Have you noticed your senior dog staring at walls, pacing at night, or getting “stuck” in corners? These could be signs of cognitive decline, often referred to as canine dementia or canine cognitive dysfunction (CCD). In this episode, I (Dr. Peter Dobias) and Dr. Laurie McCauley discuss what’s happening in your dog’s brain, early warning signs, causes, preventative measures, and strategies to help your dog live a full, long, happy life even as they age.
“Many people don't realize that about two -thirds of dogs are affected by dementia. By the time they get senior, it's a serious problem.” — Dr. Laurie McCauley
Index
1.Key Takeaways
2.What is Canine Dementia?
3.Common Signs and Symptoms
4.The Importance of Omega-3s
5.Supplements and Natural Support
6.Exercise: One Of The Most Important Things We Can Do
7.The Connection to Hormones
8.Frequently Asked Questions
Key Takeaways:
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- Approximately two-thirds of senior dogs experience cognitive decline (aka doggy dementia)
- While dementia cannot be reversed, early intervention and consistent care can significantly improve quality of life.
- Subtle behavioral changes often appear before obvious accidents or confusion.
- Supplements like omega-3s, and Lion’s Mane mushrooms can help support cognitive health and slow progression.
- Maintaining a healthy gut helps protect the blood-brain barrier.
What is Canine Dementia?
Dr. Laurie McCauley:
Alzheimer's and dog dementia, Canine Cognitive Dysfunction (CCD), are very similar.
We see little bleeds (microhemorrhages) in both. When we look at research, there's something called beta amyloid, which is a protein that is made when you're stressed. If you stay up all night, you get significant beta amyloid in the brain, but the brain gets rid of it. Which is why when you're like 20 years old, you can pull an all-nighter. And if you do that when you're 60, you're not going to recover really well. So when this amyloid starts to build up, it creates inflammation, and the more inflammation, the more beta-amyloid.
When you have inflammation, you have breakdown of the blood-brain barrier.
Dr. Peter Dobias:
Making sure toxins that are supposed to stay in the bloodstream and all the molecules that are not supposed to cross start crossing is so important. If the blood-brain barrier is actually intact, it will not allow these large molecules to get in. But when they get in and all the toxins get in, then the brain gets affected, right?
Dr. Laurie McCauley:
And I'm even going to back up because there's new research that just fascinated me and I want to share it. I was at the AVMA and I listened to Dr. Dewey Curtis who's a neurologist neurosurgeon who's been studying this for a very long time and what he was saying from his research is that it can start in the mouth. With oral bacteria and inflammation in the mouth, it leads to dysbiosis.
Just like the blood-brain barrier, you have an intestinal barrier, and the bad bacteria in the gut goes into the blood and then comes up and damages the blood brain barrier, which then allows more bed bacteria to come up and cause inflammation in the brain.
So yes, we can treat what's going on up here and if we can prevent it by keeping this clean and the whole GI tract clean, we have a lot less to fight up here.
Dr. Peter Dobias:
And this is why it's so important to actually give your dogs the right type of bones, too. There is an article on my website about bones; what bones to give and which ones are safe and which ones are not. Keeping the mouth clean is huge.
Common Signs and Symptoms
Confusion
Lethargy
Anxiety, aggression, depression or changes in behaviour
Staring into space or in the corner
The Importance of Omega-3s
Dr. Peter Dobias:
Omega-3s are important not only as an anti-inflammatory, but they also protect the blood-brain barrier and help cell regeneration.
Have you been using Omega-3s? What have you seen?
Dr. Laurie McCauley:
Absolutely. In fact there is more research on Omega-3s than any other joint supplement and it's all good! It's huge both in brain function as well as joint and inflammation.
Since we are talking about brain health - when we get inflammation in the brain, and because there's only so much room in the brain, it decreases the size of the blood vessels and then the blood vessels are like, "Oh no, don't do that!" and it creates more inflammation, and it's a cycle.
Omega-3s have the ability to get rid of that inflammation, so it's a huge component in helping with cognitive function.
There are a lot of supplements that you can use, but Omega-3s are a big one.
Dr. Peter Dobias:
And Omega-3s are so important for puppies and babies too! If they don't get enough, they may not develop properly – the lack of Omega-3s can even lead to heart disease.
Supplements and Natural Support
Dr. Laurie McCauley:
The liver is what helps detoxify things. A certain percentage of the blood from every heartbeat goes into the liver. So before the blood goes from the stomach to the rest of the body,
it has to go through the liver, right? And it's going to pull out all the nasty things.
Unfortunately, as we get older, it has less ability to pull out all those nasty things. And by supporting it, the liver can pull out the nasty things in the blood so those nasty things don't affect the brain and the rest of our body.
Supporting the liver is a great way to start to help things.
Dr. Peter Dobias:
I really like that you outlined the connection with the liver. Our body and organs are so interconnected.
I know that many people are really in love with mushrooms. Are there mushrooms that can be used in prevention of doggy and human dementia? Do you have a favorite?
