Bayside Animal Hospital

Cognitive Dysfunction Syndrome
A New Look At "Old Dog" Syndrome

Does your dog seem like he's getting senile in his old age? Recently, a condition of the brain that affects aging dogs has been discovered, called Cognitive Dysfunction Syndrome (CDS). With CDS, the area of the brain that thinks and remembers and reasons becomes affected in a manner similar to humans with Alzheimer's disease. Dogs with CDS usually look outwardly normal, but they can exhibit any or all of these abnormal behaviors:

Abnormal sleep/wake cycles: Dogs with CDS seem to want to sleep during the day and then pace, bark, or yelp at night. Often they are difficult to awaken from their sleep.
Loss of housetraining: Pets that have never made mistakes before may start to urinate and defecate inside the house. They fail to signal to their owners that they need to go outside. They may make a mistake inside the house moments after coming in from outside.
Unresponsiveness: With CDS, dogs may withdraw from family members. They may forget how to do their tricks (sit, shake, roll over, etc.) and are unable to learn new tricks. They may not be there to greet you when you enter the house.
Disorientation: Dogs with CDS may stare into space. They may seem to wander aimlessly and become trapped behind furniture.

As you can see, the symptoms of CDS can mimic many medical conditions: cataracts, arthritis, and bladder infections, for example. However if your pet exhibits any of the above symptoms, and is found to be normal on physical exam and laboratory tests, then he/she may have Cognitive Dysfunction Syndrome.

What can be done for a pet with CDS?

A medication called Anipryl can slow the signs of CDS and offer great hope to dogs with this disease. To quote owners who have tried it "it's like getting your old dog back again." If you are interested in trying this medication for your pet, please call to schedule an appointment.