From the first moment I discovered my dad
had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, it seemed like I was alone in this ugly
place. Even ones who had loved ones suffering in this way; even though people TALKED
about the disease, it felt for me like they did little more than mumble about
the experience. Not one to shut up for any known reason, I added a section to
this blog…
Every month, I’ll be highlighting Alzheimer’s
research that is going on RIGHT NOW! Harvested from different websites, journals
and podcasts, I’ll translate them into understandable English and share them
with you. Today: https://www.certapet.com/dog-dementia/#What_is_Canine_Cognitive_Dysfunction
Short answer, “Yes.”
Longer answer: “Not exactly, but pretty close…though it may be masked
by other things or mask other things…”
We had to put our
dog down this past week.
While this is hard
ANY TIME it happens, this time, for me, it was doubly hard. What my seem like a
non-sequitur: My dad passed away in February of this year.
He died
(officially) from complications due to stroke.
As you know by
this point, he was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in 2014, five years ago. We
eventually got him into a Memory Care facility not far from where I live (the
closest of the siblings), where the staff took over the majority of his care
and I supplemented and became the primary care contact with them.
All of the
experiences with Dad came rushing back as we made the final decision to put our
dog down. All of the similarities between our dog’s behavior and health and my dad’s
behavior and health made me back away from her in horror.
Both had cancers,
both skin.
Both had joint
pain.
Both wandered
aimlessly at times, sometimes forgetting where they were.
Both had dramatic
changes in personality (though our dog’s changes were less pronounced.
Both had vision
problems that led to bumping into objects and a decrease in mobility.
Both had times
where they simply stared into space as if unaware of their surroundings.
Both had wildly
changing sleep patterns – our dog had started waking at random times and asking
to be let out, then coming in, expecting to be fed. Her pattern since we got
her from a dog rescue organization had been to wake at a VERY specific time and
follow through easily with a morning toileting and feeding routine, retiring
until my wife got up and we prepared for work.
Where these
symptoms add up to something in Humans called Alzheimer’s Disease (“…progressive
mental deterioration that can occur in middle or old age, due to generalized degeneration
of the brain. It is the most common cause of premature senility.” (https://www.alz.org/alzheimers-dementia/what-is-alzheimers),
named in 1901 after “German psychiatrist Alois Alzheimer identified the first
case…”.
In dogs it’s: “…known
as canine cognitive dysfunction syndrome (CCD). Roughly defined, this cognitive
disorder tends to affect the perception, memory, and general awareness of a
dog.”
Alzheimer’s is
diagnosed by particular cognitive behaviors, which I’ve detailed here: https://breastcancerreaper.blogspot.com/2019/01/guys-gotta-talk-aboutalzheimers-21.html
CCD is diagnosed
by particular cognitive behaviors, which are detailed below: “[An] acronym used
to diagnose dementia patients is DISHA. Where D denotes to disorientation, I
denotes to social interaction changes, S denotes to changes in the sleep cycle,
H denotes to house soiling, and finally, A would stand for changes in activity.”
The similarities
between the two were freaky at best. Even theoretical causes for both are alike
enough to give me pause. Similar enough to make my heart flip flop a bit
considering that as of yesterday, both are gone from this world – and I recall
both of them fondly, and loved both in unique ways…
(Yeah, I know, Dad is on the left…)
Resources: https://www.alz.org/
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