Dr. Laurie McCauley:
I do. Lion's mane is amazing. Lion's Mane supports the brain. It can help with seizures. It increases brain derived neurotrophic factor, which is one of our things that help the prefrontal cortex (the front part of the brain function). So it helps with not only cognitive dysfunction as you age, but cognitive function. When we talk about the brain, it’s probably the most important mushroom.
Exercise: One of the Most Important Things We Can Do
Dr. Laurie McCauley:
One of the most important things we can do for our dogs is exercise. Exercise is huge in so many ways: it decreases metabolic disease, musculoskeletal disease, and dementia; it increases blood flow and decreases inflammation; and it even decreases pain from osteoarthritis. It has also been shown to reduce cancer risk."
Types of Exercise:
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- High-intensity exercise:
Rats on a wheel sprouted five times as many neurons in the hippocampus (learning and memory) compared to sedentary rats over seven months.
More neurons = enhanced cognitive function and brain resilience.
- Learning-based exercise:
Activities like dancing, stepping over poles, or balance exercises increase the life expectancy of each neuron.
This helps support both brain health and overall longevity.
- High-intensity exercise:
Dr. Peter Dobias:
Muscles are incredibly important for sugar metabolism too, and excess sugar can harm the brain.
Having more muscles does help our metabolism. Muscles are the greatest metabolic organ in the body. If our dogs don’t have enough muscle, it can lead to a lot of problems. This ties into hormones, which are essential for maintaining muscles and proper brain function.
The Connection to Hormones
Dr. Peter Dobias:
We have one more topic: hormones and the effect of spaying and neutering on cognition. There is a lot of research in humans—what happens to men when they stop producing sufficient amounts of testosterone and also menopause—and we know that it affects brain health.
The World Small Animal Veterinary Association is saying conventional spay and neuter isn’t always the best approach, and there are methods that prevent overpopulation while sparing hormones.
Dr. Laurie McCauley:
I love to learn, and I follow experts like Dr. Andrew Huberman and Dr. Peter Attia, who discuss hormone replacement therapy in humans. Many doctors misinterpreted risks in women, thinking HRT caused breast cancer—but studies show zero increase in mortality and many benefits. Testosterone replacement helps men with brain function, body composition, and overall health. I hope this information continues to come into the animal field to help our dogs.
Dr. Peter Dobias:
I can't agree more, and I feel very grateful that we have the information from human doctors. There is more information coming through, Dr. Michelle Kutzler and the Parsemus Foundation have done some research studies, discovering that the luteinizing hormone elevates after spaying and neutering and it causes inflammatory changes—not only in muscles, thyroid gland and ligaments, which leads to injuries (and Pax was one of those dogs that suffered from that before he was put on HRT)—but also it affects the brain.
They have confirmed that sex hormones metabolically improve and support nerve growth; they actually act beneficially against nerve degeneration. They also help to help the metabolism of neurotransmitters.
If we lose estrogen and testosterone, it really accelerates age-related brain dysfunction, and that is without a doubt. Now we're at the point where we kind of know how to do hormone replacement therapy in male dogs to a certain degree. The methods are effective and we've seen them work really well.
With females there is still more research to be done, but overall it’s so exciting.
Dr. Laurie McCauley:
And to jump in for the muscle part of it, there's significant research that shows that dogs that are spayed and neutered, especially if they're spayed and neutered early, significantly increases their chance of tearing their cranial cruciate ligament (CCL).
30 years ago, it was occasional. Now it is 50 to 80%, depending upon which orthopedic surgeon you see. My dog Sid is neutered because he was neutered when I got him but when we got Magic, she was still intact and will stay that way as long as possible.
Dr. Peter Dobias:
There is still so much to learn, but I have never been more excited about medicine than now.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the symptoms of dog dementia?
Symptoms can include confusion, anxiety, aggression, changes in behavior, moodiness, depression, lethargy, pacing, vocalizing at night, staring at corners or walls, not recognizing familiar people, and acting lost or disoriented.
Sometimes these symptoms are mistaken for ordinary aging, but dogs do not have to become listless just because they're older.
How can I prevent canine dementia?
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- Avoid feeding processed foods whenever possible
- Incorporate the daily use of omega-3s and DHA-rich oils
- Support gut health for a healthy microbiome
- Supplement with Lion’s Mane mushroom for nerve support
- Use of anti-inflammatory herbal compounds (turmeric, boswellia, ginger, stinging nettle)
- Regular physical and cognitive exercise
- Laser therapy and PEMF
- Keep hormones balanced, and intact whenever possible
- Regular liver detox and support
- Maintain healthy teeth and gums through raw bones and tooth brushing
Can dementia be reversed or slowed down?
While reversal is not definitive, you can support your dog through:
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Reducing inflammation with omega-3s.
- Daily physical exercise and mental stimulation to promote neurogenesis and neuron lifespan.
- Addressing hormone imbalances with hormone-preserving sterilization or hormone replacement therapy.
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Reducing inflammation with omega-3s.
