By Rachael O'ConnorShareNewsweek is a Trust Project memberA woman has shown the reality of caring for a dog with dementia symptoms as she shared how her senior pup is "sundowning."
Desiree Broomer, 37, lives in Charlotte, North Carolina, with her senior dog Lulu, whom she affectionately refers to as her "old lady."
Lulu is almost 14 years old, and has spent the last seven years of her life being totally adored by her owner, but as Broomer told Newsweek, "she had kind of a rough start" to life.
"She was passed around during the first few years of her life, and the last person who had her was planning to drop her off at the pound because they were moving out of state," Broomer said. "We took her in instead, and she’s been part of our family ever since."
But, as Lulu is now getting older, her family has noticed worrying signs that her age is starting to affect her—and the symptoms continue to change.
"We started noticing signs of dementia about a year ago," Broomer said. "It started with her being restless around evening, and just pacing back and forth around the house."
A heartbreaking video showing new symptoms in Lulu was shared to Broomer's TikTok account, @scarlettandlou, on October 20, which began with the owner asking: "Is this part of dog dementia?"
Broomer wrote: "I know she is sundowning, but she starts shivering at my touch and trying to bite me when I pet her. It's only like this at night."
It shows Lulu sitting on the sofa, and as Broomer reaches out her hand to pet her, the canine jumps and flinches, beginning to shake all over her body.
At one point, Lulu appears to be ready to gently bite Broomer's hand, but she then just continues to shake.
"The nights are hard for this old lady," she wrote in the caption.
...Dog dementia, also known as canine cognitive dysfunction (CCD), can cause an older pup to appear confused or forgetful, and to forget things they previously knew, from tricks to toilet training.
Symptoms can range from wandering aimlessly and pacing up and down, barking at nothing, appearing stressed for no obvious reason, and become irritable or clingy, according to a vet-reviewed report from PetMD.
While there is no cure, it is managed with environmental changes—keeping a dog in a routine that they know, nutritional supplements, medications and special diets. The confusion may appear worse at night, as the sleep-wake cycle can be affected by a weakening of the brain, which is referred to as sundowning.
Broomer told Newsweek that Lulu's "shivering and biting episodes at night started about four months ago," and they have been working on "keeping her calm and comfortable, maintaining a consistent routine."
"We also have some calming supplements we give to her at night," Broomer said.
"It’s still a learning process, but we’re doing everything we can to support her."
Broomer and Lulu's video caused an outpouring of support from animal lovers, who watched the clip over 485,000 times and left hundreds of comments.
"Nghts are hard for dementia dogs, not sure why," one user wrote. "My dog was waking up and pacing every night, like he forgot where he is."
Others suggested something else could be at play—that perhaps Lulu had dental pain, or discomfort from moving around all day, or that she could be confused due to her eyesight or hearing suffering.
Another shared that their dog had gone through the same thing, and advised: "Enjoy the time you have and please have lots of patience. My heart goes out to you and your little one."
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