Signs of confusion in an older yorkie
 

I'm not sure if this is the right place to post since it's not exactly an emergency, but I am really hoping for some help.

Alexander, 14-1/2 years old, has been showing increased signs of confusion lately. He'll walk into walls, door, etc. and just stop and stand there for minutes at a time. If he's in a corner he gets anxious and can't seem to figure out how to get out of the corner (he won't just back up like he should/could). He walks back and forth from the same places, almost like he doesn't remember having just been there. I swear there have been a few times he doesn't even seem to know who I am. He startles so easily now, and has become very uncoordinated.

He has an appointment Saturday morning with the vet, but I'd like to hear from others who've dealt with this. Is there any hope that things can improve for my baby? Are there any medications that might help? What questions should I be prepared to ask?

Alexander has been my baby and my best friend his whole life - I can't stand watching him be like this. :cry:

Do you think he's lost his eyesight? My pek is blind and we have been living in the same place for 11 years, so she knows the place. She will run into things and get caught behind something and have no idea how to go around it because she can't see. I think pacing is for pain though???? Good luck at the vet. I hope you get your answers and your baby is better soon.

That is exactly how Truman was in his last few months. I had many talks with my vet about medications to try to help him. He told me that he did not think they would help. The last few months he would wake in the middle of the night and walk the halls and just let out the saddest moans. It was very sad to watch. He was so confused that holding him for comfort didn't even help. I'm so sorry :(

That very well could be. He has a cataract in one eye but the other eye is still clear....I'll definitely have the doctor check his vision out. Thanks for suggesting that!

Alex does have arthritis and with the cooler, wetter weather coming I was also going to ask the doctor if there was something more we could for that, too (stronger meds, different meds, etc).

In Truman's case the pacing was part of the dementia that he was suffering from. He would walk aimlessly through the house. Get stuck in a corner and stand staring at the wall. Usually I didn't both him too much when this happened and when he wanted out he would bark.

I've been thinking about Truman a lot over these past few weeks, Jodi. I remember how you described his confusion at the time. :( I'm praying Alex's doctor will say something different, but I just have this terrible feeling inside..... I've even put off taking Alexander in, because I don't want to hear what the doctor's going to tell me.

Gentle and light massage is very good for arthritic joints. How about checking out B12 or a Bcomplex vitamin. See what the doc thinks about that?

Does he like squeaky toys? Maybe a gentle play time with you with some squeakies and other fav toys?

Also have you tried glucosamine and chondrotin supplements?

I've got a similar situation with my 14 year old Maltese. She doesn't seem to know where she is at times. One minute she can hear our voice and respond to it, then the next minute it is like she is deaf. She will even pee inside on the floor (not often, but it happens).

My sister had a rough coated collie that lived to be 14, and her dementia got really, really bad. The poor dog was in such mental distress all the time, and I think they made her hang on much too long. It was very difficult to watch. I do not want to put my dog through that. It is hard to know what is best for them.

I haven't thought about the B vitamins...I'll definitely ask about that. Alex has had 4 knee surgeries and he doesn't like that leg to be touched at all, but he loves to be massaged everywhere else. I don't know if there is anyone in this area who does it professionally. :confused: I've always just done it for him myself. He's been on glucosamine for several years - I credit that for him still being here with me today. It's a wonderful supplement. :thumbup:

Alexander used to love plush squeaky toys but nothing really seems to interest him these days. And he's never been one for gently play - he's all rough and tumble boy. ;)

Alex has started pottying inside sometimes, too. This is something he would NEVER do before. I don't scold him because he doesn't seem to realize where he is when he does it. :(

Senior dogs do get dementia.

Symptoms of Dog Dementia

Senior Dog Care: Older Dogs, Aged Minds: Dealing With Dog Dementia

Lady will be 15 in a couple of months and has some loss of vision, mostly night vision. She has started waking up in the middle of the night and barking because she can't find her water bowl. Last night she was wandering around barking all night, but she'd had a seizure from her blood sugar dropping too low earlier in the evening (she's diabetic) so I thought that was the reason.

I have also noticed that when I talk to her sometimes she looks in the opposite direction. I thought her hearing was going, but who knows?

I have also noticed she startles easily. I haven't noticed any housebreaking issues, though, and her appetite is great.

Maybe she is starting to show signs of dementia, too? I really don't care as long as she is happy. She's never been the sharpest tool in the shed. I call her my little Forrest Gump!

This thread makes me so sad. It makes you think of what you'd do? I too waited a little longer than I should have to take my pek in for her annual shots. I was afraid of what the vet would say. Tara will be 13 next month, blind, hard of hearing (sometimes nothing), back legs frozen, has a heart murmer and very bad allergies. She has just started to leak (potty) a little in the house. The vet said that only I could determine her quality of life and when to put her down. If the incontinence became a problem, she would give me something to help her. We really don't want to think about her leaving us. My boys recently came for a visit and both were hoping that she hung on long enough for them to see her one last time. (They are in the Army and don't come home very often.) Tara just loved them being here and perked up a little while they were here. I wish all of your older babies good health and you the knowledge to know when it's time. I myself don't think it's time for Tara, but it soon will be.

Reading those articles brought me to tears. They could've been written about Alexander....so much of it describes him. He does things that are talked about in the articles that I hadn't connected to this, like being startled by interior lights and the television, and sleeping more during the day. The second article mentions a medication that may help but he has other medical problems that might conflict with this. IDK, I'll just have to ask the vet about that.

Alex still has a very good appetite and hasn't lost a whole lot of weight. If I just knew he wasn't suffering I wouldn't be so upset, but I don't know what he's going through. :confused:

And with his loss of coordination and difficulty getting up/down the ramps in the house I'm so afraid he's going to hurt himself badly (he gets part way up/down a ramp then stops, and when he's ready to go again I don't think he remembers where he's at and walks right of the side of the ramp :eek:). He's walked off the side of the bed, too. I tried to start closing the bedroom door to keep him off the bed at nights, but he cried so hard and seemed so scared, I had to let him sleep with me. Now I sleep with him connected to me by a short leash so he can't go anywhere without waking me up.

Tara sounds so sweet, and so much like Alexander. He's been with me so long, I can't imagine life without him in it. I'm praying the doctor will come up with a way to keep him with me just a little while longer. Even if this isn't Alex's time, I don't have much longer with him.

Ah, poor dear Alexander. It's got to be so frightening for him.

I have a bed rail for Lady so she won't walk off the bed. Maybe this would be easier than the leash?

Extra Long, Extra Tall Hide Away Bedrail - Babies R Us - Babies "R" Us