Dog dementia? Kidney failure? Or something else

Hello! I've not found myself on this forum for a few years now but come seeking guidance.

Our lab is nearly 9. Over the last 8 weeks his behaviour has changed. Initially he had become antisocial at home preferring his bed in the old extension (which has rarely prior to this been used) to the warm sofa, and only engaging with us infrequently. He then wasn't eating his breakfast or dinner or would eat one not the other. He does however switch behaviours and could be really clingy for 12 hours so just altogether a bit odd.

This has been coupled with waking frequently at night and coming upstairs. He sleeps down stairs and always has - even if he would come upstairs he would opt for the sofa rather than stay upstairs. He seems sad and confused but not all the time.

Now he is coming up multiple times between 1am and 6am and wanting to go back downstairs. He is disoriented and won't go back down the stairs unaccompanied. Sometimes he wants to toilet but mostly he doesn't. He doesn't seem to know what he wants. Sometimes to play but definitely not to sleep.

We also finding he will go for a wee then wander around confused or stand and stare at stuff then 10mins later he asks to go again for a poo.

He was also off his walks and had a couple of what we think may have been mild seizures (he has grand mal seizures infrequently so it's a guess by the vets that these recent episodes may have been seizures). Walks have resumed.

Vets have done bloods which showed kidney values of 24 which are high

They ran urine sample and blood pressure monitoring and that was all good. They offered anti seizure meds for the episodes which we are trialing but don't deal with the actual problem we went in for and no explanation to the high kidney values or the other symptoms.

I feel he has canine cognitive disorder (doggy dementia) but this isn't something they can test for. This is what we originally went to the vets to ask about

We don't want to medicate him to sedate him to sleep it's not fair and it's not the quality of life we want for him.

I am up up to 4 times a night. It's like having a baby in the house and the impact on my work is starting to show. I'm exhausted and it isn't sustainable. Even when one of us sleeps on the sofa his behaviour doesn't settle.

Any support or previous experience appreciated. High kidney levels seem to imply kidney failure but it hasn't been diagnosed

 

How awful for you and your boy.
I'd take him back to the vet to look into this kidney issue further.
Kidney failure can make them feel really horrible and could explain some of his restlessness.
You could also discuss 'doggy dimentia' while you are there.
Diet is hugely important for kidney issues. They may offer you a prescription kidney diet, but unfortunately this is really unappetising and most dogs won't eat it. There are many home cooked or raw diets you could look into. It needs to be good quality protien and low phosporous. He may need phosphorus binders depending on his blood results.

 

Thanks. I've spoken to the vet about it they did think he may be a bit too young but they were very good and explained what other signs to look out for.

I don't think he would eat any other food. When we put him on James welbeloved which is what he is still on now he has always refused to eat anything else (not even when hungry). We've tried to switch him over the years unsuccessfully.

We are going to go back and get the bloods re done in a few weeks but do they go down once they are high? I don't know what else could have elevated them so I don't think it's likely it was a false reading.

 

Could you ask your vet to clarify what he meant by his "kidney values" being 24? If this is SDMA, then 24 would be exceedingly high, but I'm sure if that was the case, your vet would have been less dismissive.

 

Hi yes it was SDMA they they checked for high blood pressure and urine sample but both came back ok. So kidneys are functioning. They said they could do an ultra sound but trialing the seizure meds.

We are going to ask for another set of bloods.

 

A vet neurologist can test for dementia, that is how my old boy was diagnosed. But it could also be something else going on with the brain, but the only way to diagnose this stuff is via MRI. Although not young, and although not impossible, he's a bit young for dementia.