What is Cognitive dysfunction?
• Cognitive Dysfunction is a recognised medical condition in older pets, owners often describe their animals as becoming senile. • It can affect animals as early as 6 years of age and between the ages of 11 and 12 a quarter of all dogs may show some signs of the problem. • It shows many similarities to Alzheimer”s disease in people, there are no actual signs of illness, all the changes are behavioural. • Animals can vary in how bad their symptoms are, from mild forgetfulness to severe senility. • The earlier it is recognised and treated, the better the chance we have of halting or slowing any brain damage and helping the animal • It occurs in both dogs and cats, but can be more easily spotted in dogs as they can forget their toilet training or commands. • It can be caused by less blood reaching the brain in older pets, and by damage to the nerves in the brain by free radicals. Signs of Cognitive Dysfunction (Senility) • Disorientation – pets can seem lost in houses where they have liv
