AIMEEINNC asks: "My 16 year old Cocker has been on Anipryl for 4 days now for Canine Cognitive Dysfunction (CCD)/dementia. So far I have not noticed a lot of difference in his behavior. Does anyone have any experience with their pet taking this medication?"
Yes. Our 11 yr. old Yorkie just started taking Anipryl.I don’t know if it’s a common side effect, but we’ve noticed that he’s very restless at night. One of us is up with him 4-6 times a night. (He’s just recently gone blind too). We’ve noticed that since taking Anipryl, he’s much more alert but still appears to be confused. We’ve starting giving him his medication in the a.m. and are noticing a huge difference. Now, he only gets up once every night.
Our dog began taking Anipryl about 3 weeks ago. At first we were concerned because he became very hyperactive – once even walking through the railings of the outside steps and falling into the landscaping. However, shortly thereafter, we began to notice significant changes. He is sleeping through the night, seems more aware of his surroundings, and is responding better to sights and sounds. Truthfully we almost feel like it is a miracle drug – don’t know how it works, but it sure does. I just feel like I need to tell everyone!
My 11 year old Cocker, Polly, has shown
signs of disorientation, lack of energy,
and just not being the lovable girl I’ve
always known. I have had her checked
at the vet, but all blood work was ok.
I described her behavior, but the vet
didn’t mention dementia. I believe now
that I have seen some signs of it over
the past couple years. Guess I’ll ask
the vet if this could be the problem.
Any suggestions? I’ll also ask about
Anipryl.
My 10 year old German Shepherd (84 pounds) has been on anipryl (30 mg) for 3 days. Any idea how long before anipryl starts working? I hate to see him like this! He has just about all the symptoms of CDS. Recent blood work, chest x-ray, physical exam, were all fine. Had 2 recent ear infections (yeast), so we tried antibiotics to rule out inner ear infection. Antibiotics were of no help. Can anybody give me encouragement? Thanks, Rosanne
I’m wondering if my 13 year old cocker is suffering from dementia. His wors’t times are from bedtime on to early morning, panting, drooling, wandering around.
I had a mini poodle with dementia. He was 16, Anipryl helped for awhile, especially with the panic.It was the worst illness any of my 6 dogs ever suffered and the horror of it and the guilt that I did not put him to sleep earlier still haunt me 2 yrs. later.
Our female golden retriever mix (also husky and german shepherd) has been on Anipryl for about three years now (she’s 15 1/2). We put her on it when she became incredibly anxious and distressed after an unavoidable replumbing of our condo (the distress didn’t go away for months, and we tried other things first). Not only did her anxiety and distress go away, but the Anipryl turned her into a much happier, more relaxed dog. (The behaviourist vet whom we consulted recommended it, since she believed that it was dementia that was causing her misery). In any case, it worked and is still working for that. Our problem now is that we’re trying to find a pain med for arthritis that is compatible with anipryl (NOT tramadol!!! one idiot vet prescribed it by accident; anipryl cannot be safely given with tramadol). Fish oil and accupunture are both helping both her mood and her arthritis, but we want something more for her aches.
My 15 year old yorkie was recently diagnosed with CDS, but after 3 weeks of Anipryl, he got much worse. He started staying up all night and since he blind he began running into things throughout the night. We have switched to phenobarbitol, it seems to help him stay calm. But he still has a bad night every now and then.
I just started my dog on Anipryl and she’s also on Rymadil for her arthritis. I’m not sure if it’s the alzheimer but she’s snapping at all the other dogs and seems unbalanced. How long before you start to notice a difference with the Anipryl?
I started my 14-year-old Bichon on Anipryl last week after reading and identifying his symptoms (and having the vet verify) early stages of dimentia. The affects were almost immediate!!! Nights were the worst because he would pace and pace and pace, but at 9PM the night of his first 1/2 pill, he was sleeping soundly and peacefully!!! I am so thankful for Anipryl and pray that you all have the same success we did.
