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Originally Posted by Ladymom  When was the last time he had a full geriatric blood profile done? You should have one done every year for a senior and a "mini" CBC in between. It can alert your vet to anything that might be starting and can prolong his life.
He may just have doggie Alzheimer's called Cognitive Dysfunction Syndrome (CDS), but it's important to rule out something else causing his disorientation.
This article has a lot of good information on the condition: Doggy Alzheimer's Disease - Dogs |
Good advice Ladymom! We had the senior blood panel done several times on Katie, our dachshund that lived to 17 1/2 years old. She did wind up testing a little low on thyroid, but the vet said not enough to make her have to deal with pills everyday. He siad it might make her a little slow and tired, but that her age would anyway so he preferred not medicating her. But if she had periods of disorientation or any other symptom that might go along with hypothyroidism, we might have gone ahead with thyroid hormone supplementation. That is the nice thing about doing the panel, it can point to things that might improve her symptoms.
Katie lost most of her sight and hearing as well. I had to help her with the one step up to come inside. Towards the end, I had to carry her out for potty time. She just didn't get up to go otherwise. Several people asked why we didn't put her to sleep and the vet even broached the subject. I told them that occasionally, she would get up and wag that tail. She always did that when my mom came to visit. You could tell she was happy to see her. She also loved to get brushed with a soft baby brush. She would make little noises of pleasure. I told them all that as long as I could see her have moments of enjoyment and it did not appear she was in too bad of pain (other than her arthritis) then I would hang in there with her. I could not take even one day of tail wagging away from such a wonderful pet. She was one in a million!