|
Help for our 14 year old Yorkie Up until very recently Sammie has been a very happy and healthy little guy. About 2 months ago, just as he was turning 14 years of age, we moved to a different house. During this time he seems to be going downhill fast. He's experiencing pee accidents, which never happened before, lots of pacing around, licking his lips constantly. His eating and drinking seem stable, he sleeps well. But he appears to be confused part of the time, doesn't respond to familiar commands, and in general seems somewhat anxious. Our veterinarian attributes these changes to dementia, and last week prescribed Anipryl, Melactin, and the Hill Diet. So far we see no improvement, only continuing deterioration. Does it take some time for these meds to start to work? It feels like our little boy is slipping away from us a little more each day, and we are very concerned about him. We know his age is against him, but we're hoping something will kick in to give him a little more time with us If any of you have had experience with this, please share with us. Thank you, Sammies Dad |
I wonder if he is having trouble with his eyesight and is confused in your new house? |
Does he walk close to the wall and sometimes get himself into a corner then is unable to find his way out? It's so hard to watch the confusion what sometimes happens when they get older. Be sure to keep an eye on him if you put him on the bed or furniture. They also seem to lose depth perception with doggie dementia. I'm so sorry :( |
Help for our 14 year old Yorkie Yes, he does have some vision problems, but not serious enough to account for the confusion. In fact, he mapped out the new house quite well. And no, he doesn't walk close to the wall as yet. The vision issues show up mostly after dark or in a poorly lit room. He's always been a strongly "routine" oriented little guy, and we're working hard to keep those intact wherever we can. Fortunately he still is his usual perky self, which tells us that he isn't experiencing discomfort. But we see changes happening rapidly. Thank you for your thoughts. We love this little precious spirit so much. Sammies Dad |
Quote:
Please be very careful with this symptom, the depth perception....even with very little change in his poor eyesight, he may not be able to "process" depth perception very well with dementia, and he will walk off a couch or chair or bed more easily....I am so sorry for you going through this....this is so hard to watch as they age and start to loose senses. As this progresses, you may want to start to limit the area he has available to him.....it will break your heart to see him get into a corner and can not figure out how to get out...... |
Could it be more anxiety from the change than dementia? Sometimes treating anxiety helps. |
I'm not a vet but I'm not convinced that this is dementia. Any 14 yo dog mapping out a new home, sleeping well, eating and drinking fine and not getting stuck in corners sounds just fine! I am suspect of the pee accidents and would insist that someone culture the urine. If it is clear, I would run a urine protein creatinine ratio because a 14 yo probably is having some normal age related kidney issues. I would get a second opinion from a fresh set of eyes. Speaking of eyes, many older dogs have trouble seeing at night. This could be nuclear sclerosis which is that hazy look we seen in older dogs. It's classic for worse night vision or dim lighting. It's not cataracts and they don't treat them unless it's very severe. I have two 14 yo Yorkies and I've seen infections cause very bizarre things, as well as medications cause problems. I think a thorough investigation is in order and I would start as I said with bladder and/or kidneys. |
Quote:
|
Daisy was having similar things going on. Blood test showed elevated liver enzymes and the vet said that could produce these symptoms. After taking some med for her liver and getting back to near normal readings, and taking some pain med for arthritis, she is acting normal again. Like you, I was worried that it was dementia, but it seems it was due to elevated liver enzymes, arthritis pain and some vision loss. She is acting normal again now, but she is a bit nervous getting around the house at night. I leave some lights on at night because she likes to move around at night. I keep a flashlight by the bed so she can see coming up her doggie stairs and jumping down. |
I'm also going to recommend a work up by your vet. I work in a human ER and you'd be surprised at just how altered geriatric humans can get with urinary tract infections. Poor things get so confused. |
My little 15 yr old Yorkie had kidney disease, she started peeing often and everywhere. Prayers for your Sammie. |
That is what happened to my 16 year old Shih tzu. He lost interested in going for walks. he stated peeing all over the house Then he started to get confused. He had doggie dementia. I know my vet told me there was a drug that helped with dementia but I never put him on it whereas he was 16, blind and deaf and afraid of everything at that point and we ended up putting him to sleep. Talk to your vet about the pill. |
We've had all of the tests with no indication of any adverse medical condition. We've also had a 2nd opinion. As of now it appears Sammie is in the earlier stages of dementia. We have high hopes for improvement with the Anipryl. Thank you for your response. |
I wish you all the best. It's so hard watching a much loved family member start to fail. |
Quote:
|
Help for our 14 year old Yorkie We certainly went through a period of Sammie being depressed. We've now been in our new home 9 weeks, and he seems to be OK with the situation. And, regular and familiar routines have been re-established. Eyesight is still a bit of a problem, although he is finding his way around better. In other words, he's slowly "mapping" out his new home. He's been on the Anapryl almost 3 weeks now, and we've seen a modest improvement in the peeing accidents. He makes it through the night, and being left alone for 3 to 4 hours OK. Most accidents happen when we are here at home with him. We've gone back to House Training 101, but have had little success at this point. We remain hopeful. Thank you for your post. |