Thank you to everyone for your postings. We are just starting the Anipryl this evening. We were a little nervous about it, so reading all of your comments was reassuring and definitely encouraging. We hope to come back to report the same great results it sounds like everyone else is having. We had to take her off Tramadol before starting this med and are concerned about pain management as well. She is on Rimadyl, but it does not totally address her arthritis. We are also doing accupuncture, massage, laser therapy, omega oil and traumeel and have had great results with that so far…but we still think an additional med for pain would make her more comfortable. We’ll see how things go for the next week or so before we find out if we can add something else back in to replace the Tramadol.
Thanks again everyone. It’s nice to know there are other loving people out there who are committed to the care of their older furry family members!
my Jack Russel is 19 years old, and has all the symtoms of dementia, today the vet told me about the drug, i am just wondering if i should not just let him carry on as he is…to be confused does not harm him, he sleeps a lot, and is a very peaceful yet confused dog, i think it is safer for his little body not to be too hyperactive now….am i being unreasonable?
I don’t think you are being unreasonable at all. You know your little boy better than anyone, and if he is not in distress I absolutely would make the same decision as you.
In our case, our sweet girl is up all night wailing and moaning and goes in and outside a minimum of 20 times a night (if she is in, she wants to go out. if she is out, she wants to come in.) She is only able to sleep a maximum of 45 minutes at a time, before she is up and extremely restless with no way to calm her. The behavior is so extreme we didn’t really feel like we had a choice…so we started the med.
For you, I think you are making the right decision for right now. I hope his symptoms do not get worse, but if they do you can always re-evaluate your decision at that time.
Best of luck to you and your sweet 19-year old boy. Give him a kiss for me!
I put my sweet girl in anipryl about a week ago but I haven’t seen any change in her. I was giving it to her in the PM but just changed to the AM so I’m hoping this will work. She is up all night. Are there any ideas.
I put my sweet girl in anipryl about a week ago but I haven’t seen any change in her. I was giving it to her in the PM but just changed to the AM so I’m hoping this will work. She is up all night. Are there any ideas.
I have a 14 yr old shihtzu,her name is sugar, and Ive always thought of her as my baby. I never wanted to think that the day would come I need to make a desicion on her fate !
As of january she started having these “bladder” infections the vet put her on a drug called zenequin, well the side effect of this drug lowers the need to want to eat,causes dehydration, those ARE 2 of the side effects that are of many but these sem to affect her. Anyway she would be on meds for 2 weeks , then off for a month then bladder infection returns. I read up on her problem and they point to CUSHING.
She has pot belly , atrophy of the legs and head(muscle loss) she has gone deaf this past couple of yrs, hair thinned out .The vet has ben talking to me for the past few months that she may have underlying cushings symptoms, FINALLY we decided to put her on the anipryl 15 mg 1/2 tablet every 24 hrs, i ordered it not here yet, so we will see. After reading the stories i will admit im a bit scared. At the moment she will sleep thu the night.The problem we have is that she will wake up and need to go out , then cocme in and wnt to drik a bunch of water………once in a while she will urinate while she sleeps w/o even knowing.
I talked to the vet tonite , wondering if i should start to make arrangements……….
Im so heart broke , but it is not fair to her at least I will try the anipryl , but if it is worse then what ive endured so far then ….I love this dog so much this is by far the hardest thing my hubby and I will have to decide on !!!
UPDATE : Well th next day after this last post of mine,my dog perked up I stopped her zeniquin(antibiotic) becuase im thinking now that the freq urinations is the cushings.So the anipryl came I waited to give that to her until maybe 5 days later.reason is that I wanted to make sure she was feeling much better not being on that antibiotic before adding another medication she may not tolerate.
Well ……….She is not drinking down as much water as she was,she is acting much better ,brighter,normal appetite,sleeping well. However, she does go into a huge crate if I have to go out .if she has to urinate there is a area in the crate she can do that , but she has so far not had anymore mistakes.
Now , we will see , i have 60 days wrth of pills so I will keep updates with this.
Well almosy 60 days into the medication of anipryl 15 mg 1/2 tab a day.
So far so good……………just refilled the mediction, so we will take one day at a time……..thanks
I have a 16 year old female shit zu and she is the most wonderful dog.
