Managing daily life

Address pain and other health problems

Treating discomfort and concurrent illness is part of supporting an animal with suspected or diagnosed cognitive dysfunction syndrome (CDS). Share changes in movement, appetite, thirst, sleep and toileting with your veterinarian.

A change that looks behavioural may improve when a medical problem is addressed. Keep reviewing comfort as needs change.

Maintain a predictable routine

Offer consistent opportunities for meals, rest, toileting, interaction and suitable activity. Familiar patterns can make daily life easier to manage.

Introduce changes gradually. Choose a routine you can sustain, with enough flexibility to respond when your animal needs extra rest or support.

Make the home easier to navigate

• Use non-slip walking surfaces and clear routes between important resources.
• Provide comfortable, accessible beds and safe access to preferred resting places.
• Keep food and water easy to reach.
• Use gentle lighting where it helps your animal find their way.
• Protect access to stairs or other hazards where needed.
• Avoid unnecessary changes to familiar furniture arrangements.

Watch your animal use the space. A route that looks clear may still be difficult because of pain, poor vision or a slippery surface.

Provide a safe haven

A safe haven is a familiar, comfortable resting area protected from unwanted interaction and disturbance. Make it easy to reach and associate it with positive experiences.

Allow your animal to settle there without being approached by people or other animals. A safe haven should not be used as punishment or forced confinement.

Species-appropriate pheromone products may provide optional support for settling or anxiety. They are not a treatment for cognitive decline itself.

Support sleep

Provide comfortable bedding, suitable daytime engagement and a predictable evening routine. Offer toileting opportunities and check that your animal can reach water and a comfortable resting place.

Nighttime vocalization or restlessness can signal pain, distress or an unmet need. Consider these causes with your veterinarian before deciding how to respond; simply ignoring the behaviour may leave the underlying problem unaddressed.

Make toileting easier

For dogs

Offer more frequent opportunities to toilet, including when your dog wakes. Keep routes accessible and non-slip, and allow enough time without pressure.

For cats

Provide accessible low-entry litter trays in suitable, quiet locations. Keep routes easy to use and avoid requiring your cat to negotiate stairs or another animal to reach a tray.

Do not punish accidents. Record changes and discuss them with your veterinarian, including urgency, discomfort and difficulty getting into position.

Adapt social interaction and learning

Offer brief, positive interactions that match your animal’s preferences and abilities. Give them space to pause or move away.

Keep training simple and rewarding. Familiar, achievable tasks may be easier to enjoy than new challenges. Avoid pressure, punishment and tasks that create frustration.

Enrichment and activities

Match activities to current mobility, senses, interest and cognitive ability. Adjust the difficulty as needed and let your animal choose whether to participate.

Feeding enrichment should remain easy enough to use successfully. Maintain reliable access to food and water.

Medications

Medication selection requires an individual veterinary assessment. These medications have different intended roles and are not suitable for every animal.

Selegiline

A veterinarian may consider selegiline to help manage signs of CDS in dogs. It affects chemical signalling in the brain, and responses vary. Evidence and established use are stronger in dogs than in cats; use in cats requires an individual veterinary decision.

Selegiline can interact with other medications. Your veterinarian must review your animal’s current treatment before considering it.

Propentofylline

Available only in Europe, the UK and Australia.

A veterinarian may consider it for reduced alertness, lethargy and activity in older dogs. Its effects on circulation may support overall demeanour and willingness to exercise. It is not equivalent to selegiline or a proven cure for CDS. Evidence and licensed use concern dogs; its role in cats is not established.

Supplements and nutritional ingredients

Evidence and product quality vary. Proposed mechanisms do not prove clinical benefit, and findings from dogs cannot automatically be applied to cats. “Natural” does not automatically mean suitable or free of interactions.

S-adenosylmethionine (SAMe)

SAMe is involved in normal cell processes and antioxidant support. It has been studied for possible support of cognitive function, but benefits are not consistent for every animal.

Phosphatidylserine

This component of cell membranes is included in some cognitive-support blends. It is proposed to support nerve-cell function; studies of blends do not establish the benefit of the ingredient alone.

Omega-3 fatty acids

These fats contribute to cell membranes, including those in the brain. They may form part of nutritional support, but supplementation alone should not be presented as an established treatment for CDS.

Antioxidant and supporting nutrient blends

These blends aim to support normal cell function and the body’s defences against oxidative damage. Evidence relates to particular formulations and cannot be assumed to apply to every product.

Ginkgo biloba

Ginkgo is proposed to influence circulation and antioxidant activity. Reliable evidence for treating CDS is limited, and interactions or adverse effects are possible. It is not a proven or routinely recommended CDS treatment.

Apoaequorin

This protein has been marketed for cognitive support. The evidence is limited and does not establish a reliable benefit for dogs or cats with CDS. It should not be presented as proven or routinely recommended treatment.

Diets

Some veterinary diets provide targeted nutritional support for cognitive health. Medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs) are fats that the body can use to produce an alternative energy source for the brain. This does not mean every diet containing them has the same evidence or effect.

Hill’s Prescription Diet b/d Brain Ageing Care

This canine diet is formulated to support brain function in older dogs, using antioxidants and other supporting nutrients. It may be considered as one part of a broader management plan.

Purina Pro Plan Veterinary Diets NC NeuroCare

This canine diet contains MCT oil and nutrients intended to support brain health and cognitive function. It may be considered when its nutritional profile suits the individual dog.

Both are dog diets, not cat diets. Your veterinarian should also consider other health conditions, appetite and nutritional needs. Product names and availability vary by location. A food labelled “senior” does not necessarily have demonstrated benefits for CDS.