Does my dog have Dementia?

Hi, I'm here cause I'm desperate.. I have a 14yo jack russell/beagle mix who recently has developed very worrying behaviour. The thing is we are from a low income family and while we have a vet, we can't afford the £3,000+ scan to find out if theres anything wrong with my dogs brain.   My dog, Ripley, has always been a nervous but independent dog. He liked to explore on his own but was wary of strangers. He also had a brother, Milo, who we lost last year to cancer.   Ripley HAD cancer when he waa 5 but it was removed and thankfully he hasn't shown any signs of a relapse.   Anyway in the last month Ripleys behaviour has deteriorated. He is howling/crying nonstop, a low mournful howl. He sometimes seems confused and lost, and has become SUPER clingy to me, gluing himself to my side whenever he can and seeking affection. He was never this needy before. He is going blind/deaf but also seems to retain his youth in ways (bouncing about). For the most part hes really out of character and his constant howling/crying is starting to affect my familys sleep. We have tried increasing walks, attention, and our vets gave us anti anxiety medication. None of which is working. Despite it, Ripley continues to be very out of it. Our vets said they can do a scan of his brain to look for lesions/dementia but the cost is our major problem. We don't have pet insurance. Ripley has been in my family literally from the day he was conceived (my sister owned his mother). Seeing him in distress and yet not knowing what is wrong or how to help is killing me. Our vets checked him over and did a blood test, they confirmed he's not in pain, but we don't know whats going on to make him behave this way. They said it might be dementia. I can't know without a scan, but I can't afford the scan either. Is there another way of finding out? Is there medication, or is this the end of the line for my dog? Its 3:17am and I've been up crying over him, please forgive any spelling or grammar mistakes. I'll try to answer anymore questions anyone has.

Hello - and I am so sorry to hear that.  I am sorry for you, and for Ripley; neither of you can be feeling very happy or comfortable with life as it is.  It is also a difficult scenario for a vet, because brains are inside sealed boxes - the skull - and we cannot look at them, although we can try to change things crudely from the outside, by controlling pressures and altering neurotransmitters etc.  On a scientific level I agree that the right thing to do would be to use clever imaging to look inside that box.  However, there is no guarentee that their tools will tell them the answer.  The financial sum stated is not the cost of making things right, but the cost of improving their view of the problem. If the tools do tell them the answer - for example, if there were to be a tumour in there - there is still a relatively high chance that they may remain unable to solve the problem. I have a rule about spending money on diagnostics.  I feel that if there is a good chance of it establishing something which will significantly change the outcome, then it may be the right thing to do.  For some people it will be important to find out every last fact about a situation, even if the scope for solving the problem is small.   However, it is harder - and takes more strength and conviction, to say 'actually, improving the view of the inside of the box is not the important thing here.'

The best thing, in my opinion, is not to see inside the box but to try to help the patient.  I might well have come to the same conclusion as you, even if there were no financial implications.  Questions such as:  is there any treatment that will improve Ripley's quality of life?  Do you think that it's fair to trial any more medications?  What do you think of Ripley's quality of life at the moment?  What are the chances of improving things from here?  Would it be kinder for everyone concerned to let him sleep?  - are all questions that I would also be asking in this situation.  I sometimes think that euthansia can be a very humane decision, even if it is not the only option of offer.

I think that this is my very long-winded way of saying, that I do not know of a way to help at this stage.  However, your vet is in the better position to make this call than me.  If a second opinion is needed, a neurologist would be the best person to speak to.  Is it wrong to decide not to speak them?  Absolutely not; the main priority is your pets' wealfare.

It sounds as though euthanasia may turn out to be a very appropriate option for Ripley.  It is absolutely normal to want to go through all the options any times in your head both beforehand and, if it happens, afterwards.   Please search for 'euthanasia' or. 'Put to sleep' in our blog for more information, and consider speaking to The Ralph Site, a charity set up to help owners at such awful times.

Thank you for your imput.   I'm no stranger to euthanasia, I've had three dogs euthanized before (one dog had cancer and wobblers disease and deteriorated fast. One dog was 15yrs old and had a host of ailments but his most serious was renal failure. And the third was ripleys brother, milo, whose cancer had began to crush his organs and he was very miserable).   Ripley seems otherwise healthy (physically) and even still jumps despite his age (i try to discourage it due to concerns he'll hurt his back but he doesn't listen) and still eats like a horse, but its whatever is going on in his head thats giving us grief. My father spoke to our vet today who is going to try two medications, one is a pain relief and another is something for the brain. The plan is to see which one helps. If it ends up being the brain one, then I'll know for sure its time. I don't want him to havw to spend the rest of his days on a placebo for something that can't be cured.