About 3 months ago she started getting into corners and was not able to get out.She seemed a little confused and did not want to be held much.She was in the back yard and fell into the pool which she has never done and
I of course jumped in and got her out since she would have drowned.She also started barking at odd hours of the night.2 months ago the Vet put her on Anipryl 2mg a day and she now sleeps through the night.Her appetite is better then it was before.However we just found out that she is totally blind since her one good eye that she had had a dislocated lens which I was told by the eye specialist that it is hereditary in the breed and it is also a degenerative disease.The eye specialist said that he thinks my girl is just blind and may have some senality issues but he did not think that she has CDS.
Anyway she is still on Anipryl and the Vet said that Anipryl will not hurt her and if she sleeps through the night now then that is good.Now I am just trying to deal with her being blind and she does not hear well,but she does bark when she wants water,food or has to go to the bathroom, so that is good.All of her other vital signs are good.
WOW, you have a 16 yr old that just started to show these signs-
My girl will be 15 in may of 2011, and she is so far still doing good o the anipryl 15 mg, she gets a 1/2 tab once daily.
Her routine is well very regimented = we do not really try to change any of that for now. I take her out as much as possible but im finging that she sleeps ALOT …….i mean alot more then she did even last summer . I miss my baby when she was so livley.
I never ever leave her home now unless she is crated in a huge ( great dane size ) crate for her protection from fallaing down stairs or havig a accident in the house.
Toby, my 15 year old Jack Russell Terrier has been displaying symptoms of dimemtia for some time, but recently he has started to pace and howl all night long. I get up with him every hour throughout the night to let him out and calm him down. The vet ran blood work and took xrays to find out what was going on with him. They all came back normal. I thought he was having kidney failure or a urinary track infection as he seemed to want to go out so often, although he would sleep fine during the day. He was also experiencing sepation anxiety whenever he was left alone. The vet prescribed anipryl and after three days I can see a tremendous difference in him. His tail is wagging, he sleeps through the night. Just a little fussing when he thinks that everyone has gone out and left him alone. He had also started to urinate in the house and on his bed. This has not happened since giving him anipryl. Is it a wonder drug. I don’t know. I just know that I didn’t know what to do for the little guy and I just hope that this medicine continues to work as well as it has so far.It has given him his quality of life back and I have gotten my old buddy back.
Comments
Yes. Our 11 yr. old Yorkie just started taking Anipryl.I don’t know if it’s a common side effect, but we’ve noticed that he’s very restless at night. One of us is up with him 4-6 times a night. (He’s just recently gone blind too). We’ve noticed that since taking Anipryl, he’s much more alert but still appears to be confused. We’ve starting giving him his medication in the a.m. and are noticing a huge difference. Now, he only gets up once every night.
Our dog began taking Anipryl about 3 weeks ago. At first we were concerned because he became very hyperactive – once even walking through the railings of the outside steps and falling into the landscaping. However, shortly thereafter, we began to notice significant changes. He is sleeping through the night, seems more aware of his surroundings, and is responding better to sights and sounds. Truthfully we almost feel like it is a miracle drug – don’t know how it works, but it sure does. I just feel like I need to tell everyone!
My 15 year old has been confused, ulta hyper, withdrawing, etc. I just got anipryl today and hope I see the results Terri is experiencing.
My 11 year old Cocker, Polly, has shown
signs of disorientation, lack of energy,
and just not being the lovable girl I’ve
always known. I have had her checked
at the vet, but all blood work was ok.
I described her behavior, but the vet
didn’t mention dementia. I believe now
that I have seen some signs of it over
the past couple years. Guess I’ll ask
the vet if this could be the problem.
Any suggestions? I’ll also ask about
Anipryl.
My 10 year old German Shepherd (84 pounds) has been on anipryl (30 mg) for 3 days. Any idea how long before anipryl starts working? I hate to see him like this! He has just about all the symptoms of CDS. Recent blood work, chest x-ray, physical exam, were all fine. Had 2 recent ear infections (yeast), so we tried antibiotics to rule out inner ear infection. Antibiotics were of no help. Can anybody give me encouragement? Thanks, Rosanne
I’m wondering if my 13 year old cocker is suffering from dementia. His wors’t times are from bedtime on to early morning, panting, drooling, wandering around.
