New Cat & Dog Medicine Helps Old Pets Stay Young
Older Pet Having Urine Accidents or Acting Strangely? Meds Can Help
Oct 27, 2009
Like their human owners, cats and dogs are living longer thanks to advances in medicine. Unlike humans, pets can't tell people what's wrong with them. As animals get older, they might suffer from aging in their brains that causes behavioral changes.
Veterinarians say the most obvious sign of a problem is when an elderly pet suddenly begins urinating or defecating in inappropriate places in the home. In the past, owners might have had the dog or cat put to sleep.
"As they age, they often forget and they start to soil in the home. Many times people are looking at that as the dog is bad or the cat is bad, but in fact their brain is aging and they're forgetting their learned behavior," said Dr. Andre Charlebois, a veterinarian in Watertown, NY.
However, thanks to breakthroughs in medications, help is available.
Signs of Brain Aging in Dogs
Soiling accidents are just one of several signs that your dog's brain is aging. Other symptoms might include:
- loss in appetite
- sluggishness or lethargy
- sleeping excessively
- whining at night
"Your dog will be somewhat bewildered or lost in its common surroundings. You may find the dog in a room that you normally would not. You may find the dog wanting to wander off," said Dr. Charlebois.
Signs of Brain Aging in Cats
As with dogs, behavioral changes in an elderly cat might happen gradually and go unnoticed until the problems become extreme. Symptoms might include:
- excessive sleeping, sometimes as much as 20 hours daily
- meowing at night
- increase or decrease in appetite
- uncoordinated movement
"I need to point out that in cases of this behavior it's not necessarily brain aging. They may have other medical problems that may be causing this, other disease processes that can mimic this. But the brain aging is one of the aspects that needs to be investigated and your veterinarian can run tests that will rule out other diseases," said Charlebois.
Cat & Dog Medication is Available
"Medications are becoming available to help your pets and we're certainly not going to turn the clock back, but we can hopefully give them quality of life and extend their companionship. It's fairly new. Some of these drugs have just recently been introduced and we certainly don't know everything that we want to as yet, but we're continuing to learn and try to make life better for our animal friends," said Dr. Charlebois.
New cat and dog medicines, including one called Novifit, claim to be able to increase an aging pet's alertness, improve its relationship with its owner, regulate its sleep cycle and reduce house soiling.
If your dog or cat is elderly and experiencing behavioral changes, it's a good idea to take your pet to the veterinarian for a checkup. Medications are available that could save your furry friend's life or improve its quality of life.
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