Disney is starting the doggie Alzheimer's drug.

[jazzcat]

I had to take the kittens to the vet today so while I was there I talked to the vet about starting her on the drug, Selegiline. The vet said it will take three weeks or so to know if it's helping and if it does then it should help her pacing, sleeping and "spaced out" behaviors. She also said it seems to only help about 50% of the dogs who take it.

Has anyone had experience with this medication?

[tatsxxx11]

No, I've never had expereince with that drug. But as you say, there is hope that it might help. I sure do hope so. Disney is SUCH a precious little pup. Hopefully others have experiences they can share:) Give Disney a hug fo rme:)

[micki76]

We had Aneko on Anipryl for quite a while. It really helped her for a while. She just never got over her fear of me. :(

I hope the medication works well for Miss Disney! Keep us updated on her progress. :)

[jazzcat]

Micki - I just looked up Selegiline online and found out it is the generic of Anipryl. Did you notice any side effects from the drug?

[micki76]

Originally posted by jazzcat
Micki - I just looked up Selegiline online and found out it is the generic of Anipryl. Did you notice any side effects from the drug?

Lori, at the high dosage that the vet started Aneko on, she became aggressive. Watch for signs of that. She was always afraid of me, but after a week or so on the meds, she tried to bite me. Thankfully she only had a couple of teeth. Other than that, she had no symptoms. He lowered her dosage and it worked like a charm for a while, but for some reason stopped working.

Aneko also had siezures, though not from the meds. I suspected that she had been having them for nearly the entire time we had her, due to some repetative behaviors and such. They became more frequent and much more severe, so we jsut decided that it was time to let her rest. I would've actually upped her meds again, but hubby finally decided she was simply unhappy.

Hopefully Disney won't have anything like the aggressivness. I don't know that it was actually related to the drugs, but I in fact suspect that Aneko was always a bit snippy anyway. She seemed to be tough cookie. ;)

[Pam]

Oh I do hope it helps little Disney and that there will be no side effects. I know Logan has experienced some possible dementia problems with Murphy. I hope she sees this thread so she can maybe share her experiences with you.

[jazzcat]

Thanks everyone.

[RobiLee]

I just want to wish you and Disney all the best and I hope that this medicine helps Disney out.

Hugs for Disney.......Robin :)

[pitc9]

I know nothing about it, I hope Micki and the others can help put your mind at ease.

Hugs to you and Disney!!
:)

[Logan]

Pam pointed me to this thread last night, and I'm sorry that I didn't get here sooner. We had Murphy on Anipryl for 30 days. We never saw any significant changes to justify leaving her on it. We could have gone with a higher dosage, but as you probably have figured out, it is not inexpensive, and our Murphy is a big dog (Lab). Murphy's symptoms mostly display themselves in being "lost" at times, facing a wall or a corner and acting as if she doesn't know what to do, excessive barking (at nothing), and some aggressive tendencies (rarely) that she never had before in regards to the other dogs, mainly Zipper for some reason. Murphy has no hearing at all and hasn't for a long time due to many, many ear problems over the years. She also has cataracts, and I feel that some of her aggressive tendencies are caused by her inability to see as clearly as before. For instance, she sometimes reacts loudly to the opening of the refrigerator door, which is about 6 ft from her bed.

I wish you much luck with Disney as you try this medication. Who knows, maybe you'll be in the half of the group that it helps.

Logan

[jazzcat]

Thanks Robin, Angie and Logan.

She took her first pill this morning and I'm praying see some results by the end of the month. She's never been a really personable dog but I'd at least like to have her not act afraid of us at times. It breaks my heart when I know she's confused and doesn't recognize me and her pacing is really sad.