Dementia in dogs: signs and support
Does your old dog wander at night or seem disoriented? Dementia occurs in dogs too. How to recognise it and how to make everyday life easier.
Just like people, dogs too can decline mentally in old age. Experts speak of cognitive dysfunction, colloquially of canine dementia. The signs are very varied, and many things can also have other causes. That's why any suspicion always belongs first in the vet's practice.
Possible signs
Typical signs are disorientation, for example when your dog gets lost in the familiar home or waits on the wrong side of the door. Added to this are a changed sleep-wake rhythm with night-time restlessness, aimless wandering, less contact with you and sometimes a loss of house-training. Often several signs appear one after another together.