment. Here are ten signs to look out for when telling if or not your dog seems somewhat confused.
Ten signs of a confused dog:
You see signs of Anxiety and Restlessness
Senior dogs with CCD tend to pace or wander aimlessly all over the house especially in the night. They may also be hostile to some family members or other pets in the home. These dogs tend to develop separation anxiety – they somehow become too clingy and don’t want to let go. If your dog seems restless, try to calm them down. Maybe a stroll down the park will do the trick or gently rub their coat as a massage therapy.
They do things repeatedly
If four-legged friend keeps walking around in circles, or does something repeatedly then they may be somewhat confused. They may start barking, panting or whining repetitively with no apparent reason. This may be a result of getting lost in the house or lack of recognizing familiar faces in the room. As a defense mechanism, such dogs may start to bark continuously due to the confusion. It would be best to give them a toy that they’re familiar with as a method of calming them down.
Loss of housetraining
Canine seniors might have a problem when it comes to potty time. With years of potty training down the drain, your dog starts to urinate and defecate in the house. They usually forget the designated place for soiling even after taking them outside many times. However, before considering this act as a sign of dementia, it is important to rule out other medical conditions by visiting your vet. It’s also important not to scold or try and retrain them, as this will increase their confusion. Unfortunately dealing with accidents in the house comes with the territory of caring for elderly pets.
They’re Less Interested in Interaction
Dogs with cognitive dysfunction tend not to seek out human interaction and often walk away while being petted. They seem less interested in greeting family members when they get in the house as compared to the past. Such dogs usually become uninterested in play time and may lack excitement even when rewarded. In most cases, cognitive dysfunction dogs are unfamiliar with the family members and that is why they seem less interested in interaction. They may shy away in the corner or even aggressively attack the person trying to play with them.
Behavior changes
Confused dogs tend to have fluctuating behavior changes. Often due to the confusion they may suddenly become irritable and snappy. Even dogs that were once very placid can withdraw into self and have episodes when interrupted. They activity levels also may be altered. They seem less interested in play time activities, have decreased levels of stimuli or deficits in memory and learning new tricks. Confused dogs are also slow and experience a lot of shaking and trembling whether when standing or lying down.
Change in sleeping pattern
Confused dogs tend to have irregular sleeping patterns. They may either sleep more than normal or have a reversed sleeping pattern. Such dogs may also have insomnia – they sleep a lot during the day and stay awake most parts of the night. These dogs also experience sleep walking due to the confusion. Older dogs tend to have bladder problems or joint aches that keep them awake most of the night. That is why it is important to rule out these two conditions as the cause of insomnia.
Forgetfulness
Confused senior dogs keep having a difficult time getting in and out of the door or from corners. They forget simple tricks like rolling over and have a difficult time learning new ones. They may also forget their names when called a result of not correctly processing the command or act given. High chances are that such a dog is confused and is suffering from CCD.
Appear distant and unresponsive
A confused dog is mostly distant and doesn’t respond well to commands given. They don’t react when their name is called and seem to have a rather blank look in their eyes. Such dogs may be suffering from hearing loss, a defect common in most senior dogs. However, in the case of cognitive dysfunction the dog may be having a hard time comprehending the action issued out.
Loss of appetite
Older dogs may forget to eat or have a low appetite. They seem less disinterested in feeding time even when offered their favorite snack. They appear to forget the taste of food and the hours they are met to be fed.
Disoriented
Senior Dogs with cognitive dysfunction may appear disoriented or confused, even at home. These dogs tend to get stuck behind doors and in corners and appear worried about being lost. Sometimes they fail to recognize familiar faces or bark at unusual hours. Vision or hearing problems can also be the cause of disorientation, so it’s best your vet checks for these before making any diagnosis.
Visit a veterinary for a correct diagnosis
Please note that the first step to solving any behavior problem is to rule out any medical causes. That’s why it is important to keep tabs of all behaviors you have noticed the timeframe, frequency and make an appointment with your vet for further discussion and professional opinion.
In most cases confused dogs suspected of having dementia are prescribed with Anipryl medication that helps reduce the common signs of dementia. Some are helped with DAP to minimize senior dementia anxiety in older dogs.
Tips for managing confusion dogs
Once you have diagnosed your dog, you can try to manage the condition by:
- Not changing the pattern of the house: Don’t change the setting of the furniture as this tends to confuse the dog even more and make him more nervous.
- Keep your dog’s food and water in an easily accessible place.
