Common Health Issues

“We don’t stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing.”    

Dr. Dawn Gleason appropriately kicked off this webinar with the above quote from George Bernard Shaw, and although Shaw probably wasn’t referring to dogs, Dr. Gleason showed that his words absolutely apply to our canine family members. A veterinarian and certified veterinary acupuncturist, food therapist, and rehabilitation specialist, Dr. Gleason provides many insights in this eye-opening presentation. 

F. Barish-Stern’s most recent book, “Shamrock’s Story, From Hurricane Katrina to Doggy Dementia and Alzheimer’s,” combines her personal experience and love of dogs with input from more than 50 experts she interviewed. By knitting together their guidance with the story of one rescued dog's journey through the stages of Canine Cognitive Dysfunction, she hopes the book and this article will help other senior dogs and the people who love them.

In part two of this blog series, we’ll provide a follow up to the overview of Canine Cognitive Dysfunction (CCD), including prognosis, treatment and management of and management tips. For more information on symptoms and diagnosis, read Part 1 of our CCD blog series.

In part one of this blog series, we’ll provide an overview of Canine Cognitive Dysfunction (CCD), including definition, symptoms, diagnosis and prognosis. This information was provided by Lap of Love Veterinary Hospice as part of their educational pet disease series and has been republished with permission. 

Dogs, like humans, can suffer from degenerative brain conditions in their senior years. These conditions are called canine dementia or Canine Cognitive Dysfunction (CCD).

There are many symptoms of canine dementia. The warning signs can be slow to develop, which is why dementia is often undiagnosed.

As much as we’d like, we can’t turn back the paws of time, so there are some things we just can’t change about our senior dogs:

Just like people, many dogs live with feelings of anxiety. Some dogs have anxiety due to past experiences, and others may have anxiety related to their breed. Some animals may have been anxiety-free their whole life and then develop anxious tendencies in their old age. Whether your dog has always been anxious or is just now developing symptoms, there may be some natural ways to treat it.

Affectionate, gentle, energetic and built for long days in the field.  Vizslas are known to be an athletic breed - eager and graceful trotters possessing great stamina and making them ideal jogging or biking companions.

Picture Annie:  a Heartworm positive two-year-old Vizsla who is currently on restricted activity during treatment. 

Osteoarthritis, or Degenerative Joint Disease, is a common disease in our older pets. While many owners chalk the stiffness and decreased mobility seen in these pets as just “old age”, they can dramatically impact a pet’s quality of life. Dogs with osteoarthritis rarely vocalize their discomfort with cries or a non-weight bearing lameness. The changes are often subtle and can involve symptoms such as stiffness, reluctance to climb stairs, weight shifting when standing still and a decreased desire to go on walks.

In my first two blog post here on the Grey Matters Blog we discussed simple signs for you to look for to potentially identify if your dog has joint pain or not. We then introduced the concept of “The Pain Trial,” which all dog owners should know about and be able to discuss with their veterinarian. I have listed these posts for easy reference, in case you missed them.