Newsletter

As veterinary medicine has become more sophisticated, nurturing your pet has become the rule rather than the exception and the population of elderly pets has grown steadily. As an animal (or person, for that matter) advances into the twilight years, inevitable aging changes take place in all organ systems, including the brain. Dogs, dependent upon breed, are considered senior citizens when they reach 7-10 years of age. Does this mean that when your dog has exceeded this arbitrary limit he will necessarily show signs of senile dementia? Absolutely not!

Cognitive Dysfunction Syndrome (CDS) or Canine Cognitive Disorder (CCD) is commonly referred to as senility or "old dog" syndrome. While loss of mobility, reduced immune system function, slower metabolism, loss of muscle and bone mass, and reduced hearing, sight and smell are normal signs of aging, a gradual, progressive loss of thinking (cognition) processes such as awareness, perception of surroundings, ability to learn, and memory are the major components of the disorder. CDS can lead to a break in the close bond shared between pet and family members as changes in temperament or house-training can occur. Many people think that it is normal for their elderly dog to gradually lose its energy and interest in life, and choose to tolerate cognitive aging far longer than is necessary. They either avoid veterinary advice all together or wait until bladder or bowel control is gone before seeking an opinion.

Signs of CDS are fairly straight forward, but it also requires observation on your part. As a responsible care giver, noting changes in behavior of your elderly dog should not be difficult if there is already an established bond. Blood tests, urine analysis, radiographs, and other tests may be necessary to diagnose CDS once symptoms appear, as many times other illnesses may make diagnosis challenging due to an overlap in symptoms. Not all dogs show these signs; however, one thing is certain: as in humans, the signs are progressive and will completely incapacitate your dog in time.

Symptoms:

• Weight loss / Appetite changes
• Confusion, disorientation, anxious look, staring into space, getting lost in the house
• Difficulty navigating the environment (e.g. stairs)
• Altered pattern of sleeping and waking
• Loss of learned behaviors such as obedience commands and house training
• Reduced responsiveness or a change in relationship with family such as aloofness, aggression, apparent loss of recognition of familiar people or sounds
• Increased thirst
• Excessive panting
• Abnormal vocalization such as howling or monotonous barking

Prior to the advent of deprenyl, a prescription-only drug that helps minimize symptoms by enhancing brain dopamine levels, there was no treatment available. Dopamine is an integral part of brain function because it increases cognitive awareness. If depleted, it results in lower cognitive ability. While deprenyl is not a cure, it can symptomatically reverse the signs of aging by increasing dopamine in the brain and turning back the aging clock. The goal of treatment is to provide a better quality of life for your dog and slow the progression of symptoms. Like any drug treatment, however, not all dogs respond to deprenyl. Statistics show that one-third of canine patients respond extremely well, one-third respond reasonably well, and one-third do not respond at all. Unfortunately, there is no way to tell prior to drug therapy if your dog will respond to treatment.

Mentally speaking, some dogs appear to be fine long after the empirical cut-off for elderly dogs. Some remain bright and "with it" to the end of their natural life span, earning them the title of "successful ager". Dogs that are unable to weather the cerebral storms of life successfully and show obvious signs of mental deterioration constitute "unsuccessful agers". Regardless of which group your dog may fall into, CDS is a very real disorder that can affect any dog of any breed. As your dog ages, be aware of changes both physically and mentally. Adjust his lifestyle to better suit his decreased abilities. By consulting with your veterinarian and providing your elderly dog with comfort and compassion, you are making his quality of life the top priority. That is the best treatment any pet can receive.

Obesity is the most common nutritional problem of cats. Since most cats are relatively inactive, it is not surprising that up to 40 percent of all cats seen by veterinarians are overweight. Obesity puts a considerable number of cats at risk for associated diseases such as lameness, feline urologic syndrome, diabetes mellitus, skin problems and cardiac disease. Due to the amount of fat that is present in the body of an overweight cat, x-rays are sometimes difficult to assess and surgical procedures can be difficult to dangerous.

