As we become more and more educated on the signs of Alzheimer’s Disease in people, it’s worth asking — what about animals? Can anything be done to prevent it?
This article by Steve Dale in USA Today Weekend discusses both the signs and ideas on how to keep cognitive dysfunction (CD) at bay. CD is diagnosed by excluding everything else medically relevant first, but there are signs to identify it.
“It’s always been there,” says veterinary behaviorist Gary Landsberg of Thornhill, Ontario, director of veterinary affairs at Cancog Technologies. “Our pets are living longer, and we’re learning much more about identifying cognitive dysfunction.” Landsberg is now researching the disorder in cats.
The acronym for pet owners to identify CD is referred to as DISH:
D — Disorientation and confusion, such as attempting to walk through the wrong side of a doggie door.
I — Changes in interactions, such as an outgoing pet becoming withdrawn.
S — Sleep disturbances: cats yowling or dogs pacing overnight for no apparent reason.
H — House soiling, having “accidents.”
So what can be done to prevent CD? The best wisdom points to one thing – exercise. Professor Carl Cotman, Director of University California, Irvine, Institute for Brain Aging and Dementia, says that dementia in people and in animals respond the same.
Cottman [sic] has studied cognitive decline in dogs and people. In one canine study, a group of dogs was enrolled in continuing canine education and followed an exercise protocol. The control group was fed a special anti-aging diet. All the dogs were periodically tested for cognitive skills, and Cottman couldn’t believe the results.
“It was a fantasy come true because the results were so definitive, proving social interactions, exercise, enrichment and diet really do make a significant difference in dogs,” he says. “We believe the same must be true for people.”
Cottman adds that if you do anything, take your dog for a walk: “We know moderate exercise bolsters brains in dogs and people.”
Shooting cats in Utah: The concept of TNR hasn’t caught hold yet in the state of Utah. The ‘Feral Cat Bill’ (HB210) was passed by the Utah House this past week. It will allow Utahns to shoot “pests” without being charged with cruelty. From the Deseret News:
The House agreed to add back a provision allowing the humane shooting of an animal in an unincorporated area of a county if the shooter “has a reasonable belief” the animal is feral.
Rep. Mike Noel, R-Kanab, said feral animals are ever-present in rural areas. He said it’s not a matter of if they’re coming for his cows, but when.
Right. It’s all about the cows. Read the bill. The language is so broad that it could lead to some horrific abuses. Once the animal is killed, there’s no way for a person’s word to be contradicted. If HB210 passes, it’s open season in Utah. Proof that bad legislation can be much worse than no legislation.
Dog saved – by dolphin: Turbo got himself stuck in a canal in Marco Island, Fla. He was eventually saved, but not by a person. Check out this video from CNN.
Cats and phones: Author, cat expert and about.com contributing writer Amy Shojai examines the curious relationship between kittehs and phones.
Abuse come in all guises: Have you ever heard of someone having their dog masquerade as a service dog – even when there’s been no certification? Check out this Wall Street Journal article. Maxx the Westie might be cute, but in spite of the vest, that’s all he is.
The problem with setting numbers: Proposed rules to hamstring breeders frequently try to set arbitrary numbers as some kind of litmus test – ‘Well, it just stands to reason if you have x number of animals, you must be a puppy mill.’ The reality is that a numbers test doesn’t work. This post from desertwindhounds is worth reading (paragraph breaks added to improve readability).
Why are laws with kennel requirements, space requirements, and all that jazz bad? Because dogs are not machines, all the same except for the size. The best husbandry, or animal care, is not institutionalized, but customized: to the breed, the breeder, the climate, and the breeding program. Good husbandry for Foxhounds will be totally different that good husbandry for Chihuahuas. Some dogs do well in groups, some don’t. Some are pretty weather proof, some are delicate. Hunting dogs, for instance, need to acclimated to the environment. Keeping them in air-conditioning all the time will impair their performance and may actually make them more prone to heat exhaustion. Sled dogs need to be exposed to the cold, so they develop good thick coats. Things like wormers and vaccines are highly individualized. Most breeders have a protocol that works for them. Likewise with food, puppy raising, and housing. People who keep multiple dogs usually have a management system that works for them. Ask twenty people what the best way to keep twenty dogs is, and you will get twenty different answers.
If the people who introduce these bills really wanted to protect dogs (assuming that the local welfare laws are good enough), they would apply performance standards instead of engineering standards. Are the dogs in good condition? Do they have shelter? Puppies healthy? Yard acceptably clean? Any sick or injured dogs taken care of? Then it would not matter how many dogs there were, or how they were housed, but whether the actual dogs were cared for.
Unfortunately this type of enforcement is harder, and requires people who are intelligent, well-versed in animal husbandry, and unbiased to do the enforcing. I don’t think that’s going to happen because protecting dogs from neglect and abuse are not what these laws are all about, that is just the surface glitter designed to distract the bleeding hearts. These laws are all about limiting or eliminating purposeful dog breeding and driving breeders out of their business or hobby.
The post’s headline goes down a whole different road, but that’s beside the point.
Hand 2 paw: Maria Goodavage at Dogster tipped me to this great video about Hand2Paw, a Philadelphia program that connects homeless kids with shelter pets.
Magic and poetry in his fingertips: People who think the now-famous quotes from Charlie Sheen’s recent interview were examples of arrogance or delusional thinking just need some context. For that, we have mediumlarge.com.
I always like to hear from readers, especially if you have tips, and links for interesting stories. Give me a shout in the comments, or better yet, send me an e-mail.
Photo credit: Exercising dogs, flickr creative commons (PhillipC)
I caught Xena dodging cars in a parking lot when she was about six weeks old. Because I had dogs in the van, I carried her home under my shirt. Although I saved her life, she has never been my cat; she has always been Paul’s. So now, at almost 10 years old, she’s without Paul.
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