Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Risk factors linked to dog dementia in Slovakia including diet and age
By Katina, Stanislav et al.·Published in Acta veterinaria Scandinavica·2016·Department of Mathematics and Statistics·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Risk factors for canine cognitive dysfunction syndrome in Slovakia.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
As dogs age, they can develop cognitive dysfunction syndrome (CCDS), which affects their memory and behavior. Research in Slovakia found that older dogs, especially those aged 11-13 years, are at a higher risk for this condition. Interestingly, dogs that were fed controlled diets had significantly lower chances of developing CCDS compared to those on uncontrolled diets. This suggests that what you feed your dog may play a role in their cognitive health as they get older. Making dietary adjustments could potentially help keep your dog's mind sharp.
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Abstract
BACKGROUND: Increasing prevalence of cognitive impairment in an aging canine population poses a serious health problem. Identifying risk factors, which may influence the onset of cognitive decline, is becoming increasingly important. Here we investigated whether age, sex, weight, nutrition, dogs' housing and reproductive state were associated with increased risk of canine cognitive dysfunction syndrome (CCDS) in Slovakia. RESULTS: Age was associated with cognitive decline and nutrition emerged as a significant predictor variable. Dogs fed controlled diets had 2.8 times lower odds of developing CCDS when compared with dogs fed uncontrolled diets. Sex, weight, reproductive state and dogs' housing were not significantly associated with cognitive decline. Further, the prevalence of CCDS was similar in both small and medium/large sized dogs aged 8-11 years, but differed in dogs at an age of 11-13 years. CONCLUSION: Age was found to be the most prominent risk factors of CCDS. Nutrition may influence the cognitive state of dogs. This finding suggests that nutritional interventions may modify canine cognitive functions.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26927954/