Audience question in my Cognitive Dysfunction webinar:
Any idea why a vet would tell a client that a 7 yr old small breed dog was too old to learn? (Chihuahua/Manchester Terrier mix, female, spayed, severe double ear infection which caused bite when ear was touched.) There were no clinical signs of cognitive dysfunction so it seemed absurd to me ... but I wonder is there science on it I'm not aware of? Thank you!
Glad you joined us tonight and thanks for the question!
K. I just snorted my coffee out my nose! Um, no. Unless that dog has signs of significant forebrain disease, cognitive dysfunction, or is on some really serious medication....
I'm really glad you asked this. And I wonder exactly what happened in that consult since sometimes clients hear different things than what DVMs actually say. However, any dog with a functioning brain can learn, no matter what the age. Because AGE ISN'T A DISEASE!! Wait, did I just text shout that. Yup! And I kind of meant it ...
Hi Dr. C!
This was my question and thank you for your reply. I am a certified professional dog trainer, and previous client of yours in Colorado; I'm now in Florida. This situation happened with a client of mine. I asked more questions to try to determine what may have transpired during the consult, because as you say we don't always know what misunderstandings may happen. But the client insisted this is what the vet said to her. She also said at least one other vet in town advised her to euthanize the dog. So, if she was telling the truth and not misunderstanding the advice given to her, I was quite disheartened. If anything else, the dog shows some signs of fear but during my first visit with her she showed immediate improvement simply with neutral body language and administering treats.
Once the dog's ear infections clear up in a couple weeks we'll begin some positive reinforcement training and counter conditioning. I'm very much looking forward to proving this notion wrong and showing that age is not a disease. Sorry about the coffee snort but thank you for your answer!
Warmly,
Tracee Sule, CPDT-KA
E'Lise Christensen said:Audience question in my Cognitive Dysfunction webinar:
Any idea why a vet would tell a client that a 7 yr old small breed dog was too old to learn? (Chihuahua/Manchester Terrier mix, female, spayed, severe double ear infection which caused bite when ear was touched.) There were no clinical signs of cognitive dysfunction so it seemed absurd to me ... but I wonder is there science on it I'm not aware of? Thank you!Glad you joined us tonight and thanks for the question!
K. I just snorted my coffee out my nose! Um, no. Unless that dog has signs of significant forebrain disease, cognitive dysfunction, or is on some really serious medication....I'm really glad you asked this. And I wonder exactly what happened in that consult since sometimes clients hear different things than what DVMs actually say. However, any dog with a functioning brain can learn, no matter what the age. Because AGE ISN'T A DISEASE!! Wait, did I just text shout that. Yup! And I kind of meant it ...