Quote:
Please keep us posted. |
My heart goes out to you. Our little girl had subtle changes in her behavior starting at age fifteen but they worsened as she aged. The pacing and anxiety at night was awful for her. Anipryll was not a miraculous cure, but it helped her a lot. Ashley loved being held close to our bodies. We walked a few miles each day until a couple of days before she passed away close to her seventeenth birthday. Most of the time she walked, but at times I carried her and eld her close as we walked. It helped ease her anxiety. My vet felt she was still very responsive with us, and her quality of life was still good. Ashley needed 24 hour attention because of the problem with depth perception and getting lost in corners, but we would not have missed a moment with her. This is a long thread, but there are a lot of ideas shared that I wish I knew about when caring for Ashley. I wish you many more happy moments with Sammie and hope the Aniprl helps a lot. If I can help in any way, please let me know. http://www.yorkietalk.com/forums/sic...er-yorkie.html |
sending good thoughts |
Update Well, it's now nearly mid-March, and Sammie is doing so much better. The pee accidents have reduced to perhaps 1 per day, and it is usually us not being fully aware of his needs. He's been on a urinary tract diet for 3 months, and that has helped. The dementia issues have improved. Mostly he sleeps a little more than before, his eyesight has definitely declined, but all-in-all, his spirit is good, even wanting a daily tousle. He seems to need more closeness with us, which we are thrilled to provide for him. He's such a sweet little boy and we treasure every moment with him. Thanks to all who offered suggestions and support. I really appreciate it. |
Thank you for the update. I pray for little Sammie and more good news. |
Thank you so much for updating. I'm so happy to hear Sammie is doing better. I didn't think it was possible, but during this time in our life with Ashley, we grew to love her even more. I'm not sure she knew we were her mom and dad, but Ashley sure she knew she was loved. Give Sammie some extra hugs from me tonight. |
dog I am so glad little Sammie is doing better acclimating himself to the new environment. I know it is hard for an older person to get used to new surroundings and the same is for our precious dogs. It takes time and now he sounds like he is feeling better about his new home. Dogs respond to routine and same surroundings. Like kids. Change is hard but sooner or later they adjust. Yay for Sammie! He is doing well! |
"during this time in our life with Ashley, we grew to love her even more." I agree, the already strong bond has deepened over the past several months. We can tell that Sammie can feel it too. Thank you for your thoughts. |
Take lots of pictures. I regret not having done that when I had the chance with my last senior. Now she's gone, I have very little to remember her by. Snuggle him a bit for me and my sweet Chatter, please. |
My oldest boy will be 14 in August ... I was just thinking to myself that he's so used to this house and his routines that he would be devastated if we ever moved... Maybe just the reality of such an unfamiliar home and adjusting plus you said the early onset of dementia is just overwhelming him right now. Hopefully the Meds plus the adjusting will allow him to transition nicely into his new home and routines. Best wishes!! |
I'm so glad to see your update and see that Sammie is better. I have thought about Sammie so many times since your original post and wondered how he was doing. I had a scare with my 11 year old where she seemed confused and scared. The vet thought it could be dementia at first but after she was put on meds for her liver she seems ok. I hope you will continue to let us know how he is doing because you are giving hope to those of us who may be facing similar issues. Thanks for letting us know about Sammie and know that wish him and you the best. |
In retrospect, it is clear that most of Sammie's difficulties last fall were the result of our move to a new home. An additional complication for him was that I was in the hospital at the time the move took place. If I had to use only one phrase to describe him, I would say that he is a special "togetherness friend." He is always at his best and most confident when our family unit, me, my wife, and him, are together. But at a time when his world was being totally disrupted, one family member was not there. With the passage of time most of his issues, except vision, have either been resolved or greatly improved. He seems to be in a very good place now. At 14.5 years of age, we know that time is not on his side. We are lavishing him with out love, trying to make every day a "golden" day for him. He's such a precious little spirit, and we treasure every moment with him. Thank you all for your prayers, thoughts and suggestions. I'll keep you updated from time to time. |
Ok, thanks. |
15 y/o male Yorkie, my Peanut getting old I am going they, or, should I say my baby is..the same of some of you. He used to be able to hold in his pee trips for 10 hours. Then he's had 2 days of accidents. I took him to a vet, no crystals, thank God, just a UTI. Antibiotics and pain meds. Those are done, now he's had another accident.( luckily I have tile ) My question is, could it just be age related, or should I take him back to the vet ? I know as we humans get older, we have accidents too.( me, not yet !) At 1st, I asked a vet I know in line. She said organ failure or a UTI. She was right. But now, maybe remainder of, or, just getting old ? Any ideas ? |
| All times are GMT -8. The time now is 09:50 AM. |
Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.9
Copyright ©2000 - 2025, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
Copyright ©2003 - 2018 YorkieTalk.com
Privacy Policy - Terms of Use