I had a mini poodle with dementia. He was 16, Anipryl helped for awhile, especially with the panic.It was the worst illness any of my 6 dogs ever suffered and the horror of it and the guilt that I did not put him to sleep earlier still haunt me 2 yrs. later.
Our female golden retriever mix (also husky and german shepherd) has been on Anipryl for about three years now (she’s 15 1/2). We put her on it when she became incredibly anxious and distressed after an unavoidable replumbing of our condo (the distress didn’t go away for months, and we tried other things first). Not only did her anxiety and distress go away, but the Anipryl turned her into a much happier, more relaxed dog. (The behaviourist vet whom we consulted recommended it, since she believed that it was dementia that was causing her misery). In any case, it worked and is still working for that. Our problem now is that we’re trying to find a pain med for arthritis that is compatible with anipryl (NOT tramadol!!! one idiot vet prescribed it by accident; anipryl cannot be safely given with tramadol). Fish oil and accupunture are both helping both her mood and her arthritis, but we want something more for her aches.
My 15 year old yorkie was recently diagnosed with CDS, but after 3 weeks of Anipryl, he got much worse. He started staying up all night and since he blind he began running into things throughout the night. We have switched to phenobarbitol, it seems to help him stay calm. But he still has a bad night every now and then.
I just started my dog on Anipryl and she’s also on Rymadil for her arthritis. I’m not sure if it’s the alzheimer but she’s snapping at all the other dogs and seems unbalanced. How long before you start to notice a difference with the Anipryl?
I started my 14-year-old Bichon on Anipryl last week after reading and identifying his symptoms (and having the vet verify) early stages of dimentia. The affects were almost immediate!!! Nights were the worst because he would pace and pace and pace, but at 9PM the night of his first 1/2 pill, he was sleeping soundly and peacefully!!! I am so thankful for Anipryl and pray that you all have the same success we did.
Thank you to everyone for your postings. We are just starting the Anipryl this evening. We were a little nervous about it, so reading all of your comments was reassuring and definitely encouraging. We hope to come back to report the same great results it sounds like everyone else is having. We had to take her off Tramadol before starting this med and are concerned about pain management as well. She is on Rimadyl, but it does not totally address her arthritis. We are also doing accupuncture, massage, laser therapy, omega oil and traumeel and have had great results with that so far…but we still think an additional med for pain would make her more comfortable. We’ll see how things go for the next week or so before we find out if we can add something else back in to replace the Tramadol.
Thanks again everyone. It’s nice to know there are other loving people out there who are committed to the care of their older furry family members!
my Jack Russel is 19 years old, and has all the symtoms of dementia, today the vet told me about the drug, i am just wondering if i should not just let him carry on as he is…to be confused does not harm him, he sleeps a lot, and is a very peaceful yet confused dog, i think it is safer for his little body not to be too hyperactive now….am i being unreasonable?
Laurika,
I don’t think you are being unreasonable at all. You know your little boy better than anyone, and if he is not in distress I absolutely would make the same decision as you.
In our case, our sweet girl is up all night wailing and moaning and goes in and outside a minimum of 20 times a night (if she is in, she wants to go out. if she is out, she wants to come in.) She is only able to sleep a maximum of 45 minutes at a time, before she is up and extremely restless with no way to calm her. The behavior is so extreme we didn’t really feel like we had a choice…so we started the med.
For you, I think you are making the right decision for right now. I hope his symptoms do not get worse, but if they do you can always re-evaluate your decision at that time.
Best of luck to you and your sweet 19-year old boy. Give him a kiss for me!
I put my sweet girl in anipryl about a week ago but I haven’t seen any change in her. I was giving it to her in the PM but just changed to the AM so I’m hoping this will work. She is up all night. Are there any ideas.
I put my sweet girl in anipryl about a week ago but I haven’t seen any change in her. I was giving it to her in the PM but just changed to the AM so I’m hoping this will work. She is up all night. Are there any ideas.
I have a 14 yr old shihtzu,her name is sugar, and Ive always thought of her as my baby. I never wanted to think that the day would come I need to make a desicion on her fate !
As of january she started having these “bladder” infections the vet put her on a drug called zenequin, well the side effect of this drug lowers the need to want to eat,causes dehydration, those ARE 2 of the side effects that are of many but these sem to affect her. Anyway she would be on meds for 2 weeks , then off for a month then bladder infection returns. I read up on her problem and they point to CUSHING.
