Canine Cognitive Disorder (CCD) Questions

[Gerk]

Hi all

I know a few people in the pugalug community have dealt with this and I have a couple of questions ... I'm a bit worried that Bugsy may have the start of this sort of thing going on. 

As he's getting older he's getting less sure about his surroundings -- sometimes he'll start barking for little to no reason, his hearing seems to have gotten really bad (either that or he's just not processing the verbal stuff but I'm pretty sure it's his hearing ... lately he seems pretty much stone deaf).  He's also been having some issues overnight some nights whimpering and such.  Many times some cuddles will re-assure him but sometimes it doesn't help.  He's also this week gotten "lost" a couple of times, standing facing a wall and barking like mad because he can't seem to figure out what's going on.  Also a little bit forgetful when it comes time to go outside to pee .. he pee's, then when coming back in he stops suddenly and then tries to go back and pee again.  He just spent a few minutes laying beside my chair at my desk here and barking (really LOUDLY) for no apparent reason -- he does this quite often now as well.

From what I've been reading a lot of this behaviour are classic symptoms so we're going into the vet to talk and get him checked out tomorrow (it was almost time for his annual physical anyway).

So I guess my question is am I seeing too much/putting too many of these sorts of symptoms onto him or does this sound like it has some validity?

[lmcpug]

Hmmm,
not sure Mark as I haven't expereinced any deficiencies with my two guys yet,
that I'm aware of.

However some of the symptoms I can say both display to some degree.

Bubba's sight and hearing are definitely out the door. I will sometimes find him
standing in a room not sure which way to go and it has happened in the backyard too!
I have to go and rescue him along.
I put it down to his sight.....   I think in certain "lights" it is harder for him to see and
he is not sure what is ahead of him. I can go out and call him and if I nudge him in the right direction
and let him know that it is okay..... he will happily follow me. He recognizes my voice so I don't think that
is cognitive dysfunction.
Bubba will also bark at the gate whether anything is there or not and sometimes lately he has been barking at nothing in the house?!?!? again his hearing is going so I think, he thinks he is hearing something and
just wants to make me aware cause as soon as I let him know there is nothing there he is quiet again!!!
again he recognizes my voice and when he hear sit he is quiet.
There have been times where I know he did not hear and times where he has, so for me I think it is on and off, comes and goes at this point?!?!?

As for the crying, I am experiencing that with Pugsley right now and it is heart wrenching but he is trying to let me know he needs something and we go through the rote:
outside for a pee or dump, inside try some food or yogurt, try some water and then the cuddle session.....
I used to be able to ask him what he wanted and Pugsley was super he would give a shrug on something I would rhyme off but not now

Not sure if this helps out or not........ but your Vet will know for sure if it is cognitive failure.......

[Sandy and Debbie]

Mark, it does sound like CCD.  We have used a medication called Anapril (sp) in the past with some success.  It is not necessary; just an option.  It helped with those "lost moments" so our old girl had less distressing times.  It is a personal choice, though.  Sometimes those "lost moments" are happy.  It sounds like you are doing all the right things.  Bugsy will probably need a bit more reassurance, direction and reminders.

[blanche]

Both Bob and Maude had CCD as did Candace's Salvador.  We used Anipryl with some success.  It was less effective with Bob as he was also having strokes so there were other issues involved.

I'm going to send you some info on it that I have.

[Gerk]

Thanks for the info.  Going to see the vet in a couple hours so will let you know how it all works out.

[Sandy and Debbie]

How did Bugsy's vet appointment go?

[pugmomx6]

Aww Mark.  Wesley was like that, if he wasn't physically touching me at night he'd get really anxious.  He was both deaf and blind for quite a while but was aware of his surroundings and knew when it was dinner time.  At the end he was totally lost both in the yard and the house.  Thinking of you both and hope all goes well at the vet.

[Candace]

Those are the classic signs. Salvador was on the Anipryl for over a year and it may have lengthened his time with us. Towards the end, it wasn't working anymore. It's rather pricey, but there is an on-line pharmacy that sells it. They will ship it and if you buy a few months worth, you save on the dispensing fee. You would have to compare the cost with your vets. If you want the info, let me know.

[Gerk]

So here's an update for Bugsy ...

We talked a bunch of things through with the vet and we're going to try a couple of things before we call this CCD for sure. 

Bugsy's hearing is pretty much gone, I would consider him at this point almost stone deaf.  He sleeps really hard especially and doesn't hear any noises around him at all.  You can call his name, clap right beside him, etc and not a flinch but if you touch him he will mostly wake up right away.  We verified that (as best we could) with the vet -- pretty much zero response to audible stimuli.  For a 13 year old pug man that's not really out of the ordinary.  His vision is also deteriorating, but we knew this and have been monitoring the (visible) changes in his eyes.  He can still see, but we are not sure how much.  His cataracts have worsened since his last visit.

Also lately his arthritis has been getting worse, you can hear him creaking and cracking, and even when watching him when he squats you can see that his legs are quite shaky, etc.  He doesn't do much walking these days (outside).  He tries but just doesn't have it in him for any kind of long walks.  A couple of times he got to the end of the driveway and then just sat down and didn't want to walk.  I can understand that with his legs not feeling very good ... so we're not pushing him any harder than he wants to do for himself, and the vet was in agreement with that.  We'll probably think about a stroller for him come spring, but for now he seems to be quite content to toddle around in our front and back yard and do his thing, so that's a good thing.

After discussing all of this stuff with the vet we're wondering if some of the symptoms he's showing are more because he's in some pain, a bit cranky, and because of the recent hearing and sight losses a bit off his game when it comes to people leaving the room and such.  The way she explained it made a lot of sense -- if my hearing has recently deteriorated and my vision was getting worse and I was in pain I'd probably be unhappy and whimper/bark more often for no apparent reasons too.  Regardless this is kind of the way it should be handled, to make sure and rule out any other circumstances or symptoms before we say for sure that it's CCD.

So ... we are trying him on some light pain relief medication first and foremost.  It's been a couple of days so far and while it's hard to be positive of it at this point, it seems to have made a pretty good improvement for him initially.  The whimpering has mostly stopped (except for him being a drama queen/scnhook when he decides that he wants more food but that's unrelated).  He doesn't seem to be as confused when we leave the room anymore ... or at least not concerned about it as he was.  He still goes on a bit of a hunt sometimes when he wakes up in a room alone, but doesn't seem to show as much concern for it, he just makes the rounds to try and figure out where everyone went and then once he's found us he just settles wherever we are and is happy.

So for now I'll guardedly say that the pain meds are helping him cope and hopefully this will resolve things for the time being at least.  We're going to finish up the 10 day run before we make further judgement on this one, but initially it's been a help to him.  He seems like he's much happier ... of course it's a mild narcotic so I'd probably be generally happier too LOL.  He's sleeping soundly through the night the last couple of nights with no whimpering or anything too, so we're hoping that that's all this stuff was about, but time will tell.  We'll be monitoring closely ... but so far he's only really done some of the really indicative stuff once or twice (like barking at a wall, etc) and that could have just been him being unhappy at being left alone.  So far since we started the meds no unwarranted random barking or whimpering ... keeping our fingers and toes crossed for the little man!

[blanche]

Sounds like a sensible plan.  It can be tough when the hearing and sight go or are going to figure out what's sensory vs. brain.  And yes, if his arthritis is acting up as well, it is enough to set off any dog.

Good luck, Bugsy.

[Ben12]

Good luck Bugsy!

[Jug and Pug]

Thinking of you Bugsy and sending you and your family best wishes!

Pugsley and Dave

[1pugforme]

Best Wishes to Bugsy and family