Also called · dog dementia · cat dementia · CDS · cognitive dysfunction syndrome
What it looks like
- Gets lost or stuck in corners at home
- Awake and vocalising at night, sleeping heavily in the day
- Slower to respond to their own name
- Has forgotten house training
- Walks with no apparent purpose
Why it happens
Changes appear across five areas
1. Cognitive impairment — poorer recognition of people, places and objects, getting lost in familiar surroundings. 2. Changed social interaction — less greeting, less play, more irritability, slower responses to commands. 3. Changed sleep–wake cycle — more daytime sleep, less night sleep, more waking during sleep. 4. House training — forgetting training that was established. 5. Activity — less exploring and grooming, aimless walking.
Better studied in dogs, but cats get it too
Research is somewhat further along in dogs, but it occurs in both. The cause is progressive age-related change in the brain: learning slows, responsiveness falls, and control of body functions gradually declines.
Other diseases can look the same
Internal conditions that become more likely with age — brain tumours, kidney and liver disease, hormonal and metabolic disorders — and surgical conditions such as arthritis also cause behavioural change and neurological signs.
What to do
Rule out other disease first
Proper medical investigation is needed before settling on dementia. For example, the increased drinking and urination of kidney failure is sometimes mistaken for the problem behaviour of "toileting outside the litter tray".
Consider an antioxidant-enriched therapeutic diet
Therapeutic diets for dogs enriched with antioxidants contain compounds shown to slow ageing and reduce dementia symptoms in humans, and are expected to help in dogs and cats as well.
Consider EPA and DHA
Supplements for dogs based on unsaturated fatty acids are an option on the same reasoning. DHA is involved in maintaining cell membrane fluidity and has reported links to cognitive dysfunction.
Keep the stimulation up
Alongside meeting their needs, appropriate stimulation such as walks and play is recommended. Progression looks faster when stimulation disappears.
Simplify the house
Leave the furniture where it is, and use non-slip flooring and night lighting so wandering does not end in injury.
Watch out for
Nothing currently reverses the underlying cause. Drug therapy and supplements are at the stage of expected benefit.
Pain can raise anxiety and aggression and bring problem behaviour to the surface or worsen it. Managing nutrition with a therapeutic diet matched to the underlying disease can reduce the problem behaviour as well.
See a vet if
It appeared suddenly, over days — that suggests acute illness, not dementia
Seizures, circling, or head tilt
A sudden large increase in drinking
Common questions
Look for gradual accumulation across the five areas — cognition, social interaction, sleep cycle, house training and activity. A sudden onset points to another disease first.
Antioxidants and EPA/DHA are at the stage of expected benefit and do not reverse the condition. Stimulation and environmental adjustment have to go with them.
Related behaviors
Was this useful?
General behaviour and nutrition information. It does not replace diagnosis or prescription. Similar behaviour does not always have the same cause, and the cause is not necessarily diet or environment — have a vet rule out illness first, and consult a behaviour specialist where needed.