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Behavior Changes in Aging Dogs
Hello all! I’m excited to have joined this group! I’d love to hear stories of work anyone has done with senior dogs who are experiencing behavior changes due to health issues or even cognitive dysfunction. One of my dogs, male, neutered, 10 year old AmStaff had been exhibiting many new behaviors leading up to a (current) working diagnosis of inflammatory bowel disease. I’m currently treating him under two vets (treating IBD and addressing brain health with prescription food and supplements) – and working with him at home, using training enrichment to keep his mind active. It’s been a long and confusing journey trying to figure out what was happening to him (increased anxiety, irritability with the other pets in the home, trembling, restlessness). Great improvement finally seen this week. It got me thinking about all the possible avenues we can explore when helping owners with senior dogs with new or worsening behaviors. Does anyone have this type of experience with senior clients? Tips on how to successfully work in partnership with the dogs veterinary team? Thanks for reading! I’m hoping to turn this bump in the road for my boy into a learning experience from which I can help other dogs.
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26 Replies
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Hi Lisa, WELCOME and thanks for sharing your story. You didn’t mention your sweet boy’s name? He’s so lucky to have you vigilantly exploring all the options!! ????
Please share what you are learning, especially with regard to nutrition. (Hot topic!) There are so many opinions out there… I’m hoping the science catches up and can inform us.
In general, I think we have a long way to go to understand what will best benefit our aging dogs. Do you know Eileen Anderson’s blogs? She is a trusted resource in that she digs and digs for accurate information, then explains things in an easy to understand style. She’s developed a whole site for canine dementia and cognitive dysfunction.
She also wrote a book: Remember Me?
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Wow thank you so much for the recommendation! I can’t wait to check her out. Regarding my boy (Toki ❤️), he was showing so many seemingly unrelated symptoms all at once. Intermittent hind end weakness, lethargy, anxiety, irritability toward my other pets, then an acute bout of vomiting and diarrhea that sent him to the ER followed by x-ray and ultrasound. I have hit him with everything I’ve got. Antacids to continue supporting gi comfort and Cerenia as needed, NSAID and pain meds for known spondylosis, Senilife supplements for cognitive support, clomipramine for anxiety (he has had bouts with anxiety in the past and I know this drug helps him), and his main vet prescribed Purina NeuroCare food for brain health/cognitive support/anxiety reduction. I also learned that with inflammatory bowel dogs, pumpkin is no longer the gold standard for adding fiber to the diet. Psyllium is the way to go. Way more fiber in just a couple teaspoons. Doctors are finding that diet is the best way to control IBD over drugs in most cases. I’m lucky in that I used to work for one of his vets, and continue to be friends with her, so I still get the benefits of her CE learning :). I am also teaching Toki simple tricks daily and refreshing known behaviors to exercise his brain ( along with sniffy walks, etc.) I can happily report that some or all of these things are working because he has been back to puppy-like behavior these last few days! Sorry, this was probably WAY more info than you were expecting in response ????
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@LisaOMy – no, no, no! NEVER TOO MUCH! This is why we are here; love all the information sharing. You’ll find us a caring place, for sure.
And -oh boy – have you been through it with him and all these symptoms! SO glad you have a trusted vet to counsel you. (We don’t give medical advice, but it’s always fascinating to read cases like this and learn.)
I was reading about IBS in humans recently and something caught my attention, relating to gut health – the theory was that IBS is a stress response. Always. So we’re challenged to deal with the stress itself. Heal the trauma; complete the stress cycle; exercise, rest, eat right, all the things. It would make sense that these are also all related for our dogs – and reading your story makes me see that kind of connection. What do you think?
In a couple weeks, we’re having an event I hope you can attend; because meeting all our dogs’ needs is so elemental. I think you’ll like what Kelsey has to say, and the way she creates plans for her clients’ dogs.
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Lisa thanks so much for sharing! I have a senior dog with digestive issues as well and I really appreciate all the information!