She has pot belly , atrophy of the legs and head(muscle loss) she has gone deaf this past couple of yrs, hair thinned out .The vet has ben talking to me for the past few months that she may have underlying cushings symptoms, FINALLY we decided to put her on the anipryl 15 mg 1/2 tablet every 24 hrs, i ordered it not here yet, so we will see. After reading the stories i will admit im a bit scared. At the moment she will sleep thu the night.The problem we have is that she will wake up and need to go out , then cocme in and wnt to drik a bunch of water………once in a while she will urinate while she sleeps w/o even knowing.
I talked to the vet tonite , wondering if i should start to make arrangements……….
Im so heart broke , but it is not fair to her at least I will try the anipryl , but if it is worse then what ive endured so far then ….I love this dog so much this is by far the hardest thing my hubby and I will have to decide on !!!
UPDATE : Well th next day after this last post of mine,my dog perked up I stopped her zeniquin(antibiotic) becuase im thinking now that the freq urinations is the cushings.So the anipryl came I waited to give that to her until maybe 5 days later.reason is that I wanted to make sure she was feeling much better not being on that antibiotic before adding another medication she may not tolerate.
Well ……….She is not drinking down as much water as she was,she is acting much better ,brighter,normal appetite,sleeping well. However, she does go into a huge crate if I have to go out .if she has to urinate there is a area in the crate she can do that , but she has so far not had anymore mistakes.
Now , we will see , i have 60 days wrth of pills so I will keep updates with this.
Well almosy 60 days into the medication of anipryl 15 mg 1/2 tab a day.
So far so good……………just refilled the mediction, so we will take one day at a time……..thanks
I have a 16 year old female shit zu and she is the most wonderful dog.
About 3 months ago she started getting into corners and was not able to get out.She seemed a little confused and did not want to be held much.She was in the back yard and fell into the pool which she has never done and
I of course jumped in and got her out since she would have drowned.She also started barking at odd hours of the night.2 months ago the Vet put her on Anipryl 2mg a day and she now sleeps through the night.Her appetite is better then it was before.However we just found out that she is totally blind since her one good eye that she had had a dislocated lens which I was told by the eye specialist that it is hereditary in the breed and it is also a degenerative disease.The eye specialist said that he thinks my girl is just blind and may have some senality issues but he did not think that she has CDS.
Anyway she is still on Anipryl and the Vet said that Anipryl will not hurt her and if she sleeps through the night now then that is good.Now I am just trying to deal with her being blind and she does not hear well,but she does bark when she wants water,food or has to go to the bathroom, so that is good.All of her other vital signs are good.
Hi truffles,
WOW, you have a 16 yr old that just started to show these signs-
My girl will be 15 in may of 2011, and she is so far still doing good o the anipryl 15 mg, she gets a 1/2 tab once daily.
Her routine is well very regimented = we do not really try to change any of that for now. I take her out as much as possible but im finging that she sleeps ALOT …….i mean alot more then she did even last summer . I miss my baby when she was so livley.
I never ever leave her home now unless she is crated in a huge ( great dane size ) crate for her protection from fallaing down stairs or havig a accident in the house.
Good luck to you……….
Toby, my 15 year old Jack Russell Terrier has been displaying symptoms of dimemtia for some time, but recently he has started to pace and howl all night long. I get up with him every hour throughout the night to let him out and calm him down. The vet ran blood work and took xrays to find out what was going on with him. They all came back normal. I thought he was having kidney failure or a urinary track infection as he seemed to want to go out so often, although he would sleep fine during the day. He was also experiencing sepation anxiety whenever he was left alone. The vet prescribed anipryl and after three days I can see a tremendous difference in him. His tail is wagging, he sleeps through the night. Just a little fussing when he thinks that everyone has gone out and left him alone. He had also started to urinate in the house and on his bed. This has not happened since giving him anipryl. Is it a wonder drug. I don’t know. I just know that I didn’t know what to do for the little guy and I just hope that this medicine continues to work as well as it has so far.It has given him his quality of life back and I have gotten my old buddy back.