{"id":1781,"date":"2016-10-28T17:45:04","date_gmt":"2016-10-28T21:45:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.ovrs.com\/blog\/?p=1781"},"modified":"2016-10-28T17:45:04","modified_gmt":"2016-10-28T21:45:04","slug":"cognitive-care-for-senior-pets","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ovrs.com\/blog\/cognitive-care-for-senior-pets\/","title":{"rendered":"Staying Sharp: Cognitive Care for Senior Pets"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-70\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ovrs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/07\/overheatingdog.jpg\" alt=\"overheating dog\" width=\"221\" height=\"213\" \/>Thanks to better care and nutrition, our pets are living longer than ever before. Senior pets can be a great addition to any household, but with age comes a few new challenges. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We are learning more about caring for older animals as the pet population ages. We understand that, much like in older people, pets can suffer from mental changes, in addition to physical ones, as they enter their geriatric years. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Cognitive care for senior pets is an important part of animal care that can greatly impact quality of life.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Cognitive Dysfunction<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Senility is a real issue that we see in our animal friends. The veterinary term used to describe this is cognitive dysfunction, or CD. Many liken this condition to Alzheimer\u2019s disease, which occurs in some people as they age. In fact, there are studies that show that brain changes in older pets exhibiting signs of cognitive dysfunction are quite similar to those seen in people suffering from Alzheimer\u2019s disease.<\/span><br \/>\n<!--more--><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Animals who are suffering from cognitive dysfunction may exhibit symptoms, such as:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Loss of housetraining<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Memory loss<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Disorientation<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Getting stuck in corners<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Pacing at night<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Waking up at odd times<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Restlessness<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Barking<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Separation anxiety<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Panting<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Excessive licking<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Symptoms may start off mildly enough that they are often initially overlooked. Any change in behavior should be investigated, as many of these symptoms may be indicative of other problems. If cognitive dysfunction syndrome is diagnosed, there are treatments that may help improve the pet\u2019s quality of life and slow down the progression of the syndrome.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Cognitive Care for Senior Pets<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While we aren\u2019t sure what causes cognitive dysfunction in pets or people, our <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ovrs.com\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Oakland Veterinary Referral Services<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> staff know that some things can help to slow or even prevent its progression. <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ovrs.com\/blog\/pet-nutrition\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Nutritional<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and environmental changes can be very beneficial so cognitive care for senior pets should include:<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Mental stimulation \u2013<\/strong> Contrary to popular belief, old dogs can learn new tricks. Keep your pet\u2019s brain working by teaching a trick or two, providing interactive toys, taking him or her for walks or car rides, and keeping your routine fresh.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Touch \u2013<\/strong> Grooming, petting, or even massage can be a great way to help <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ovrs.com\/blog\/snooze-fest-stimulation-for-a-bored-pet\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">stimulate your pet<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and make his or her brain work in a different way.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Environmental enrichment \u2013<\/strong> Social interaction with other animals or people, toys, and interactive play can all help keep the brain sharp.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Good diet \u2013<\/strong> A quality food designed to support brain function can help your pet. These therapeutic diets often contain antioxidants, omega-3 fatty acids, and other ingredients shown to help an aging mind.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">With good care, older dogs and cats can manage any cognitive changes that they may experience and live full, happy lives. Your family veterinarian can work with you to help you stimulate your older pet and help them age gracefully. <\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Thanks to better care and nutrition, our pets are living longer than ever before. Senior pets can be a great addition to any household, but with age comes a few new challenges. We are learning more about caring for older animals as the pet population ages. We understand that, much like in older people, pets [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[24],"tags":[146,147,221,398,662],"class_list":["post-1781","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-senior-pet-care","tag-cognitive-care-for-senior-pets","tag-cognitive-pet-care","tag-elderly-pet-care","tag-older-pets","tag-senior-pet-care"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.7 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Staying Sharp: Cognitive Care for Senior Pets<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Cognitive care for senior pets is an important part of animal care that can greatly impact quality of life.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link 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