Thursday, May 15, 2008
Dear Dr. Fox:
My 14-year-old Shih Tzu's cognitive dysfunction was recently diagnosed. I believe Teddy has had the disorder for more than a year. We would sometimes find him staring down a hallway or at a wall. Recently, a car hit him, and one of his back legs was broken. In addition, his cognitive dysfunction has intensified. His symptoms are pacing, looking as though he were lost, walking into corners of the house and just staring, hearing loss and sleep-pattern changes. He'll stay up all night just pacing.
His vet first put him on 5 mg of Anipryl, which made his body limp. It was increased to 7.5 mg. That seemed to help at first, but we finally switched to 25 mg of clomipramine, which made him want to sleep all the time made him act like a zombie. He is currently on 5 mg of buspirone, twice daily, but he has started to display more of the cognitive dysfunction: pacing, looking lost, not always recognizing us, poor coordination and sometimes not wanting to eat.
What could be my next step or medicine? Teddy's coordination is so bad that we have to spoon-feed or help him eat by holding the bowl up to him because he will, otherwise, fall into his food.
-- C.F.
High Ridge, Mo.
Cognitive dysfunction (or senile dementia/dysphoria) is a degenerative brain disease in dogs and cats that is irreversible. In some cats, the brain lesions are identical to those seen in cases of Alzheimer's disease in humans.
When the animal's condition deteriorates to the point of feeding by hand and carrying outside to evacuate, euthanasia is appropriate. If there is evident fear/anxiety even before such a debility develops, I would opt for euthanasia.
Research has shown that pups fed regular manufactured dog food have higher IQs and superior learning abilities when their diet includes antioxidant supplements. Similar nutraceutical supplements also help prevent cognitive impairment in older dogs. In other words, "regular" dog food is nutrient-deficient. These nutraceuticals include vitamins A, C and E, selenium, zinc, L-carnitine and alpha-lipoic acid.
Dear Dr. Fox:
We took our black Labrador to our vet to be spayed when she was about 1 1/2. When we picked her up, her back left paw knuckled under. The vet said the paw probably "fell asleep" and should be better in 24 hours.
The next day we took her to an emergency vet facility that had a neurologist. The diagnosis was sciatic nerve damage caused by the anesthesia injection hitting the nerve or her leg being tied too tight during the procedure.
Our dog still does not walk normally. Most of the time, her left leg collapses, and she compensates by hopping or limping. We cannot walk her. Her exercise consists mostly of being in our fenced back yard.
Physical therapy, acupuncture and electrical stimulation have been suggested to us as possible treatments. What treatment, if any, is advised?
-- E. & C.M.
Freehold, N.J.
This kind of accidental neurological damage should not happen. Take the emergency veterinary neurologist's report to the vet who spayed your dog and insist upon all physical- and neuro-therapy treatments being paid for. Get it in writing.
Massage could help significantly, along with a twice-daily human dose of Vitamin B complex and swimming therapy. A boot or thick sock should be secured to the afflicted leg to prevent paw sores. Electrical stimulation might help to revitalize neuromuscular synapses and help prevent muscle wasting, but if the main nerve is damaged, there is little hope that your dog will ever have full mobility.
Dear Dr. Fox:
Your response to a reader's question regarding wet food vs. dry food was enlightening and frightening.
My 8-year-old cat recently had diabetes diagnosed, and she is overweight. She has been on an expensive dry-food diet for years. It appears that I have been harming my cat because I was misled to believe that dry food was better for her teeth. She is receiving four units of insulin twice a day. What can I do to reverse this? I am furious.
-- P.L.
Teaneck, N.J.
Many cat owners share your fury and dismay. How did the pet-food industry and the veterinary profession get it so wrong when it comes to feeding cats (who are carnivores) high-cereal content manufactured food?
For ways to help your cat recover and need less (or no) insulin, read "Your Cat" (St. Martin's Press, 2007) by feline specialist Elizabeth Hodgkins. She used to be the head vet for Hill's Science Diet but has radically changed her views on manufactured pet foods. At the very least, you should transition your cat onto a moist, canned cat food that is primarily meat, ideally organic and not filled with wheat gluten and soy protein. Your cat might protest, because dry foods are addictive.
Dear Dr. Fox:
We have a 10-month-old white shepherd mix who chews everything.
She gets lots of attention from us and loves to go for rides in the car. We walk her two to five miles a day and play with her. She also plays with our other dogs and has lots of chew toys, which she gnaws apart. We give her marrowbones at night. No matter how much exercise or how many things we give her to chew, she keeps chewing things that she shouldn't: seat belts in the car, shoes, mattresses, mats, dog bedding, blankets and chairs and just about anything she can get her jaws on. These incidents usually occur when we are at work or early in the morning. She has even chewed on an outdoor electrical wire and had to be treated for that. We try to be vigilant and keep things away from her.
-- K.F.
Falls Church
I had a dog just like yours, a rescued dog from India, and it took almost 10 years for it to almost grow out of this same vice of obsessive oral compulsion. It is maddening, costly and, as you have noted, dangerous.
Consider your dog's motivation or the possible causes: boredom, a need for oral stimulation (teething), digestive tract irritation, worms, hunger due to nutrient-deficient diet, separation anxiety, prior psychological trauma, abandonment or starvation and even tonsillitis. Knowing the motivation is half the cure. Consult with an animal-behavior specialist after your dog has seen the vet and had a full checkup.
Muzzling, crating for brief periods and aversive conditioning might help break this vice, as might a short course of Valerian treatment, provided the vet gives a clean bill of health. When your dog is alone, give it safe chews such as a beef marrow soup bone or a rubber toy stuffed with peanut butter. Good luck!
Dear Dr. Fox:
We just wanted to share how we handled our dog's separation anxiety. When our (now deceased) Lab-collie mix Honey was a tiny pup, she would howl whenever we would leave her.
Her trainer recommended giving her a hollow marrowbone from a pet store and filling it with peanut butter in each end. She would be so busy with her "work bone," as I called it, that she never howled again. It was especially helpful while she was being crate-trained. I continued this until she was an old dog.
In later years, when we traveled and would stop overnight at a motel, as soon as the television was turned on, she would hop onto the bed, cross her front paws and watch TV.
So instead of drugs, a bit of distraction therapy might be the answer.
-- K.D.O.
Bainbridge, Ohio
Thanks for the reminder. The trick is to get the dog to associate your leaving with being given a treat. This peanut-butter remedy works well for many dogs. Others are happy having a TV or radio on while they are left alone.
Leaving a dog in a crate all day is not the answer and no way to treat a dog. Those who do should leave a marrowbone stuffed with peanut butter to keep their dog occupied after they have been left alone. Crates don't need to be eliminated, however -- leave the door open. Many dogs like a crate as a free-access den that gives them a sense of security rather than imprisonment.
Michael W. Fox, author of a newsletter and books on animal care, welfare and rights, is a veterinarian with doctoral degrees in medicine and animal behavior. More pet care information is available at Dr. Fox's Web site,http://www.doctormwfox.org. Write to Dr. Fox at United Feature Syndicate, 200 Madison Ave., New York, N.Y. 10016.
Copyright 2008, United Feature Syndicate Inc.
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