Does your dog…
get ‘lost’ when wandering around the house and seem to get stuck in corners and behind furniture?
isn’t deaf but starts to ignore you when you call his/her name?
start having ‘accidents’ around the house even right after having been outside ?
he cocker spaniel who gets “stuck” in corners or behind furniture…
It could be that the dog is suffering from Canine Cognitive Dysfunction Syndrome, an “…age related deterioration of cognitive abilities characterized by behavioral changes in dogs that cannot be wholly attributed to general medical conditions such as neoplasia (cancer), infection or organ failure. “ (ref)
It’s often referred to as …read more

AlzheimersNotes.com 
Pets of many kinds help entertain and bring a smile to the lips of Alzheimer’s patients.  I saw my mom develop an affinity for a cat and dog she never had before.  They became almost the center of her life.  When we had to move her to our home 275 miles from where she was living, we brought her cat.  This helped Mother adjust much better than if we’d found another home for Kitty.
When Mother lived at the nursing home, I saw how residents responded to the cats and dogs that visited on “pet day.”  Perhaps the animal reminded them of …read more

Alzheimer’s Notes.com 
Many of you probably have a dog in your life.  Perhaps this pet helps entertain your Alzheimer’s patient.  Also, a dog may entertain you and help relieve the stress of your hectic days.  Dogs also are welcomed in many nursing homes where they provide therapy for the residents.
When Mother lived in her home, there was Tiny, who ate so much she became roly-poly.  In our multi-generational home in New Hampshire, we have Ginger.  She loves to romp in the  snow, but her paws get cold.
So when I read this post at Jen’s Domestik Goddess, How to Teach a Dog to Wear Boots, I simply …read more

Liz mentions pet visitation at nursing homes, hospitals and other places in her post about Assiated-Animal Therapy.  When my mom lived at a nursing home during the last years of her Alzheimer’s journey, I often saw the pleasure pet visitation brought to patients there.
Generally once a week, someone brought pets to visit the patients…for them to watch, to pet, and to hold.  Smiles appeared on the residents’ faces, their moods brightened, and often they began telling stories about pets they had owned at one time in their lives.
Perhaps it was a pet they had as a child.  Or it could have been a …read more

Pet visitation or Assisted-Animal Therapy is a way of helping Alzheimer’s patients become less agitated and more interested in social interactions. It’s not a new therapy – animal companionship has been used for years as an informal means of comfort and relief.
These days, organizations such as the St John Ambulance Therapy Dog Program (Canada) takes dogs into hospitals, rest homes, and palliative care units to visit patients suffering from isolation, illness, and confusion.
Research and studies indicate that pet visitation helps Alzheimer’s patients by:
- decreasing aggressive and/or hyperactive behavior
- a means of non-verbal communications
- reduce feelings of isolation and depression
- creates …read more

Pets, especially dogs and cats, often bring comfort to those afflicted with Alzheimer’s.  However, as the disease progresses, they won’t be able to care for the animal adequately by themselves. 
Mother enjoyed her cat and became very fond of her.  When Mother could no longer live alone, we moved the cat along with Mother to our home.  She was comfort to Mother when she couldn’t understand why she was living with us and couldn’t return to her home. 
At the nursing home, when Mother later lived there, I discovered they had a “Pet Day,” when a lady, who owned a kennel, brought …read more