Dog dementia symptoms: the signs and what you can do
Which changes in an older dog can point to dementia, what else may be behind them, how common it is and how to make his days calmer.
In this article
We're dog carers, not vets. This is general information; always check with your own vet.
What is dementia in dogs?
Dementia in dogs is an age-related disease of the brain. Vets call it CDS, cognitive dysfunction syndrome. Changes in the brain cause memory, behaviour and the ability to learn to decline. The condition closely resembles Alzheimer's disease in people, writes the LICG, the Dutch national information centre for companion animals.
The exact cause is still unknown. According to the LICG, reduced blood flow to the brain and damage from free radicals probably play a part, and the brain produces fewer signalling substances such as dopamine. Over time, protein deposits form around the nerve cells, as in people with Alzheimer's.
CDS is progressive: it gets worse over time and cannot be cured. With timely treatment, though, the symptoms can sometimes be reduced and the disease may be slowed down a little, the LICG writes. The age at which your dog counts as a senior is explained in when is a dog considered old.
What are the symptoms of dementia in a dog?
The signs fall into a few groups: your dog gets lost, his day and night rhythm turns around, he relates differently to you and other animals, he becomes more anxious, he forgets what he has learned and he starts peeing or pooing indoors again. Usually you see several of these at once.
| What changes | What you may see |
|---|---|
| Orientation | He wanders aimlessly, suddenly barks at objects, stands in front of his bed instead of lying down in it, or waits at the hinge side of the door. In severe cases he gets stuck in a corner and keeps pushing his head against the wall. |
| Day and night rhythm | A dog who always slept through the night pads restlessly around the house at night and will hardly get up during the day. |
| Relating to people and animals | He withdraws or reacts more fearfully or aggressively. Some dogs become very clingy instead and won't leave your side. |
| Anxiety | He panics more easily, for example when you leave: howling, barking or peeing indoors while you are out. |
| Learned behaviour | He seems disobedient, but has forgotten things. Learning new things gets harder. |
| House training | He can forget his entire house training. |
None of these signs on its own proves your dog has dementia. Read below what else may be behind them.
A dog with dementia panics when you leave for a simple reason: he may no longer be able to find you, or no longer know that you will come back, even when you just go upstairs to sleep in the evening.
What are the first signs of dementia in a dog?
The first signs are small and look like ordinary ageing. Your dog is a little slower, withdraws a bit more or is less keen to play. Only later do the changes become clearer. Because they come on so gradually, many owners overlook them for a long time.
Colorado State University's veterinary hospital (CSU) in the United States sees the same pattern. The signs often develop over several months. Some owners only notice them when they come back from a holiday, or when a house guest points out that the dog has changed.
Night-time pacing is often what finally brings owners to the vet. According to the LICG, the decline of the brain is quite far advanced by then. So don't wait until your nights become restless.
Is it dementia or something else?
It can also be something else, or something else may be involved. Behaviour changes are often the first and sometimes the only sign that an animal is ill, the LICG writes. That is why a vet first checks for a physical cause. Only when there is none does dementia become the most likely explanation.
| What you see | What else it can be |
|---|---|
| Peeing indoors | Many older dogs lose control of the bladder sphincter muscle. Medication can usually help with that. |
| Not responding when called, unsure or disoriented | Going deaf or blind. Such a dog no longer responds well when called or given a cue, and is sometimes also aggressive. |
| Grumpy or aggressive | Pain. |
| Less enthusiastic than before | A heart condition. |
| All kinds of complaints | A thyroid, liver or kidney disorder. A blood test may be needed to check. |
Pay particular attention to his eyes and ears. In the large US Dog Aging Project (see below), dogs with a history of eye or ear problems more often had a high dementia score. The researchers themselves write that this may partly be because a dog who can't see or hear well also walks into things more often or can't find dropped food.
Dementia itself does not cause pain, CSU writes, but arthritis or aching muscles can make the signs worse. If he is stiff when he gets up or struggles with the stairs, read about recognising arthritis in your dog.
There is no test that confirms dementia in a living dog with certainty. According to the LICG, whether an animal really had CDS can only be determined after death by examining the brain. An MRI scan can help, though, CSU writes: it shows whether the brain has shrunk and helps rule out other conditions, such as a brain tumour.
How common is dementia in dogs?
The older the dog, the more common it is. In one study discussed at the WSAVA congress, 28% of dogs aged 11 to 12 had at least 1 group of signs from the table above, and 10% had 2 or more. In dogs aged 15 to 16, 68% had at least 1 group and 36% 2 or more.
In another study, the owners of 479 dogs filled in an online questionnaire that has been tested specifically for dementia in dogs. By that questionnaire, 14.2% of the dogs had dementia, rising to 41% of the dogs over 14. Because the first signs may be subtle, most cases are only recognised once the problems become hard for the dog or the owner, the congress overview says.
A large US study from 2022, the Dog Aging Project, arrived at a much lower figure. The owners of 15,019 dogs filled in an online questionnaire of 13 questions, asking things like: how often does your dog get stuck behind an object, does he pace, does he fail to recognise familiar people? Of all the dogs, 1.4% scored above the cut-off for dementia.
