Dog Dementia: What It Looks Like and What Can Done About It

狗狗癡呆癥：是怎樣的？有什么預(yù)防措施？

A few days ago I received an email from a friend, Rod,?that read: "You've met my pal Jack who celebrates his 12th birthday next week. As of late, say the last couple months, Jack has awoken after?maybe 30 minutes of seemingly sound sleep. He comes awake in a start, head and ears down, clambering quickly to run from whatever has terrified him in his dream. He goes a short distance and then stops, wide awake. This happens a few times a week and is not dependent?on?sleeping?in a specific location. It had been suggested to give him some melatonin prior to bed to help his sleep pattern, but that does not seem to have much effect. I wondered if you have encountered anything similar. I always try to comfort him after the fact, but so wish there was something I could do to alleviate?his terror before?it occurs."

幾天前，我收到了來(lái)自朋友Rod的信，信上他說(shuō)：“我遇到了我的朋友Jack，它下周過(guò)12歲的生日。最近幾個(gè)月，Jack似乎睡了30分鐘才醒過(guò)來(lái)，它一開(kāi)始醒過(guò)來(lái)，垂直耳朵和頭，迅速爬行來(lái)擺脫在夢(mèng)里嚇到他的某些事物。它只走了一小段然后停下來(lái)，完全清醒了過(guò)來(lái)。這樣的情況每周發(fā)生幾次，不局限于它在某個(gè)特殊的地方睡覺(jué)。有人建議我給它服用褪黑激素來(lái)幫助它睡眠，但似乎沒(méi)多大幫助。我想知道你是否遇到過(guò)類似的情況。我嘗試著在事后安慰它，我多么希望我能做些什么讓這種情況出現(xiàn)的時(shí)候我能減輕他的恐懼?！?/p>

I immediately wrote back and said that perhaps Jack is suffering from a form of?sundowners syndrome, that can include different forms of?confusion,anxiety,?aggression,?ignoring directions,?pacing,?or wandering. I was relieved when Rod wrote back and concluded that most likely Jack's behavior was caused by bad?dreams.

我立刻回信說(shuō)，大概Jack正遭受一種日落綜合癥，這包括不同形式的困惑、焦慮、攻擊行為、發(fā)呆、踱步和走神。當(dāng)Rod回信并推斷Jack的行為很大可能是由噩夢(mèng)造成的時(shí)，我如釋重負(fù)。

Rod's email also reminded me of a number other times when I've been told that?a dog manifested some of the warning signs of sundowners, and there was little to no doubt that each dog was suffering from some form of cognitive dysfunction. One of my own senior canine companions clearly experienced?dementia, and?I've seen similar patterns of behavior in wild coyotes, red foxes, and an aging black bear who lived near my mountain home.?Thus,?I was pleased when I received notice of an important and information-packed?essay available online: "Dog Dementia: What is Canine Cognitive Dysfunction?" by veterinarian Gurpal Chahal.

Rod的郵件也讓我想起我有幾次被告知狗表現(xiàn)出老年的預(yù)警信號(hào)，毫無(wú)疑問(wèn)每只狗都患有某種形式的認(rèn)知功能障礙。我自己的一個(gè)資深的狗伙伴顯然經(jīng)歷過(guò)癡呆癥，我也見(jiàn)過(guò)野生郊狼、紅狐和住在我家附近的一只年老的黑熊的類似行為模式。因此，我很開(kāi)心我收到了可以在網(wǎng)上看到的重要的信息打包文章的通知：“狗狗癡呆：什么是犬類認(rèn)知功能障礙？”，作者是獸醫(yī)Gurpal Chahal。

veterinarian 英 [?vet?r??ne?ri?n] n.獸醫(yī)

coyote 英 [?k????ts]? 美 [ka??o?tis]? n.叢林狼，草原狼(犬科動(dòng)物，分布于北美)

canine?英 [?ke?na?n]? 美 [?ke?na?n] adj.犬的;似犬的 n.(人或動(dòng)物的)犬齒;犬

I'm sure there are numerous dogs, especially senior and elder dogs, who show different forms of dementia. Friends have told me about changes in the behavior of a canine companion and were at a loss to explain what was happening. I mentioned to them that dogs are mammals and have mammalian brains, so it's not surprising that they, too, can suffer from?cognitive decline?and other?psychological disorders. This simple statement went a long way toward their seeking advice from a veterinarian in how to deal with these changes.

