Can Dogs Suffer from Alzheimer's?

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One of my dogs (Penny who is 12) is showing classic symptoms of Alzheimers. I wasn't sure if dogs can suffer from this disease, so I looked it up on the net, and want to share my findings with all of you who have pets - incase you may need to know one day. Apparently, there is a medical conditon known as canine Cognitive Dysfunction Syndrome (CDS) which causes disorientation, confusion, memory loss and personality changes that are very similar to Alzheimer's disease in humans. Penny is showing most of the symptoms. Sometimes she looks at me and doesn't know who I am, other times she is fine. She wanders around the house aimlessly at night, and barks for no apparent reason. It's very upsetting for us to see her like this, but at the moment she is happy, eating fine, and still enjoys her "walkies" with her sister Poppy, although she is tiring more easily now. We are just taking each day as it comes, and enjoying her whilst we have her. We have decided to treat her naturally by changing her diet and including more omega3 fatty acids in her diet. This can sometimes counteract the effect of brain-aging - I hope so. I found the information here - http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art25417.asp It may be useful to some of you who have pets. As if that isn't enough to cope with, she also has a large malignant growth which is attached to her abdomen. Because of her mature age, we have chosen not to have surgery, as I doubt she would survive the operation - and our vet agrees. She isn't in any pain yet, but when it starts, we will re-assess the situation and do what is necessary. I hope this is helpful to some of you, but if anyone has any other advice, or is going through the same with a dog or cat, I would love to hear from you.