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Originally Posted by RickFLM4
Little update to share...
We spoke to our primary vet and he suggested we stop the Tramadol altogether when we described what was going on. So we did. For one day. But it was obvious he was in pain and even more shaky. So we tried giving him 1/4 pills and they were predictably better than nothing but not as effective as 1/2 pill.
Fast-forward a few weeks and he continued to deteriorate. More staring at the wall and getting stuck In corners. More walking around aimlessly, usually in a circle around something - coffee table, kitchen, etc. Some "spectacular" accidents in the house such that he know wears wraps to at least protect against #1 accidents. Sleeps during day but awake and pacing at night. It has been really tough to watch and deal with - between Angus and a puppy, as well as a master bath remodel in process, and I'm not sure when either my wife or I last had a good night's sleep. We were starting to think we were very close to the end of his road (and unfortunately may still not be too far from it
Anyway, we took him back to the dog neurologist. When we described his advancing symptoms, she said it sounds like nocturnal dementia, also known as canine cognitive dysfunction (in addition to his arthritis). It is somewhat similar to Alzheimer's in humans, but there is a pill for it (same pill as used to treat Parkinson's for humans). Apparently it helps symptoms in (but doesn't cure) about 50-75% of dogs with this disorder. I never knew this was a condition for dogs, but apparently it pretty common. (We already did other tests to rule out other physical conditions.)
Throughout the deterioration, he has remained pretty much the same personality overall. He doesn't seem unhappy or anxious all the time, which can happen with this condition. So we are going to try the pill and see how he does. Hopefully it helps and we can spend a number of months with him. However, this is tough. We don't want him to suffer because we can't let go, but don't want to give up on him too soon. Very conflicting emotions.
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Very helpful Rick!!! I'm going to discuss this with our vet!