我確定有很多狗狗，尤其是成年和老年狗會(huì)表現(xiàn)出不同形式的癡呆。朋友曾告訴我關(guān)于狗狗伴侶的行為變化并且他們無(wú)法解釋發(fā)生了什么。我提醒他們，狗是哺乳動(dòng)物擁有哺乳動(dòng)物的大腦，所以他們會(huì)發(fā)生認(rèn)知能力下降和其他心理障礙這也不令人意外。這句簡(jiǎn)單的陳述對(duì)于他們向獸醫(yī)尋求如何應(yīng)對(duì)這些變化有很大的幫助。

disorder 英 [d?s???d?(r)]? 美 [d?s???rd?r] n.雜亂;混亂;凌亂;騷亂;動(dòng)亂;失調(diào);紊亂;不適;疾病

Chahal notes, "The exact cause of this degenerative disorder is not known.Chronic illness?or?stress?may increase a dog’s chances of suffering from cognitive dysfunction, but some or all of the following factors may contribute toward this dysfunction and affect the normal functioning of the dog’s brain." These include a reduction in the number of neurons, a decrease in blood flow to the brain, and the death of neurons. He also notes that it's difficult to pin down when dog dementia?may begin. At least half of dogs who suffer some form of decline manifest it by 11 years of age, but it's also been noticed in dogs as young as 7.

Chahal標(biāo)注到：“這種退行性紊亂的確切成因還不為人知。慢性疾病或壓力會(huì)增加狗狗患感知功能障礙的可能性，但一些或所有下列因素可能導(dǎo)致功能缺失和影響狗狗大腦的普通功能。”這些因素包括神經(jīng)元數(shù)量的減少，腦部供血減少和神經(jīng)元死亡。他還指出很難確定狗癡呆的發(fā)病時(shí)間。至少一半遭受某種形式的下降的狗在11歲時(shí)表現(xiàn)出這種癥狀，在7歲的狗身上也發(fā)現(xiàn)了這種情況。

degenerative 英 [d??d?en?r?t?v]? 美 [d??d?en?r?t?v] adj.(隨著時(shí)間的推移)變性的，退化的

neurons 英 [?nj??r?nz]? 美 [?n?rɑnz] n.神經(jīng)元

pin down?確定;證實(shí);迫使…作出決定（或明確表態(tài)）

Chahal summarizes the symptoms of dog dementia as follows:

Chahal如下總結(jié)狗狗癡呆的特征

Disorientation; the pet may be confused and lost in familiar environments like home or park.

迷失方向；寵物會(huì)會(huì)在家或者公園等熟悉的地方迷路

disorientation 英 [d?s???ri?n?te??n]? 美 [d?s???ri?n?te??n] 迷失方向;定向障礙;迷向;迷感

Changes in sleeping cycle, including night waking or vocalization and sleeping a lot during the day.

睡眠生物鐘的變化，包含在夜里醒來(lái)發(fā)出聲音和在白天睡覺(jué)

vocalization 英 [?v??k?la??ze??n]? 美 [?vo?k?l??ze??n] n.說(shuō)出的話;嗓音;歌聲;說(shuō)話;發(fā)聲;唱歌;發(fā)嗓音

Changes in interactions with family members, friends, or other animals such as being less enthusiastic to greet them, wanting less?attention, and showing signs of aggression toward them.

與家庭成員、朋友或其他動(dòng)物的交流的變化，比方說(shuō)提不起興致去跟他們打招呼，想要更少的關(guān)注以及對(duì)他們表現(xiàn)出攻擊的跡象。

aggression 英 [??ɡre?n]? 美 [??ɡre?n] n.好斗情緒;攻擊性;侵犯;挑釁;侵略

Abnormal behavior and less interest in eating or playing and being unwilling to socialize.

反常行為、食欲不振，不愿意社交

Staring at inanimate objects.

盯著無(wú)生命的物體

inanimate 英 [?n??n?m?t]? 美 [?n??n?m?t] adj.無(wú)生命的;死的;像已死的

Being restless with pacing and aimless wandering.

不安的踱步和漫無(wú)目的的游蕩

restless 英 [?restl?s]? 美 [?restl?s] adj.坐立不安的;不耐煩的;沒(méi)有真正休息的;沒(méi)有睡眠的

House soiling and lack of response to commands are also common. The dog may eliminate in an improper location. The dog may appear deaf to the owner because he does not respond to learned commands.?

弄臟房子、對(duì)命令反映很遲鈍也很常見(jiàn)。狗可能會(huì)在一個(gè)不適合的地方解手，可能出現(xiàn)耳聾的癥狀，因?yàn)樗鼪](méi)有學(xué)會(huì)回應(yīng)命令。

eliminate 英 [??l?m?ne?t]? 美 [??l?m?ne?t] v.排除;清除;消除;(比賽中)淘汰;消滅，干掉(尤指敵人或?qū)κ?

deaf英 [def]? 美 [def] adj.聾的;耳聾的人;聾子;不愿聽(tīng);不去注意

He stresses that these don't always indicate dementia. These behavior changes?can also be caused by?separation anxiety, arthritis, declines in hearing or seeing, or kidney or liver disease.

