[Dailydrool] Canine cognitive dysfunction syndrome (doggie dementia)

[Valerie via Dailydrool]

commander Bo suffered from doggie dementia the last couple of years of his life. he took Prozac and Valium at bedtime which allowed him to sleep rather than pace at night. We also left lights on in the house 24/7 for him, put solar lights along the dog ramp and a pathway in the yard, and when he was inside he wore doggie diapers. Nonetheless Bo would still get lost at times so we would call out to him when we moved around the house so he'd know where we were, and if he got frightened, he would simply bellow and I would come running to his rescue. (we called it playing "Barko Polo"--he would call out Barko, and we would call out Polo until he made his way to our side.) the fact that different rooms had different types of flooring (tile, slate, wood, carpet) also helped orient him, as did sounds like the gurgling fish tank in the dining room, etc. Bo was never on Anapryl but I understand that has helped some dogs.  also putting different scents in different rooms. Val vlbzwick at yahoo.com