Last Updated: 24/12/2025
Dog Dementia: Signs, Causes, and How to Help your Senior Dog
Is your senior dog acting differently? From pacing at night to house soiling, cognitive dysfunction syndrome affects many ageing pets. Our vets explain the symptoms of dog dementia and share actionable tips on diet, supplements, and home care.
Author: Dr Gillian Hill BVSc (Hons)
Reading Time: 5 minutes - short read
Watching our loyal companions grow old is a privilege, but it often brings new challenges that can be worrying for any pet parent. Just as humans experience changes in memory and behaviour with age, our dogs can develop a condition known as Cognitive Dysfunction Syndrome (CDS). If your golden oldie has started wandering aimlessly, "forgetting" their house training, or staring into corners, they aren't just being "difficult" - their brain may be undergoing physical changes. The good news is that while we can't stop the clock, there are plenty of ways to support their golden years and keep those tails wagging.
In this article
- Common signs of cognitive dysfunction in dogs
- Understanding what causes dementia in dogs
- The importance of a veterinary check-up for senior dogs
- Environmental modification for dementia in dogs
- Enrichment and brain games for senior dogs
- Food and supplements for dog dementia support
- Anti-anxiety aids and medications for dogs with dementia
- FAQs
Common signs of cognitive dysfunction in dogs
Dementia, or cognitive dysfunction, affects the brain, and is commonly associated with one or more of the following behavioural changes:
- Disorientation
- Changes in social interaction with humans and other pets
- Changes in the sleep-wake cycle
- House soiling
- Changes in activity levels - either increased activity, such as pacing and aimless wandering, or decreased activity
- Anxiety
- Vocalisation
Understanding what causes dementia in dogs
Cognitive dysfunction is caused by age-related changes to the brain, including:
- Oxidative damage
- Reduced brain mass
- Accumulation of beta-amyloid protein (a substance toxic to the brain tissue)
- Reduced blood flow to the brain
- Dysfunctional neurons (nerve cells)
How common is dementia in dogs?
In dogs, it has been shown that 28% of dogs will show some signs consistent with cognitive dysfunction by 11-12 years of age, and 68% by 15-16 years of age.
The importance of a veterinary check-up for senior dogs
While it can be tempting to conclude that behavioural changes in our dogs are simply due to ageing, it is important to have your dog checked out by your veterinarian, to determine whether cognitive dysfunction may be contributing to the changes.
Cognitive dysfunction is a diagnosis of exclusion, which means that other possible medical causes of these changes should be ruled out first. These include:
- Hormonal diseases such as Cushings Disease and Hypothyroidism
- Arthritis
- Dental disease
- High blood pressure (often as a result of kidney disease)
- Cancer
- Diminishing sensory capacities (predominantly vision and hearing loss)
If your veterinarian does diagnose cognitive dysfunction in your dog, they may prescribe some specific medications to help reduce the decline.
Environmental modification for dementia in dogs
In additional to potential medications, there are other strategies you can implement to help.
Modifying your dog's environment can help to meet their needs and enhance their comfort.
- Ensure that food and water bowls are easily accessible, and extra bowls can be offered in different locations around the house.
- Offer extra toileting opportunities - for senior dogs, additional opportunities to toilet outdoors should be provided to help with house soiling problems.
- Increase daytime exercise and play, and reduce distractions and disturbances in the evening to help combat sleep wake cycle changes and reduce night time waking.
- Provide private resting areas away from foot traffic and household activity.
- Provide padded surfaces for resting and traction around the house.
- Keep your dog's routine consistent, to help reduce anxiety.
Enrichment and brain games for senior dogs
You can't teach an old dog new tricks... or can you? Positive reinforcement training and environmental enrichment can provide enormous benefits to older dogs - and you definitely can teach them new tricks!
It has been shown that enrichment of a dog's life can slow cognitive decline, through:
- 30 mins positive reinforcement training per day
- Weekly rotation of play toys
- Social interaction
- Regular physical activity (at least two 20 minute outdoor walks each week)
When combined with dietary supplementation with antioxidants, the results were even better! So get out those toys and treats and start playing and training!
Food and supplements for dog dementia support
Dietary supplements and diets may help to support cognitive function and reduce age-related cognitive decline with specific ingredients like essential fatty acids, antioxidants and medium-chain triglycerides.
Essential fatty acid and antioxidants help to support brain function and reduce the oxidative injury to the brain.
With increasing age, the ability of the brain to metabolise glucose as an energy source diminishes, and other energy sources may be required. Dietary medium chain triglycerides can provide this alternate energy requirement and have been shown in dogs to improve performance on cognitive tasks and reduce beta-amyloid deposits. There are retail as well as prescription diets for this purpose, however if you think your dog would benefit from a prescription diet, it's important to speak with your vet first.
Anti-anxiety aids and medications for dogs with dementia
Age-related behavioural changes can not only be upsetting for us humans, but they can also be distressing for your pet. Anti-anxiety products can be extremely helpful for dogs experiencing mild anxiety. For those with more severe anxiety, or trouble settling, your regular vet may be able to prescribe some medication to help your pet to settle.
For more information, read through our article on How to Calm an Anxious Pet.
FAQs
While a diagnosis of dog dementia can feel overwhelming, it is certainly not the end of the road for your best mate. By combining veterinary guidance with environmental tweaks, brain-boosting enrichment, and the right nutritional support, you can significantly improve your dog’s quality of life. Remember, every extra moment of comfort and connection counts. With a little extra patience and some proactive care, your senior dog can continue to enjoy a happy, peaceful life by your side.
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History
Our experts continually monitor the health and wellness space and we update our articles when new information becomes available.
Wed 24 Dec 2025
Edited by Dr Gillian Hill BVSc (Hons)Dr Gillian Hill BVSc (Hons)
Veterinarian
Dr. Gillian loves being able to provide depth and detail to pet parents questions, and give up to date, evidence based advice. She loves the variety of pets and inquiries she receives - she especially loves the 'curly' questions that require some research! Seeing the gorgeous photos that pet parents send through of their babies is a highlight of the day! Gillian enjoys to further her veterinary knowledge, and has completed further training in ultrasonography, behaviour and backyard poultry!