他強(qiáng)調(diào)這些并不總是意味著癡呆。這些行為改變也可以由分離焦慮癥、關(guān)節(jié)炎、聽(tīng)力或視力下降、腎臟或肝臟疾病引起。

arthritis 英 [ɑ??θra?t?s]? 美 [ɑ?r?θra?t?s] n.關(guān)節(jié)炎

There are a number of medications and nutritional supplements that can be used to treat dog dementia, and a number of other ways that include light exercise, behavior?therapy, making their homes more user-friendly, and providing different forms of enrichment. These include "taking them on gentle smell walks and allowing them to sniff, and ensuring they still have interactions with their human family members." (Also see "There's No Magic Formula to Slow Your Dog's Aging.")

有很多藥物和營(yíng)養(yǎng)補(bǔ)充劑可以用來(lái)治療狗的癡呆癥，還有一些其他的方法，包括輕度運(yùn)動(dòng)、行為療法、讓他們的家更人性化，以及提供不同形式的豐富。這些措施包括“帶它們散步，讓它們聞氣味，并確保它們?nèi)阅芘c人類家庭成員互動(dòng)?！保碚?qǐng)參閱“沒(méi)有神奇的方案可以延緩你的狗的衰老?！保?/p>

user-friendly 英 [?ju?z? ?frendli]? 美 [?ju?z?r ?frendli] adj.方便非專業(yè)用戶的;便于使用的;易于掌握的

I was especially pleased to read about "smell?walks,"?because dogs' sense organs, like their muscles, heart, and lungs, need to be exercised, and we need to make time for them to do so.?In?Canine Confidential,?I wrote about a woman who wondered if not allowing dogs to sniff to their noses' content could cause psychological problems because they weren't getting a true picture of the odor in which they're interested. I continue to ponder this possibility because dogs greatly depend on learning about what's going on?via "pee-mail."

我特別高興地讀到關(guān)于“嗅覺(jué)行走”的文章，因?yàn)楣返母杏X(jué)器官，如肌肉、心臟和肺，都需要鍛煉，我們需要給它們留出時(shí)間。在《犬類機(jī)密》一書(shū)中，我曾寫過(guò)一位女士，她想知道，如果不讓狗嗅到自己鼻子里的東西，是否會(huì)導(dǎo)致心理問(wèn)題，因?yàn)樗鼈儫o(wú)法真正了解它們感興趣的氣味。我繼續(xù)思考這種可能性，因?yàn)楣吩诤艽蟪潭壬弦蕾囉谕ㄟ^(guò)“小便郵件”了解發(fā)生了什么

ponder 英 [?p?nd?(r)]? 美 [?pɑ?nd?r] v.沉思;考慮;琢磨

We're also told that dogs with cognitive dysfunction don't necessarily live shorter lives, and they can be our loving friends for many years after suffering from dementia.?

我們還被告知，患有認(rèn)知功能障礙的狗不一定壽命短，在患上癡呆癥后，它們可以成為我們多年的摯友。

I learned a lot from Chahal's essay and I hope it reaches a broad global audience. Senior dogs can be awesome companions even if they're psychologically or physically compromised.We owe it to them to give them the very best lives possible, they depend on us to do so, and?we should give them everything they need and love?and then some.?We also?can learn a lot from their presence in our homes and hearts, a win-win for all.

我從Chahal的文章中學(xué)到了很多東西，我希望它能影響到全球廣大讀者。老年狗可以是很棒的伙伴，即使他們?cè)谛睦砩匣蛏眢w上妥協(xié)了。我們他們應(yīng)該盡可能地給他們最好的生活，他們依賴于我們，我們應(yīng)該給他們一切他們需要的和愛(ài)，然后一些。我們也可以從他們?cè)谖覀兊募依锖托闹械拇嬖谥袑W(xué)到很多，這對(duì)所有人都是雙贏的。

References

參考文獻(xiàn)

Bekoff, Marc.Do Wild Animals Suffer From PTSD and Other Psychological Disorders?

野生動(dòng)物會(huì)有創(chuàng)傷后應(yīng)急障礙和其他心理障礙嗎？

_____.Psychological Disorders in Animals: A Review of What We Know.

動(dòng)物心理障礙：我們所知的綜述

_____.Pets on the Couch: Do Animals Need Freud and Pfizer??An interview with Nicholas Dodman about his new book on animal psychiatry.

沙發(fā)上的寵物：動(dòng)物需要Freud（弗洛伊德）和Pfizer嗎？采訪Nicholas Dodman關(guān)于他關(guān)于動(dòng)物精神病學(xué)的新書(shū)

psychiatry 英 [sa??ka??tri]? 美 [sa??ka??tri] n.精神病學(xué);精神病治療

_____.?Allowed to Grow Old: Radiant Portraits of Elderly Animals. (A collection of moving images portrays heart, dignity, and unique personalities.)

允許變老：老年動(dòng)物的光輝肖像。（一組動(dòng)人的影像描繪了心靈、尊嚴(yán)和獨(dú)特的個(gè)性。）

radiant 英 [?re?di?nt]? 美 [?re?di?nt]?n.光點(diǎn);[天]流星群的輻射點(diǎn)