It is tempting to tiptoe around the issue of feline weight reduction. One reason is lack of client acceptance of the problem. The realization of owning an obese cat can sometimes prove awkward if the owner is also markedly overweight. More important to remember, however, is that although the "lose weight fast" mantra is appealing to humans, it can be deadly for cats. Rapid weight loss in cats is associated with hepatic lipidosis (fatty liver disease), most commonly seen in obese, spayed female cats undergoing a short-term "crash" diet.

Traditional high-fiber (up to 25 percent) weight-loss diets can also cause problems, such as excessive stool output, poor skin and coat condition and decreased nutrient digestibility and absorption. Weight loss can be achieved safely, however, with a low-fiber, low-calorie diet. Research has found that a cat can lose an average of 1.5 percent of their body weight per week over a 16-week period with no adverse effects. Ultimately, it is important to work with your veterinarian in order to find a diet that your cat likes, as well as having the ability to help your cat lose weight safely.

Another weight-loss tool on the horizon is L-carnitine. Obtained from diet or synthesized by the body, L-carnitine facilitates "fat-burning" and is already used in humans. Following studies, it has been concluded that a lipid solution of supplemental L-carnitine accelerates weight loss and may increase the rate of fatty acid oxidation in cats. It has been cautioned, however, that this effect requires further investigation. As with human diets, there is no magic feline diet pill!

Before embarking on a feline weight loss program, it is important to have your veterinarian assess your cat's body condition, current health condition and medical history. Weight reduction in cats is a tough problem. Research confirms that cats can lose weight safely with the proper diet, but with so many foods to choose from, it can be difficult to go it alone. Use both the advice from your veterinarian and the choice of your cat (if he won't eat it, then it might not be such a good choice!) to determine the right food. Just remember: as cats lose weight on a well balanced portion, they become more active and playful and have a healthier appearance. This is a win-win situation!

With warmer weather approaching, plenty of pet owners are thinking of getting into shape before hitting the beach. But what about pets? Obesity is a growing problem among both cats and dogs. And much like humans, too many extra pounds can have far-reaching consequences for our animal companions. In this report from the Veterinary News Network, Dr. Jim Humphries discusses the health problems that can occur if your pet is overweight and shares tips on how you can get your pet's weight under control.

1. Train your dog gently and humanely. Use positive rewards and motivation methods. Rewards should be the rule and reprimands should be the rare exception. Keep obedience sessions lively so that the training process is enjoyable for all parties. Training your dog should not be drudgery.
2. Start training your puppy at an early age. While old dogs can be taught new tricks, what’s learned earliest is often learned quickest and easiest. Also, the older the dog, the more bad habits he may need to unlearn.
3. Your dog needs to respond to you properly at home. If not, he certainly will not behave outside the home. Distractions are fairly minimal at home; however, in the outside world there are other dogs, pigeons, passersby, sidewalk food scraps (to name a few).
   