- Consider buying a dog crate where you can keep all his essentials and toys in a single location.
- For dogs that are stiff and weary, raise their food and water bowl to their level, so they do not have to bend.
- When stepping out of the house, leave your dog secure, either in his crate or a confined space. This prevents chances of him get lost in the house, and the familiarity will reassure him.
- Follow a strict routine: confused dogs will less likely get confused or have accidents when following a strict schedule. Take your dog outside regularly to relieve himself and also take him to the same patch each time.
- Give your dog plenty of exercise within the limits of his or her physical abilities with lots of reassurance and praise.
- Have a diary of the signs he is showing and scale them from 1-10 how badly they seem to impact his day. You will begin to see if the signs are getting worse.
Tips on how to prevent confusion in dogs
Even though there are no proven techniques of preventing brain aging, some simple techniques are recommended to keep the brain active, something that is thought to slow degeneration of the brain nerves.
- Regular play time and changing the games played
- Regular exercise: like going for walks
- Create challenges – hide treats, and encourage agility play. Here’s our list of puzzle toys to keep your dog’s brain active.
- Feeding your dog a well-balanced diet with essential vitamins and fatty acids
Conclusion
Confusion among dogs mostly result from brain degradation due to advancement in age. It is primarily associated with senior dogs. They tend to forget simple routines and even their names.Such canines are at times hostile to their family members and even bark or even pace up the house restlessly. In such a case, it would be best to seek medical advice since such signs may also result from a medical problem.
If your dog is confused, there are certain things you can do to manage the condition. Try regular exercise and keeping things monotonous to avoid confusing the dog further. After all, dogs are man’s best friend. That’s why we need to support our four-legged friend in his time of confusion with understanding and encouragement.
Do you have an older dog that’s showing signs of his age? Let us know in the comments what you do to keep him active.
6 thoughts on “10 Signs to Tell if Your Ageing Dog is Confused”
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It’s true dogs get confused when they age. Some of these symptoms are applicable to my dog also. Dogs may suffer from various changes during this like joint pains, anxiety etc. Very informative topic. Thanks a ton for such an amazing information.
We have a 15 year old cocker spaniel whose mobility has worsened over the last 6 weeks – we also lost his brother 6 weeks ago to cancer – he is showing some of the signs of confusion listed above mainly circling – repetitive walking back and too to the same spot and loss of appetite – it’s so interesting to read the article and very informative – Thankyou
Great article. My 14 year old pug is blind in one eye and the eye not at 100%. He is deaf and dog dementia is becoming more evident. When he’s out on the lawn doing his business, he forgets the direction back to the door. And walks around aimlessly…of course for a very short time, because he is always rescued by me. Poor baby. BUT food, meal time…he is as spunky as a new pup.
I have a 13 yr old Bishon named Casper. He has has Cateracs and arthritis. I am seeing signs of dimensia. He is restless, very clingy, goes to the bathroom outside more often. Bumps into things. Lays down for a few mins and roams around, repeats,,,,
Casper is such a good boy, I have had him since he was 8 weeks old
Is there meds for his problem? I will have to take him to the vet soon I guess.
Our nearly 14 year old Westie is showing signs of increasing confusion. He wanders aimlessly about and is restless most of the time. He lost his mate just over a year ago and this has affected him badly. Due to his loss, he has been clingy but is increasingly so. He wants to go out throughout the night but when he is given the option to go outside he stays inside and isn’t sure what to do. If we have to leave him, we make sure he’s in his favourite bed with the TV on in the background, the lights left on and the dog flap locked open so he can come in and out easily if he wants and he is fine when we return. He loves his walks and exercise which we make sure is several times during the day or a good long one once a day. His appetite fluctuates however that has always been the case since he was a pup. Still a very loving and gorgeous boy who loves nothing better than to curl up beside us on a settee or on the bed.
This is devastating. My dog changed overnight. I never had children but I’ve had Hank for 12 years. He was a rescue, the shelter told me he was 2 when I got him. I miss him already even though he is still with me. Hank doesn’t seem to know my husband or me right now and he doesn’t seem to know what he wants. Car ride? He stares at the open car door. Walk? He looks up at me and then sniffs the ground looks back up as if he’s scared to take a step. He was an abuse case; we never understood his triggers and I don’t want him to endure vet visits/exams. He is terrified of being ‘handled’. So…I plan to just make the best life for him for the rest of his time with us. Thank you for the article.