Dementia and treatment options

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Dyana

Dyana

Member Since 2009
I do want to ask a question about dementia. For about a year, my vet has been saying J.D. may have some dementia, and I guess I didn't quite know what he was talking about.
Yesterday, I wandered into Tanya's CRF site and found myself looking at a description about dementia, and J.D. does have a bunch of the signs, like the silly noises he makes are yowling, when he feels lost, and he paces sometimes.
From Tanya's CRF Support Group:
In humans, a lack of Vitamin B12 has been associated with cognitive dysfunction. Supplementing Vitamin B12 in the form of methylcobalamin is therefore worth considering.
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J.D. does get weekly injections of Cyanocobolamine, but I wonder if I should be giving him Methylcobolamine, too
Essential fatty acids and antioxidants may also help. Aktivait, a nutraceutical containing both, has been found in one trial to help dogs with cognitive dysfunction. I have heard from one vet who has also found it helpful in cats with this condition.
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I ended up sending an email to these people http://www.vetplus.co.uk/PDF/LEAF/aktivait_cat_leaflet.pdf who are located in the U.K. about the Aktivait, to see if they have ship to or have anything available in the U.S.
 
HI Dyana, I have a 19 year old cat and often she will yowl when she finds herself alone in a room. So think she does have a bit of kitty old-timers disease. I give her both B12 shots and Methyl B12 tablet. From what I've read online they work differently - since its a B vitamin whatever their body doesn't process will get excreted in the urine so giving both is completely safe. I hope adding the Methyl B12 helps out your kitty too. Jan
 
Thanks Jan. I gave him some Methyl B12 today. Mine comes in a capsule. I used to give it to him, but he didn't like it and my other cat kept eating it, and then I found out the Cyano B12 is what I wanted for pancreatitis, anyway.
How often do you give the B12 injections, and are they the cyano type? I am giving 1/4ml (25 units) once a week.
 
interesting. guess I will put mom back on b12 but I digress.
I give cal and twinkie .5cc of cyano weekly but not for P titis. just as a boost and cause twink has anemia
 
dian and wheezer said:
interesting. guess I will put mom back on b12 but I digress.
I give cal and twinkie .5cc of cyano weekly but not for P titis. just as a boost and cause twink has anemia
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I've been wanting to ask you how your mom was doing. Good, or better, I hope.

So, you give 50 units? is that .5cc?
 
I just use my insulin syringes that are 30 u and fill it up twice. that is a little more than a half cc (.5cc)

yes. . so exactly .5cc would be fill up the insulin syringe to 30 and then another at .2. I use same syringe. or if you have a 1cc syringe just fill to .5

mom is no better if not a tad worse. coconut oil is not helping as far as I can tell. it is supposed to cause some kind of ketones in brain which help. this is a MCT I think which is not the bad fats
 
Do you give it once a week?

I thought the 26 or so units I was giving J.D. once a week was making a little lump on his scruff (like I was giving fluids), the 50 will really be a lump :) By the way, his scruff skin is as hard as leather to get the needle through.

I thought your mom seemed fine at the party, but I don't know her like you do. God doesn't give you more than you can handle, so you are a strong person. Hugs to you. I hope you find lots of little things to make you smile today.
 
I never had any lumps and .5cc is such a small amount. make sure bevel is up when going in. I have never had a problem even on skinny cal
 
Yowling can be an indication of high blood pressure, or hyperT, or deafness. I have a civvie who started yowling at random times. She is hyperT and pretty close to deaf, but her blood pressure is OK. I put a Feliway diffuser near where she often sleeps and it may be helping. Hard to say.

MJ
 
All I know is his last T4 (on 03/20/12) came back as 1.8 (with a range of 0.8 to 4.7).

We used to have a 25? year old neighboorhood cat that used to visit my house, and he was deaf, and used to yowl something awful (poor thing, because he couldn't hear himself) to get my attention. I used to feed him :oops:

Unfortunately, my vet does not have a way to check blood pressure. I guess I should try another vet, somewhere.

When J.D. yowls crys like that, I say something to him, and he stops, like he needed reassurance that I was there.

Thanks for you response. I'll try to find a vet that can test for blood pressure.
 
This is interesting to read, my Scooter often yowls and cries for no reason, usually in the middle of the night. Like JD, I think he's asking "where are you mom?" because if I call out to him he usually comes in the bedroom and jumps on the bed. It's like he forgets where he is sometimes. :? He did it last night twice.
 
Wow finding this thread was interesting. Robbie has started yeowling in the middle of the night - I can't really remember if it was before the diabetes kicked back in or after - Started out he'd stand in the middle of the bedroom and YEOWL really loudly - if I called him he'd jump onto the bed and settle down - than he started getting worse with his numbers and doesn't get into bed with us much anymore (which I think also has to do with his arthritis) but the crying does often seem like he's confused or lost. I pick him up and love him some nad he stops - I'll have to check online about other symptoms of dementia. He's only 11.
 
Some really interested reading! My civvie has always yowled for me since she was little. Like, she'll look for me, then suddenly plop down and start yowling like I've disappeared forever, or like she's lost, something. But she's done this since kittenhood....
 
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