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Aw, poor guy! It can be such a tough thing to handle. And how unfair for dogs to have gi issues when they love food so much?! I’m glad that my dogs love the taste of their probiotic, so when they are on strict dietary lockdown, they still get some “spice” on their food ❤️
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You’re correct! He definitely had some obvious stressors, yes. I went from a job with predictable hours to opening my own business- he never knew when I’d be around. A similar scenario is what set off his stress and anxiety years ago. At that time I had a job with insane overtime and he had a hard time adjusting. He’s a sensitive man 🙂 I absolutely agree that stress adds to the mix. We know that had GI inflammation when he was in the ER, and that he’s had similar bouts of GI distress, so IBD is his “working” dx right now. But you’re absolutely right. Treating his stress and reintroducing structure helped him along with increased mental stimulation. It’s been scary and frustrating- the most difficult thing to figure out was: are the episodes of trembling due to anxiety or pain? And is it GI pain or back pain? I am thankful my friend/vet takes a strong interest in animal behavior. I am not happy that my sweet boy was suffering, but I’m definitely grateful for the experience of trial and error and helping him regarding not only his physical health, but his behavioral health. In your experience with senior dogs, do you have specific games or training exercises that you use for mental stimulation? I use shaping games interspersed with known behavior refreshers like puppy pushups, etc. I also use physical therapy to make them think about where their body parts are (ex. targeting FitBones with different body parts, etc). I just purchased a nose work kit to add to the mix!
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This is great, @LisaOMy – you’re definitely on the right track. I’m starting nosework for my senior who just got diagnosed with a heart issue and has to find other ways to be active than flinging her body through time and space after an orb.
I bet @Tripod_Mom will be able to speak to the Nosework idea for seniors.
I’m a big fan of simply using the giant snuffle-mat that is my backyard, for starters. And shredding cardboard. Because that works for my dog (the one of 3 that doesn’t eat it!)
Looking forward to more ideas – where are our senior pet advocates?
@mtnwolfpup
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I like using destruction boxes for mental stimulation. It’s also a great way to get rid of all these Amazon boxes hahahaa
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Oh I love that sweet gray face ???????? it is so wonderful what you are doing for your baby. I am a huge advocate of essential oils on my older dogs. It has worked wonders on both their body, mind an spirit. Plus a little back rub never hurts 🙂
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I’d love to learn more about the essential oils you find helpul, @mtnwolfpup . Would you be willing to share more details?
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Thanks for the replies @mtnwolfpup and @virginiad ! I would love to hear any and all techniques you’ve worked with. I am curious about essential oils. I attended a CE when I was a veterinary assistant that was very cautionary about essential oils, but I would like to hear your view. I find that a lot of the caution in these cases, as I know is true for use of things like CBD oil, stems from lack of controlled studies and/or lack of control of ingredients in commercial products. That said, a close friend uses essential oils safely with her dog, so I’d love to learn more!
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Also, I always worry that my comments sound like “well actually”…that is not my intention. I am genuinely very interested in learning about essential oils. I like using scents in general for calming properties, but I am very uneducated about essential oils as a whole. Thank you so much for the suggestion!
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???? I totally understand! I have been using them for year with all of my dogs and have never had any issues. I only have used Young Living EO as I know exactly how they are grown and distilled. They even have a whole EO line dedicated to animals. Anything else that is not therapeutic grade, I stay away from. When I have a few moments I can start a quick discussion. Give you guys some details if you are interested!
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That would be wonderful, thank you!
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In case anyone would like to read about our progress, here is a blog post I wrote regarding our journey:
https://cerberusdogtraining.com/blog/post/2180906/toki-s-journey-overall-wellness-and-behavior
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Lately I’ve been being more regular at giving Joy (my 11yo) her anti-inflammatory meds. I used to only give them if I saw her obviously in pain. But with the added stress of a new puppy in the household, I noticed how very grumpy Joy was. I didn’t think it was all about the baby, so I started giving daily doses of her meds as opposed to “as needed”. Within a week I’m seeing a much more tolerant old gal. They are just so darn stoic about pain. I think a lot of “behavior problems” can be symptoms of pain. It’s good to keep in mind as a possibility, anyway.
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Yes, agreed! I have seen nsaids work wonders in older dogs. I would also like to write a letter to the inventor of dogs demanding an answer as to why they are as susceptible to pain and disease as we are. A strongly worded letter ????
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Also, what a beautiful pup!
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Thanks. She’s my heart. 😉
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I totally agree with this 100%. Who doesn’t turn nasty when they are in pain? I always have to remind myself that when my older babies are having a grumpy day. What a cute girl ????????
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Look who’s feeling good today!
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@LisaOMy , I don’t know if it’s just on my end, but I can only hear audio, with no video to see. So glad your dog is having a good day though! ????
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She’s adorable! I can see and hear the video. She is so happy! Thanks for sharing this.
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My senior dog loves to listen to music… especially Spa music. It just helps her relax after we get back from a nice walk.
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That’s so sweet!
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♥♥♥
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