b'What might an owner expect to seeat home if their pet is developingsenility? Numerous behavioralchanges may occur with senilityand can be divided into thefollowing categories:1) Spatial disorientation/confu-sion may be manifested as wander-ing, staring, or moving to unusualplaces. Loss of toilet training canbe a sign of disorientation.2) Altered learning and memorymay result in inappropriate urinationand defecation within the house, aswell as decreased/lack of responseto previously learned commands. Inworking dogs, a decline in perform-ance may be noted.3) Alterations in activity mayoccur, such as increased purpose-less or repetitive activity.Conversely a decline in activity maybe noted, with lethargy andincreased amounts of sleeping. Theanimal may be more difficult toarouse from sleep.4) Altered social relationships(e.g. decreased or altered interac-tions, decreased responsiveness tofamily members, other pets) mayoccur. The animal may also showsigns of aggression and irritability.5) Altered sleep-wake cycles canbe a problem, such as nighttimewaking, increased anxiety, irritability,and restlessness.6) Decreased perception of, orresponsiveness to stimuli may leadto diminished interest in eating,walking, or playing.7) Excessive vocalization,alter-ations in appetite, and decreasedself-hygiene may also be noted.The acronym DISHAAL i.e. disorientation, abnormalinteractions, sleep/wake cycledisturbances, house soiling, activitychanges, anxiety, learning/memorychanges) can be used to recognizeclinical signs of senility and thesemay worsen over time.56THE NEW BARKER www.TheNewBarker.com'