Do dogs get Alzheimer’s?

Some signs of CDS are:

Forgetting the difference between indoors and outdoors and relieving themselves indoors
Forgetting how to use stairs
Not recognizing their owners or other family members
Staring at walls
Behavior shifts from friendly to aggressive for no apparent reason
Getting stuck in once familiar places like room corners or behind furniture
Withdrawing
Not responding when called
Decreased activity

Dose your dog have any of these signs?

Fortunately not yet, but they are only 7 and 11.5 years of age.

Some of this symptoms that you describe can be attributed to hypothyroidism in dogs such as (amongst other symptoms)

Behavior shifts from friendly to aggressive for no apparent reason

Withdrawing

Decreased activity

So if the dog is affected by any or all symptoms the best port of call is to visit the Vet and get them to diagnose the dog

My currant dogs are young 3 years and 6 months, but in past dogs I never had anything like that and had many till the end late in their teens.

If you are having these problems you should probably make a visit to your vets and see if anything else is going on.

Our 15 yr old dog ,Buster has dementia
He started off ,about 18 mths ago ,looking very vacant and staring into space,

He began to get us up anywhere between 3 and 4 a.m and then he would pace for 4 or 5 hours-up and downstairs,in every room,as if he were looking for someone-it was very distressing to watch and very tiring for all of us

When he went outside in the garden he would go and stare at the side gate-through which NO-ONE ever comes
He looked SO confused -it broke my heart

I went on line and saw people whose dogs had symptoms like his-some MUCH worse
We went to the vet who agreed that it was dementia-I didnt know a dog or cat could suffer from this
He gave Buster Vivitonin which didnt seem to help
After looking on here and other Forums someone recommended Aktivait-not a medication-a food supplement
We found this helps a lot-1 tablet each day.

He is not the Buster we had before BUT
He is far less restless and much happier

He still knows who we are and even still recognises our car
He LOVES his food -and ours-loves his walks and is still clean in the house
But he doesnt play any more or come for cuddles much

We are just taking each day as it comes and our vet is very supportive
We dont want him to suffer which I know at the moment he isnt doing

We lost his "sister",Lulu last January-they grew up here together from the age of 3 mths
He worshipped her and was really upset if she was ever not with him
Sadly when she died -here at home -there was no reaction from him at all-which I think is probably was a good thing as pre -dementia he wouldnt have coped without her

Maureen

I lost my first dog, Ben, to premature dementia - a mongrel, bless him who was only 8 years old. Unfortunately, amongst other things, he began to have bouts of unpredictable aggression which, with three young children in the house, meant that it was impossible to manage.

It broke all our hearts to have to help our little lad on his way

Yes, my 13 year old is showing signs of dementia or alzheimer's. He will go outside, stand there staring sometimes, wondering why he's asked to go out there, and then do his poo as he enters the back door without even known he's done it sometimes

He gets stuck behind doors that I'm opening and just stands there, so I have to shut the door again, move his head around and open it so he can see the open door. He isn't blind, he doesn't bump into things, but he gets "stuck" in familiar places.

Upon waking up sometimes, I'm sure he doesn't know who I am, and then it suddenly clicks, his face changes, his tail slaps on the floor.

I don't think there will ever come a day when he will turn aggressive, and if he does, God help me coz he's 55 kgs and a very, big boy indeed, and I'd hate to have to let him go under such sad circumstances

Some days, he's totally different, just acts his normal self, these things seem to come in phases with him, which last a few days, but we cope.

Big hugs to you and your georgie boy H xx

One of the dogs I walk is an 18 year old Jack Russle, he suffers from this and paces around a lot as well as staring a random spots on walls and doors. He started crying all night and the owners have now put him on the Activate suppliment. He now no longer cries at night and seems to be much happier. He hasnt got any worse over the last 10 months where as before the deteriouration was quite dramatic.

My 16 year old Collie is showing signs of dementia

She went to the toilet in the kitchen today and she's done it a few times over the last few weeks.
She's been getting aggressive, especially to Harry and to us.
She wondered off on our walk yesterday and stands by the back gatein the garden for ages and barks.

My mums Bearded Collie x also got dementia at 12, and it was awful to see her deteriorate