Q Our 11-year-old dog Peanut seems to be showing signs of senile dementia, such as waking up at odd hours, soiling and staring into space often. Our vet said she is just aging. Can we do anything to slow this process?
A According to the BSAVA Manual of Canine and Feline Behavioural medicine, CDS or cognitive dysfunction syndrome is a neurodegenerative disorder of senior dogs and cats that is characterized by gradual cognitive decline and increasing brain pathology. Due to the similarities between CDS in dogs and Alzheimer's in humans,dogs are used as models to study human brain aging. The process of aging brings about progressive and irreversible changes in body systems, resulting in behavioral changes. According to the Merck vet manual, 30 percent of dogs 11-12 years old and nearly 70 percent of dogs 15-16 years old have CDS.
Signs of CDS
Most owners are not observant enough or believe it
