lulu's mum Posted June 11, 2008 Report Share Posted June 11, 2008 Sorry, this isn't a very cheerful subject, but does anybody have any tips on how to help an elderly dog who's going senile? Particularly in the past month or two, our old girl Bess has started showing several of the signs. She wanders aimlessly round the house and garden, or stands facing a wall for ages, or gets stuck in awkward corners and can't get out. I'm finding the worst thing is when she paces round and round in small circles, especially during the night (she sleeps in our bedroom). I don't know whether it's best to let her do it or try to stop her, which doesn't seem to work anyway. She's on vivitonin, but our vet doesn't seem to think there's much more to be done for her. I've never had any experience of this before, so if there's anybody with similar experiences I'd love to hear about it. I'm hoping to pick up a few practical ideas to help her through this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jacobean Posted June 11, 2008 Report Share Posted June 11, 2008 I've read that some dogs improve on taking something called aktivait. Maybe someone here can enlighten you more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rudi Posted June 11, 2008 Report Share Posted June 11, 2008 I guess you've probably gone through all this but the thing that springs to my mind is that my Amber behaved like that when she had a bad infection Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jazz Posted June 11, 2008 Report Share Posted June 11, 2008 Lissie has got lost in the garden a few times and has now reverted to being a puppy, barking for the first time, jumping, and followng me around. he vet says shes happy enough, and I love her, so as long as shes not ill with it, its one of those things xxxx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katiebob Posted June 11, 2008 Report Share Posted June 11, 2008 I've had an elderly dog like this. I'd recommend that you take her to a vet and explain. There is a drug which helps some dogs wth senility. It's called Vivitonin. I suspect there are other drugs too. Alternatively, she might have some underlying condition which is causing these problems so I'd definitely seek a vet's advice first Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jacobean Posted June 11, 2008 Report Share Posted June 11, 2008 The lady has said she's already on Vivitonin Di. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katiebob Posted June 11, 2008 Report Share Posted June 11, 2008 (edited) The lady has said she's already on Vivitonin Di. Oops - missed that bit To be honest, when Hannah was very unwell, she used to walk into corners and couldn't get out. She had Cushings as a result of a pituitary tumour. So there are other explanations other than senility although the outcome in Hannah's case wasn't great. Edited June 11, 2008 by Katiebob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brenda Posted June 11, 2008 Report Share Posted June 11, 2008 My oldie lurcher Ben was on vivitonin, although I dont think it helped much. He used to pace and pace for no reason, we just couldn't stop him. It was heartbreaking. We did feel Ben's pacing had a lot to do with his arthritis, as we felt he could be in pain, he seemed better once he was on metacam. Sorry to hear about Bess. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reb Posted June 11, 2008 Report Share Posted June 11, 2008 I had two Dogs Trust foster dogs both brothers and both poodles. They also showed some of these signs as they got older and eventually lost their hearing and sight through cataracts. They used to get 'stuck' in corners and wander arouns and bark seemingly for nothing. Its all part of them growing old. These 2 both had heart conditions and were on tablets daily for this. I loved them both dearly and still miss them now they were real characters. I do hope that you find a solution my 2 slee in the kitchen with no chance of hurting themselves. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lulu's mum Posted June 11, 2008 Author Report Share Posted June 11, 2008 Thanks so much for all your ideas and suggestions . I'll certainly follow them up. We're due to see the vet soon for a checkup, so I'll talk things through with her then. At least Bess doesn't seem to be in any pain, and she still enjoys her food, her little walks with a lot of sniffing around, and cuddles. I've just put her to bed for the night, so fingers crossed we'll have a quiet one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yena Posted June 12, 2008 Report Share Posted June 12, 2008 Our Monty was the same, he'd get stuck between the settee and wall and would stand there for hours, if we didn't find him. We did spend a lot of our time looking for him . As he got worse, he was unable to walk for a long time and sometimes would just lay down and fall asleep for a few mins, before getting up and going on with his journey. I've found him asleep in his water bowl, most morning I'd have to wash him because he poo'd himself, I also had to watch him eat so I knew he'd eaten. Having said that he was a wonderful little man, and when we lost him, we were all heart-broken. I don't think he was unhappy, just confused at times, he still had a nose for chocolate, something he was never allowed (I think his previous owner used to give him it) but one night he did managed to find and eat a whole big bar , so he wasn't that daft Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laurel n Hardy Posted June 12, 2008 Report Share Posted June 12, 2008 no experience of this but sending loads of good thoughts good luck with the vet Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeadyP Posted June 12, 2008 Report Share Posted June 12, 2008 When I had a dog go senile, I found that having a 'safe' area helped. Barneys safe area was on the sofa. So if he got confused or bewildered, I would walk him to the sofa, and he calmed down when on it. Also he became incontinent, weirdly, I would praise him for weeing where he was, I didnt want him to think he was being bad, and I knew he couldnt help himself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lulu's mum Posted June 12, 2008 Author Report Share Posted June 12, 2008 Thanks again, for the info and good thoughts. I've moved the vets appointment forward to this evening, so I'm hopeful we might have a bit better idea of what's going on after that. I'm full of admiration for all of you who've been cheerfully looking after your dogs like this, I just hope I can do as well as you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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