Remember Me?: Loving and Caring for a Dog with Canine Cognitive Dysfunction

Is your older dog starting to get stuck in corners, stare at walls, or act a little distant? Is he pacing in circles, barking for no apparent reason, or forgetting his housetraining? These or other behavioral changes may indicate that he is developing canine cognitive dysfunction, a disease akin to Alzheimer's.
 
Author Eileen Anderson, who demystifies dog behavior at the plainspoken and practical blog Eileen and Dogs, learned about this surprisingly common condition firsthand a few years ago, when her beloved rat terrier Cricket began acting frightened of a person she'd previously loved. As her dementia progressed, Cricket also began walking in circles, standing on the wrong side of doors, getting trapped under furniture, and losing and finding her owner repeatedly. In the last weeks of her life, she even forgot how to drink water. To help Cricket, Anderson put her methodical mind to work, and in this comprehensive and compassionate guide she shares everything she learned and more.
 
You'll learn about the symptoms of canine cognitive dysfunction and the medications typically used to treat it, as well as other interventions that have shown promise in peer-reviewed studies. You'll learn how to arrange your home and adjust your habits to keep your dog safe,including what specific products may be helpful. You'll learn how to keep yourself physically and emotionally healthy while caring for your dog. And there's deep, thoughtful advice here for when it's time to make the hardest decision of all about your dog's quality of life.
 
What people are saying about Remember Me
 
"Meticulously researched, accurate information presented with real empathy." --Jean Donaldson, author of The CultureClash, founder of the Academy for Dog Trainers

"Eileen approaches this complex disease with a combination of scientific rigor and deep empathy for the animals and people who suffer from it."--E'Lise Christensen, board certified veterinary behaviorist


 
 
 
 

Remember Me? is an award-winning guidebook for owners of dogs who are losing their mental faculties as they age, and the story of a dog and owner who retained their bond through this most difficult situation.

If you have an aging dog, Remember Me? will give you the information you need to weather the difficult condition and give your dog the most fulfilling life possible. In Remember Me?, you will learn:

• About the symptoms of canine cognitive dysfunction, medications and other interventions that are showing promise in treating the condition;
• How to adapt your home and habits to keep your dog safe;
• The many products available to solve the problems of senior dogs;
• How to make things easier on yourself, physically and emotionally; and
• The complex question of euthanasia and how to make your own decision about it.

  The story of author Eileen Anderson's small terrier Cricket, who developed dementia, is threaded through the book. As Cricket's dementia worsened she paced, she circled, she stood in corners, she forgot what she was doing, and at times she lost and found her owner repeatedly. For the last weeks of her life she even forgot how to drink water. As Cricket's condition deteriorated and needs changed, Anderson learned about the disease and developed methods to care for her dog.

  She shares these methods in Remember Me? and her calm, conversational tone is soothing to dog owners who are suffering--sometimes more than their dogs.

  Remember Me? won the 2016 Maxwell Award from the Dog Writers Association of America for a book on health, behavior, or general care.

"Meticulously researched, accurate information presented with real empathy. I hope owners and trainers read this and get their dogs help sooner rather than later should they be afflicted." -Jean Donaldson, author of The Culture Clash, founder of the Academy for Dog Trainers "Many families and all small-animal veterinarians will face the clinical signs of cognitive dysfunction eventually. And with the help of this book, they no longer have to deny its existence or pretend the clinical signs are the result of 'normal' aging. Eileen approaches this complex disease with a combination of scientific rigor and deep empathy for the animals and people who suffer from it. Her approach is clear, practical, open, and empathetic. Thank you, Eileen, for providing yet another excellent resource for animal lovers everywhere." -E'Lise Christensen, DVM DACVB (board certified veterinary behaviorist) "While always conveying deep compassion and sensitivity for dogs with CCD, Eileen also recognizes the difficulties and stress that this disorder can place upon owners. ... In finishing this book, I realized that while Eileen had written it specifically to help senior dogs with CCD, the information found in its pages will also be of interest and help to all who live with senior dogs, as we strive to keep their lives happy, healthy, and enriched." -Linda P. Case, author of Beware the Straw Man and owner of AutumnGold Consulting & Dog Training Center "Personal, easy to read, and full of useful information, Remember Me? is a must-have for everyone living with a dog. Once you have read this book, and I recommend you read it now, you'll want to keep it accessible as a reference for when you need it most." -Lori Stevens, CPDT-KA, SAMP, owner, Seattle TTouch "What a marvelous book this is! I have been fortunate to have shared my life with a rather large number of beloved dogs. Having so far outlived all of them, I can only look back and wish I had had the common sense and wisdom available in this book to help me through the hardest times-the times when it was left to me to figure out how best to help my friends as they started to fade away, and, eventually, to decide if and when their need to go on superseded my desire to hold on tight. With ample references, case studies, and personal stories, Eileen has fleshed out the many problems and joys of caring for an old dog. This book is an invaluable tool which will be in my 'toolbox' for many years to come!" -Sue Ailsby, author of Training Levels: Steps to Success and instructor at Fenzi Dog Sports Academy

When my rat terrier Cricket started acting oddly as she grew older, I thought it was just normal aging. It wasn't. It was canine cognitive dysfunction, or dog dementia, which is medical condition that goes far beyond the normal slowing down as dogs age.  
 
I don't want anyone else to delay going to the vet about this for more than a year as I did, or to feel alone with the strange symptoms that can sometimes occur.  My hope is that my book raises awareness of age-related canine dementia and helps dogs and owners everywhere.   --Eileen Anderson

Eileen Anderson writes about learning theory, her life with three dogs, and training with positive reinforcement on her popular blog, Eileen and Dogs, and for other publications. She brings to bear on these subjects a science background, critical thinking skills, and teaching experience.

Eileen has worked professionally as a writer and academic editor, a network administrator, a remedial college math instructor, and a trainer of computer skills in academic and workplace settings. She has a long-standing interest in making technology accessible to women, people with limited literacy skills, and other underserved populations. She is now channeling that same urge to translate and illuminate in service of the humane treatment of dogs and joyful companionship between dogs and people. Her goal is to make training accessible and learning theory comprehensible to pet owners. 

She holds bachelor's and master's degrees in music performance and a master's degree in engineering science. She received a Certificate of Excellence for completion of Susan Friedman's applied behavior analysis course for animal professionals, Living and Learning with Animals, in 2012. She lives in the mid-Southern U.S. and works at a nonprofit agency that helps impoverished women access medical care.