As in all living things, the brain tissue of dogs deteriorates over the years, older dogs will be the main victims of the disease, free radicals cause oxidation of the brain resulting in a reduction of brain function.
At Animal Expert we want to talk about canine brain aging so that we can recognize its symptoms and causes so that we can help our puppy in its last years by our side.We can offer you a good quality of life if we are attentive.
- It is a neurodegenerative disorder that mainly affects dogs over 8 years of age.
- Causing changes in their brain functions.
- In the margins of old age.
- We can observe the loss of neural skills due to a gradual deterioration where we will see the following signs:.
Currently, about 12% of owners are able to detect this disorder and more than 50% of dogs over the age of 8 have this disorder, according to recent studies in the United States.
This disease is also known as Alzheimer’s in dogs, although it is important to note that dogs with CEC do not forget things, what happens is that they are changing behaviors that were previously normal for them and the customs they have been exhibiting for years.
Many times the symptoms are difficult for the veterinarian to recognize during the consultation, it is the owners who detect the problem and sometimes do not recognize that it is a disease.
We may encounter a disoriented or lost dog in areas you’ve always known, even at home, there’s less interaction with the environment, the human family or other animals, you can start urinating anywhere, what you haven’t done before or, sleep changes, becoming more active at night.
The changes are mostly gradual, they seem subtle but increase over time.For example, first stop asking to go out, urinate at home, then, at a more advanced stage, more and more “accidents” occur and finally, we see that you sleep and urinate on yourself (loss of sphincter control).
It is important to call a professional when we see one of these changes, because we can manage the situation to better delay the development of the situation.
While we are aware that the passage of years affects us all and that this cannot be changed, there are options that we can use.
Antioxidants such as coenzyme Q10, vitamins C and E, selenium and grape seed extract are responsible for the fight against free radicals that cause brain damage.L-carnitine transports long-chain fatty acids to mitochondria for further oxidation and therefore also decreases the amount of radicals in the brain.
Food in this case also plays a very important role.To it can be added omega 3 fatty acids that, when part of the cell membrane, manage to maintain their fluidity and integrity through supplementation.It can be obtained from fish oils, for example.
This article is for informational purposes only, in Animal Expert.com.br we cannot prescribe veterinary treatments or make any type of diagnosis, we suggest taking your pet to the veterinarian in case of any type of condition or discomfort.
If you would like to read articles similar to, we recommend that you visit our Degenerative Diseases section.