Hi, Kev here – I feel as if I am almost back to my old self after taking my new Selegiline tablets for a week. Remember, I was showing signs of dog dementia – also called Canine Cognitive Dysfunction. This meant I was staring into corners, howling in the night and generally much less alert than normal. The vet told us to expect results after a month or two, but for me the change was very quick. By the third day I was much more settled at night, and at the weekend Mum and Dad noticed that my ears were up in that way that a dog looks when he is alert and ready for life. Then I started playbiting some passers-by who stopped to talk to me: they thought it was really funny, Mum thought it was amazing! I still sleep a lot during the day, of course, but I have made a point of going downstairs several times to get in the builders’ way. These are all the normal dog mischief things that I had stopped doing recently, so the news is positive. Stay tuned for my next health update …

I have to admit that old age is affecting me at last. I am no longer the youthfl dog who would play tag with Mum and Dad up till a year ago. Maybe the house moves have affected me badly, but over the past month I have been getting very agitated and confused at night, and I started barking as soon as Mum and Dad were getting ready for bed. This would sometimes go on for hours as Mum tried to comfort me and get me to settle for the night. I would mention that my bark is normally rarely heard, and I save it for times when I am excited about going for a walk. I was already taking Diazepam to help me sleep but it was obvious that something else was needed. Mum and Dad spoke to our vet, and he agreed that the symptoms are from Canine Cognitive Dysfunction, similar to Alzheiner’s disease in elderly people. He has prescribed me a two week course of Selegiline, this is the generic replacement for Anipryl. The active ingredient is L-Depreny, which works in the body to help prolong productive activity of the neurotransmitter Dopamine. This is intended to help restore my highly intelligent characteristics and give me an enjoyable old age.You cannot buy memory but you can help keep it sharp. I will report back in two weeks.