References
Cummings, Brian J., Elizabeth Head, Arman J. Afagh, Norton W. Milgram, and Carl W. Cotman. 1996. “β-Amyloid Accumulation Correlates with Cognitive Dysfunction in the Aged Canine.” Neurobiology of Learning and Memory 66 (1): 11-23.
Cummings, Brian J., Elizabeth Head, William Ruehl, Norton W. Milgram, and Carl W. Cotman. 1996. “The Canine as an Animal Model of Human Aging and Dementia. ” Neurobiology of Aging 17 (2): 259-268.
Landsberg, Gary M., Jeff Nichol, and Joseph A. Araujo. 2012. “Cognitive Dysfunction Syndrome: A Disease of Canine and Feline Brain Aging.” Veterinary Clinics of North America: Small Animal Practice 42 (4): 749-768.
Landsberg, Gary, Aladár Maďari, and Norbert Žilka. Canine and Feline Dementia. Springer International, 2017.
Milgram, N. W., G. O. Ivy, E. Head, M. P. Murphy, P. H. Wu, W. W. Ruehl, P. H. Yu et al. “The effect of L-deprenyl on behavior, cognitive function, and biogenic amines in the dog.” Neurochemical research 18, no. 12 (1993): 1211-1219.
Milgram, Norton W., Christina T. Siwak, Philippe Gruet, Patricia Atkinson, Frédérique Woehrlé, and Heather Callahan. 2000. “Oral Administration of Adrafinil Improves Discrimination Learning in Aged Beagle Dogs.” Pharmacology Biochemistry and Behavior 66 (2): 301-305.
Papaioannou, Nikolaos, Peter CJ Tooten, Anne Marie van Ederen, Jurgen RE Bohl, Jaime Rofina, Thomas Tsangaris, and Erik Gruys. “Immunohistochemical investigation of the brain of aged dogs. I. Detection of neurofibrillary tangles and of 4-hydroxynonenal protein, an oxidative damage product, in senile plaques.” Amyloid 8, no. 1 (2001): 11-21.
Rème, Christophe-Alexandre, Valerie Dramard, Laurent Kern, Joelle Hofmans, Christine Halsberghe, and D. Vida Mombiela. 2007. “Effect of S-Adenosylmethionine Tablets on the Reduction of Age-Related Mental Decline in Dogs: A Double-Blinded, Placebo-Controlled Trial.” Veterinary Therapeutics: Research in Applied Veterinary Medicine 9 (2): 69-82.
Siwak, Christina T., Philippe Gruet, Frédérique Woehrlé, Bruce A. Muggenburg, Heather L. Murphey, and Norton W. Milgram. 2000. “Comparison of the Effects of Adrafinil, Propentofylline, and Nicergoline on Behavior in Aged Dogs.” American Journal of Veterinary Research 61 (11): 1410-1414.
Siwak, Christina T., Philippe Gruet, Frédérique Woehrlé, M. Schneider, Bruce A. Muggenburg, Heather L. Murphey, Heather Callahan, and Norton W. Milgram. 2000. “Behavioral Activating Effects of Adrafinil in Aged Canines.” Pharmacology Biochemistry and Behavior 66 (2): 293-300.
6 Comments
Thank you. It has been real helpful and understanding what my dog and family go thru. Its a hard decision to make.
It really is. Good luck.
Eileen, thank you for a wonderful resource. My dog has had CCD for a couple years now, and is now exhibiting behavior that is very strange and I’m having a hard time finding anyone who can relate. He has been going long periods of time without peeing, regardless of how many walks we take him on. In the 4 years I have had him he has always dripped urine, and he continues to do that, but he will not urinate either inside or outside very often now. I had blood work and urine test done and everything is ok, so my vet and I both suspect this is the dementia. Yesterday he went 18 hours without peeing (only dribbling in the house) and today it has been nearly 16 hours as I type this. I am considering an ultrasound to rule out any issues with the bladder or kidneys despite the other tests being normal.
Have you ever heard of this being a stage of CCD in some dogs? He isn’t posturing to try to go…just seems oblivious to the fact that he has to. It’s as if he has forgotten how to go or forgotten that he actually needs to.
Dear Angela,
Although I have never heard of this particular problem, problems with elimination are near the top of the symptom list. This is definitely one I have never heard of, but it kind of seems to fit in a weird way, as you say.
I’m glad you are keeping on top of the medical aspect. I think you are doing everything you can. And I think if he were uncomfortable you would know it. Forgetting that he needs to go, or losing touch with that part of his body sensation, or however you want to put it–could fit with the brain deterioration of dementia. I’m sorry you have this strange problem to deal with. If you get the ultrasound, I hope you’ll let me know what happens.
Take care, and sorry that I haven’t heard of this before. Maybe some others who are reading will recognize it, though.
Thanks, Eileen!!
Shortly after I posted my original question, I did indeed have an ultrasound done and that was also negative, as was the urine test and blood work. So, the internal medicine specialist agreed with me and my regular vet that this is the dementia.
In the past few weeks since then, he has had days where everything is normal in terms of his urination, and then other days where he is having hours long stretches…often in the 9-12+ hour range, though his longest was 24 hours! We just continue to take him on walks and hope that each one will be “the one”! I am finally relieved he has “dripping” problems, since at least he is voiding some urine that way.
He continues to be unfazed by it. But he is also now having trouble more and more with forgetting to finish chewing and swallowing his food (he eats soft food due to a benign tumor in his stomach). He’ll hold the food in his mouth and just stand there. So, we monitor his eating and talk him through the chewing with encouragement and some head scratches.
Thanks again for your reply…at least now you have another story to add to your collection!
Aww, forgetting to chew. I’m glad you can help him through that.
And yes, that is quite a story about the urination. It’s amazing the things we end up focusing on with our dogs. I bet it’s a bigger relief to you than it is to him when he goes.
He’s lucky to have you monitoring him in such loving ways. I’m sorry about the ways it must be hard on you, but I’m sure glad he is unfazed by it.
Thanks for writing back, and tell him to keep leaking!