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8 Ways To Help A Dog With Dementia

Dogs get old. It’s what happens when we take care of our pups, pay attention to their health and well-being, and do whatever we can to increase their longevity.

We want to spend as many years as we can with our dogs and make sure those years are as full and happy as possible. This does mean, however, that our senior pups are more likely to reach the point where they suffer from age-related medical conditions, including “dog dementia.”

Canine cognitive dysfunction, or CCD, is similar to Alzheimer’s disease in humans, and it tends to appear in older dogs as the brain ages. The symptoms can be heartbreaking, but there are ways to help treat your dog, make them comfortable, and improve their condition.

Signs of CCD in dogs can include:

  • disrupted or unusual sleep cycles
  • changes in personality
  • unusual behavior or changes in normal behavior
  • accidents in the home
  • barking for no reason
  • getting lost in familiar places
  • anxiety
  • acting more withdrawn
  • failing to respond to familiar commands or their own name

If your dog is experiencing these issues, you must consult your veterinarian, as other medical conditions can share these symptoms. If your dog is diagnosed with CCD, then you should ask your vet about steps you can take to make them more comfortable and provide treatment.

Dementia can be individual to each dog and often depends on how far advanced the condition is, so work with your vet to formulate an appropriate plan. Here are a few ways you may be able to help your dog with dementia that you should talk about with your vet.

What other ways do you help fight the effects of dementia in your dog? What kind of treatment has your vet recommended? Let us know in the comments below!

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