A SENIOR MOMENT

A recent article in The Telegraph suggested that dog owners who noticed peculiar behaviours in the older dogs might be shocked to learn that their dogs could be suffering from Pet Dementia.

Odd behaviours include;

Dogs becoming forgetful or confused,

Forgetting what they have just done;

for example greeting their owner, then losing them and finding them again and greeting them again.

Standing on the hinge side of the door instead of the side that opens,

Drifting away from an activity,

Walking in circles,

Forgetting to eat, or forgetting they have just eaten,

Struggling to find their way around.

Vets have put this condition down to poor lifestyles and poor diets. Dogs that are no longer taken for long walks or given poor diets are more likely to suffer from this.

Prof. Peter Volk of the Royal Veterinary College  says in an article: “I don’t think people realise how serious this problem is”. He goes onto to say that lack of activity, with owners less willing to take their dogs out for long walks, plus a diet of cheap pet food might be to blame for aggravating the onset of dementia".

An increase in pet obesity can have similar health problems in animals just the same as in humans. Just as in dogs, people who are less active and have poor diets can find themselves with similar health issues leading to dementia.

Prof Volk says in his article that the key to slowing down the onset of pet dementia is for owners to ensure their dogs get regular vigorous exercise and changing their dogs diet to a high quality food containing fatty acids.

Due to a lack of understanding among many dog owners this problem is being missed. So please look out for any signs that your ageing pet might be exhibiting and get them down to the vets straight away.

This was taken from an article in the Telegraph News.