My dog has been prescribed vivitonin to help with her  "senior" moments. I know it is sometimes given after a stroke but has anyone seen benefits from it just to help old age dogs without other health conditions?

Thanks, Kate

I had an old boy (13) large working breed who started having senior moments such as standing in the field, staring into space and being a bit gormless (sorry, can't think of a better way to describe it!) and once he was put on Vivitonin the change in his behaviour was remarkable.  I would definitely give it a try but I know it is expensive.

Charlie, a Golden Retriever, was given Vivitonin after a stroke at 13. Whether they helped or not I don't know for sure but he stayed on them for the rest of his life and lived to 17+, so they certainly didn't do any harm.

My girl Rosie who went to the bridge in May 2010 was on Vivitonin for about 12 months, I personally think they did help to calm her slightly, she had canine dementia

Thank you , thats so reassuring to hear. Hopefully will see a bit of improvement soon then :)

Don't expect an overnight improvement though, I think it took about 2 months before we saw any definite change,  but it was a noticeable change.

My 13 year old had a new lease of life very soon after staring this. My only problem is that it MUST be given at least half an hour before food and this is not what my dogs are used to so they are all wondering why I give Kiera her pill & then sit down instead of dishing up! I rang Intervet and they confirmed that it would not work properly otherwise. As I always leave 2 hours between feeding & walks, it does affect my whole morning routine. Still, it's worth it. Kiera is 13 1/4 and did an hour & a half on the beautiful New Forest today and kept up with the youngsters the whole time. Well worth the huge expense to keep her happy.

Just in case Vivitonin doesn't have the desired effect (it works for some dogs but not for others, it's a matter of trying it), you might also want to look into a food supplement called Aktivait. It has made a huge difference to my oldie that also had the beginnings of canine dementia.

Vera