   Does your dog listen to you and obey you at home? Does he treat you like a human gymnasium when you’re sitting on the furniture? Does he beg at the table? Jump up on visitors? Demand your attention by annoying you to death? Ignore your commands?
4. Avoid giving your dog commands that he cannot obey. Each time you give a command that is neither complied nor enforced, your dog learns that commands are optional.
5. One command should equal one response. Give your dog a command, say it once (twice, max!), and then gently enforce it. Repeating commands or nagging causes your dog to tune you out, and teaches him that the first several commands are a bluff. For instance, telling your dog to "sit, sit, sit, sit" is neither an efficient nor effective way to issue commands. Simply give your dog a single command, gently place or lure him into it, and give him praise or reward.
6. Avoid giving your dog combined commands which are incompatible. Combined commands such as "sit-down" can confuse your dog. Use either sit or down.
7. When giving your dog a command, avoid using a loud voice. Even if your dog is especially independent/unresponsive, your tone of voice when issuing an obedience command should be calm and authoritative, rather than harsh or loud.
8. Whenever possible, use your dog’s name positively, rather than using it associated to reprimands, warnings or punishment. Your dog should trust that when he hears his name, good things happen. His name should always be a word he responds to with enthusiasm, never hesitancy or fear.
9. Correct or prevent the unwanted behavior. Don’t punish, but try to teach him. Do not reprimand or get even with him. After-the-fact discipline does NOT work. If you’re taking a "whip ’em into shape" approach, you’ll undermine your relationship with him. Also, you’ll be missing out on all the fun that a motivational training approach can offer.
10. When training your dog, timing is everything. Take the following example: You’ve prepared a platter of food for a small dinner party and it is sitting on a small table in the dining room. Your dog walks into the room and smells the food. He air-sniffs, then eyes the food, and is poised to jump up. This is the best, easiest and most effective time to correct your dog’s behavior— while he’s thinking about jumping up to get the food. If he has already eaten the food and is resting comfortably in his bed, correcting him at this point is useless. He cannot associate something that occurred earlier with a correction that he is receiving at the present time.
11. Often, dog owners inadvertently reinforce their dogs’ misbehavior by giving them lots of attention (negative attention) when they misbehave. Needless to say, if your dog receives lots of attention and handling when he jumps up on you, that behavior is being reinforced, and is therefore likely to be repeated.
12. Keep a lid on your anger. Never train your dog when you’re feeling grouchy or impatient. Earning your dog’s respect is never accomplished by yelling, hitting, or handling your dog in a harsh manner. Moreover, studies have shown that fear and stress inhibit the learning process.

There are many ways to communicate with your cat. Although we don't speak the same language there are ways to understand what your cat is trying to tell you through vocalization and body language.

MEOW!

If you listen closely to your cat's vocalizations throughout the day, you might notice that she or he expresses far more than a typical meow. Along with body language and the "signatures" produced by marking with scents glands, claws or urine, vocalization is an important and expressive communication tool for cats. Cats use sound to let other cats and humans know if they are happy, scared, or angry.

The range of cat vocalizations can be broken down into three broad categories: murmurs, vowel patterns and strained intensity patterns. To put it into human perspective, cats can go from whispering to screaming depending on the situation. Murmurs, produced while the mouth is closed, include purring, chirping, and mating vocalizations. Vowel patterns include the more recognizable "meow" and are produced when the cat opens its mouth and then closes it. Strained intensity vocalizations are, in contrast, generally a sign of distress and are produced when a cat holds its mouth open with a prolonged sound. Such emotional sounds also include growling, hissing and screaming. Though hearing these sounds can be distressing to a human, it is equally if not more upsetting to the cat.

Tricks of the Tail

A cat's tail acts as an extension of its feelings and as a warning of its intentions. A good rule of thumb is, the higher the tail, the better the mood. Broad swishing indicates agitation or annoyance, while twitches are a sign of excitement and curiosity. If you notice your cat giving you the signal of annoyance by swishing his tail from side to side, it might be wise to keep your distance. Often a batting paw will follow a swishing tail! A straight tail with a slight curl at the end (imagine a tail in the shape of a question mark) indicates general contentedness and is a sign of a happy cat. A puffed tail generally means that something has spooked the cat, hence the picture of a black cat with an arched back and puffed tail that is commonly associated with Halloween.

Watching Ears

In general, a cat will hold its ears erect and forward. This means that it is relaxed, following a daily schedule or offering a friendly greeting. When the ears go down, however, watch out! Ears laid flat and back against the head indicates aggression. This helps keep them out of the way of teeth and claws if a fight erupts. Ears back but down indicate fear, but aggression is always a possibility depending on the cat's personality. A frightened cat can often be an aggressive cat.

Cats are a communicative bunch. If you pay attention to your cat and know how to read the signs you are given, you can have an open and mutually beneficial relationship. If you can avoid handling him in a way that makes him unhappy, this avoids the risk of turning your happy, purring kitty into an angry, growling kitty, making life for both of you that much more enjoyable!