Why so much lower? The researchers point out that earlier studies using the original questionnaire found higher rates in dogs aged 8 and over. As possible reasons they give that their study included dogs of all ages, with an average age of 6.9 years, and that it relied on what owners reported, without an assessment by a vet.
Age was clearly linked to dementia. Among dogs that were otherwise comparable, the odds of dementia (a statistical measure of the chance) were 52% higher for every extra year of age. Dogs that their owners described as not active had 6.47 times the odds of very active dogs.
Does lots of exercise make your dog dementia-proof, then? This study doesn't show that. It used data from a single year, did not yet follow the dogs over time and cannot prove cause. The researchers themselves write that the link may also exist because dogs do less as their thinking declines.
What can you do if your dog has dementia?
Give him calm, routine and small challenges, and work together with your vet. There are medicines and diets used for dementia, but your vet decides which one fits. At home, what helps most is a predictable day, plenty of daylight and patience: never punish him for what he has forgotten.
Keep his day predictable
- Fixed times. Keep to a fixed walking and feeding schedule.
- Leave his things where they are. Move his bed, his food bowl and the furniture as little as possible. Big changes throw a dog with dementia off balance.
- Less new, more familiar. CSU's rehabilitation coordinator recommends offering fewer new activities and following the same daily pattern every day: the more often something is repeated, the more it becomes a habit.
Help his day and night rhythm
- Daylight during the day. Open the curtains during the day and let him outside where possible, so he gets as much daylight as he can.
- Dark at night. Keep artificial light at night to a minimum.
- A short round before bed. A short walk or a short game before bedtime can help him sleep better.
- Pacing at night anyway? We suggest guiding him calmly back to his bed, without scolding, and letting him out for a pee if he needs one. Scolding or punishing him only makes him more anxious.
Make the house safe
A dog who loses his way can fall or get stuck. These are the changes we recommend:
- Block the stairs with a stair gate, so he can't fall down them at night.
- Put rugs or mats on slippery floors, so he doesn't slip.
- Close off corners and gaps behind the sofa or between furniture where he gets stuck.
- Give him one familiar room at night, with his bed in its usual place, so he doesn't wander through the whole house.
Keep his mind busy without asking too much
- Food puzzles. A toy with food inside keeps him active and alert. Pick an easy one: a puzzle that is too hard causes frustration and stress.
- Practise what he knows. Regularly repeat the cues he already knows, with a reward. If he suddenly listens less well, have his hearing checked too.
- Never punish. A dog with an ageing brain can become a little unsure and gets anxious more quickly. Punishment only makes the fear worse. Reward him generously when something goes well.
Walking a dog with dementia
Keep him moving every day, but adapt the walk. For older dogs, the LICG recommends several short walks instead of a few long ones, at the dog's pace, with plenty of time to sniff. If dementia makes your dog easily anxious, don't keep trying new places: the same route at the same time gives him something to hold on to.
Keep him on the lead, even where dogs may run free. A dog with dementia can forget what he has learned, including his recall, and can lose his way. We recommend a normal or long line, and a tag with your phone number. Also check that the details on his microchip registration are still correct. How much exercise suits an older dog is covered in how often to walk your dog.
Out during the day? Then a familiar person on a familiar route helps too, as on our private walks.
Frequently asked questions about dementia in dogs
No. Dementia in dogs is progressive and gets worse over time. Treatment can sometimes reduce the complaints and may slow the disease a little. According to the LICG, with this condition in particular an early start gives the best result.
Dementia itself does not cause pain, CSU writes. Other age-related problems, such as arthritis or aching muscles, can make the signs of dementia worse, though. That is why, according to CSU, relieving pain is the first step.
There is no fixed age, but the chance rises sharply over the years. In one study, 28% of dogs aged 11 to 12 had at least 1 group of signs; in dogs aged 15 to 16, 68% had at least 1 group. In the Dog Aging Project, the odds were 52% higher for every extra year of age.
Sometimes. There are diets and supplements for dogs with dementia, and they can sometimes reduce the complaints. According to the LICG, there is not always enough scientific evidence that they work, and the diet must suit any other health problems your dog has. So check with your vet first.
Dementia gets worse over time, and your dog's welfare must always come first. The LICG advises deciding together with your vet when treatment still makes sense. And don't feel guilty if, at some point, you make the hard decision to have him put to sleep.
It can be dementia: the day and night rhythm gets disturbed, so a dog paces restlessly at night and sleeps a lot during the day. But pain, bladder problems or poorer eyesight can also make a dog restless. Let your vet look at those causes first.
Sources
For this article we used:
- LICG — Dementie bij hond en kat (CDS) (Dutch)
- LICG — Verzorging van uw oudere hond (Dutch)
- Yarborough et al., Evaluation of cognitive function in the Dog Aging Project, Scientific Reports
- CSU Veterinary Health System — If you have an older pet, be on the lookout for signs of dementia
- WSAVA Congress 2019 (via VIN) — The Science of Canine Cognitive Decline and Dysfunction: Prevalence, Diagnosis and Clinical Signs
About the authors
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