(continued)
As promised, we continue with more detailed discussions relative to changes that take place as your dog ages.
Changes in activity level and behaviour
Senior dogs may show a decreased activity level. This may be due to normal aging or be the first sign of a disease condition such as arthritis or senility. Regular veterinary exams every 6 months and monitoring your dog for other symptoms of disease will help distinguish normal aging from disease.
As animals age, nerve cells die off and are not replaced. In some cases, certain proteins can start to surround nerve cells and cause them to malfunction. The communication between nerve cells may also be altered. For some dogs, the changes in the nervous system are severe enough to change their behaviour. If certain signs are present, we call this behaviour change ‘Canine Cognitive Dysfunction.’ These signs include confusion or disorientation, restlessness at night, loss of housetraining abilities, decreased activity level, decreased attentiveness, and not recognizing friends or family members. We’ll get back to this age related disorder next week.
Older dogs have a decreased ability to cope with stress, and this can result in behaviour changes. Separation anxiety, aggression, increased susceptibility to noise and increased vocalization (constant barking and ‘talking’ to themselves especially during the night when you and your neighbours want to sleep) develop or worsen in older dogs. Various medications combined with behaviour modification techniques can help solve some of these behaviour problems. This latter possibility is not common here in Guyana where, to my knowledge, there are no trained ‘dog whisperers’.
Since older dogs do not handle stress well, getting a new puppy when you have an older dog who is already showing signs of aging may not be the best idea. Yet, the acquisition of a new playful puppy as a companion to stimulate activity in an older dog can work wonders for the latter’s vigour. It is usually best to get a new puppy when the older dog is (i) still mobile, (ii) relatively pain free, (iii) not experiencing cognitive dysfunction, and (iv) has good hearing and vision.
Increased sensitivity to temperature changes
As dogs age, their ability to regulate their body temperature decreases. This means they are less adaptable to temperature changes. Dogs who could handle chilly temperatures when they were young, may not be able to do so as they age. Monitoring the environmental temperature around your dog, and making adjustments (like letting him stay in the warm kitchen during especially chilly evenings) will help keep your older dog more comfortable. During hot weather, you may wish to ensure that the elderly dog is kept in an area which is cool and breezy.
Hearing loss
Some dogs/cats will experience hearing loss as they age. Slight hearing loss is hard to evaluate in dogs and cats. Often hearing loss is severe before the owner becomes aware of the problem. The first sign noticed may look like aggression. In reality, it may be the dog/cat is unaware of a person’s approach, become startled when touched, and instinctively reacts aggressively. Owners may also report the dog is no longer obeying commands (the old dog may no longer be hearing them). With cats it may be even more difficult to recognize deafness, because cats hardly ever give a signal that they are at all listening to you at the best of times. That’s just how cats are.
The hearing loss generally cannot be reversed, but some changes in interaction with the dog can help reduce the effects. One of the reasons to teach dogs hand signals for various commands while they are young, is that these hand signals are very useful if the dog develops hearing loss. The use of lights to signal dogs (eg: flashing the yard light when you want the dog to come in from outside) can be useful. Dogs with hearing loss can still sense vibrations, so clapping hands or stomping on the floor may alert the dog you are trying to communicate with him.
Changes in the eyes and vision loss
Many dogs develop sight problems as they grow older. In one (confusing) case, the lens of the eyes appear cloudy, yet the dog seems to be able to see quite well. On the other occasion, the elderly dog develops genuine cataracts where the ever-increasing stages of opaqueness of the lens reaches a point where the animal can only see indistinctly or not at all.
You might have read in previous columns that dogs really are not great “eye” animals – meaning that of all of a dog’s senses, the one he relies on least is seeing. Smelling and hearing are of great importance. Nevertheless, we don’t want our elderly dog to go partially or fully blind.
Any sudden changes in vision or appearances of the eyes could signal an oncoming emergency. Contact your vet as soon as possible. Opthalinic inspection should be part of your vet’s general physical examination of older dogs and cats.
Happy Mashramani! Please do not use squibs or other noise-producing, explosive devices near pets!
Please implement disease preventative measures (vaccinations, routine dewormings, monthly anti-Heartworm medication, etc) and adopt-a-pet from the GSPCA’s Animal Clinic and Shelter at Robb Street and Orange Walk, if you have the wherewithal to care well for the animals. Do not stray your unwanted pets, take them to the GSPCA’s Clinic and Shelter instead. If you do not wish your pet to have puppies or kittens, you may exploit the GSPCA’s free spay and neutering programme. If you see anyone being cruel to an animal, or if you need any technical information, please get in touch with the Clinic and Shelter by calling 226-4237.
