One health
Canine Cognitive Dysfunction is often referred to as dog dementia due to its similarities with dementia and Alzheimer's disease in humans.
Due to these similarities, researchers and scientists have used case studies relating to CCD as a model for their research into finding treatment for Alzheimer's disease in humans.
Finding a diagnosis
Between 14-22% of dogs older than eight suffer from age-related cognitive impairment (Salvin et al 2010), but diagnosing CCD can still be difficult. Traditional symptoms of CCD are often mistaken for normal signs of aging amongst most dog owners, leading to the condition often going undiagnosed. Since early diagnosis is vital in effectively slowing down the progression of CCD, establishing awareness amongst owners is crucial.
Diagnosing CCD is often done through a process of elimination. Many symptoms overlap with other common conditions in senior dogs. Therefore, veterinarians must rule out other medical causes before attributing them to cognitive decline – including pain (especially musculoskeletal and dental), loss of sense and systemic or local disease. This can be done by thoroughly evaluating the patient’s complete history and conducting a complete physical examination, including neurological and musculoskeletal evaluations.
Tracking symptoms is also an important step in coming to a correct diagnosis. Detecting early changes allows owners and veterinarians to establish a baseline comparison and track the disease’s progression. There are a few measures that can be taken by both parties to do so. Veterinarians should include:
- Starting cognitive screenings around the age of 7 or 8 years of age, with more detailed assessments based on findings.
- Using validated tools such as the DISHAA Scale, Canine Dementia Scale (CADES) questionnaire or Canine Cognitive Dysfunction Rating (CCDR) Scale to help track behavioral changes over time.
Owners can also track symptoms over a period of time using SoluPet’s Cognitive Symptom Tracker to aid their veterinarian in determining a diagnosis.
Treatments and Management Strategies
Although there is no known cure for CCD, once an official diagnosis has been made there are a number of approaches that can be taken to help support the patient both medically and holistically.
Pharmaceutical options
When it comes to medications, there are few options on the market that treat CCD. Anipryl (selegiline) – a selective irreversible monoamine oxidase B inhibitor – is the only drug labeled for use for CCD. It has been shown to be effective for up to 70% of dogs being treated for CCD.
Exercise the mind and body
Other ways to treat CCD that don’t include medication include mental enrichment and physical exercise.
Exercise is a simple way to provide neuroprotection to a senior dog. Shorter, more frequent walks to encourage sniffing provide mental stimulation while also aiding their physical health. In cases where patients suffer from mobility issues, using the aid of a stroller or wagon to allow new sniffing opportunities is beneficial for a dog’s mental enrichment.
Pet parents can also aid mental stimulation in their homes. Simple additions such as puzzle toys, sniffing games, reteaching simple commands like sit/stay, and fetch with soft, safe chew toys can help to engage otherwise unexercised parts of their brain.
It’s important to ensure that any exercise and enrichment activities meet the specific cognitive and mobility abilities of each individual pet. Try to avoid making things too difficult so that the outcome results in stimulation, not frustration.
Adjusting your patient's environment
Similar to humans, senior dogs’ mobility declines. This, combined with the cognitive impacts caused by CCD, can make navigating their normal environment challenging. To help dogs living with CCD, there are a few measures that owners can take to make their pets more comfortable. Simple steps like ensuring their dog has designated areas to sleep and relax when they feel anxious, regulating their body temperature, eliminating slippery surfaces, and providing steps to help them access elevated areas can help reduce stress and boost their pet’s sense of confidence and security.
The importance of nutrition
Diet can play a pivotal role in supporting a dog suffering from CCD. A lack of B vitamins and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), chronic oxidative stress, inflammation, and reduced brain glucose metabolism can lead to mitochondrial dysfunction, decreased neuronal function and cognitive decline.
Studies have shown that dogs who are fed high-quality commercial diets designed for their age, size, or health were 2.8 times less likely to develop CCD than dogs fed low-quality commercial food or table scraps.
Future biomarkers
Establishing reliable and definitive biomarkers for CCD is a difficult but essential task in the fight against the disease. Researchers are constantly looking into various tests that could unlock new possibilities when it comes to diagnosing CCD.
Although more research is required before it can be widely applied, a biomarker that is promising is the plasma neurofilament light (NfL) protein level, which increases as dogs age. It is a non-specific biomarker of neuronal death, making its rate of change over time a possible indicator for CCD. In conjunction with the use of the CCD Rating scale, a recent study, which used an immunomagnetic reduction assay to detect the concentration of plasma NfL in dogs, found that dogs diagnosed with CCD demonstrated significantly higher NfL levels than dogs that have not been diagnosed.
Another potential biomarker that is being investigated is Cerebrospinal fluid amyloid β (CSF Aβ42). Research shows that laboratory beagles with higher levels of CSF Aβ42 had lower performances in cognitive tasks, possibly indicating that cognitive impairment is likely to occur prior to cerebral amyloid deposits.
