Efficacy of a Therapeutic Diet on Dogs With Signs of Cognitive Dysfunction Syndrome (CDS): A Prospective Double Blinded Placebo Controlled Clinical Study - PubMed (original) (raw)

Efficacy of a Therapeutic Diet on Dogs With Signs of Cognitive Dysfunction Syndrome (CDS): A Prospective Double Blinded Placebo Controlled Clinical Study

Yuanlong Pan et al. Front Nutr. 2018.

Abstract

Cognitive dysfunction syndrome (CDS) is a common condition in senior dogs, which may be analogous to dementia such as Alzheimer's disease (AD) in people. In humans, AD has been associated with many risk factors such as reduced cerebral glucose metabolism, docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) deficiency, chronic oxidative stress, and chronic inflammation. By targeting some of these risk factors, we have developed two nutritional solutions (medium chain triglyceride, MCT and Brain Protection Blend, BPB) to enhance cognitive function and slow aging-induced cognitive decline. These have been positively evaluated in colony housed senior dogs and cats. The objective of this clinical study was to evaluate the effects of diets with MCTs and the BPB on client-owned dogs with CDS. Participating veterinary clinics screened senior dogs for signs of CDS as determined by a Senior Canine Behavior Questionnaire and a Canine Medical Health Questionnaire. Eighty-seven dogs were randomly enrolled into one of three diet groups with 29 dogs per group: Control, 6.5% MCT oil + BPB (6.5% MCT diet), 9% MCT oil + BPB (9% MCT diet). Diets were fed for a period of 90 days, and each dog's CDS signs were re-evaluated at day 30 and day 90. All 6 categories of the CDS signs were significantly improved (p <0.05) in the dogs given the 6.5% MCT diet at the end of the 90-day study. Control only improved in 4 out 6 categories. The 9% MCT diet only improved in dogs that accepted the diet. The results from this dog study confirm the benefits of MCT and BPB in managing clinical signs of CDS in dogs. The results support our hypothesis that targeting known risk factors associated with brain aging and AD is able to improve symptoms of CDS in dogs. These data may facilitate the development of similar nutrient blends to manage MCI and AD.

Keywords: B vitamins; BPB; antioxidants; arginine; cognitive dysfunction syndrome; dog; medium-chain triglycerides; omega-3 PUFAs.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1

Figure 1

Effects of 6.5% MCT diet on CDS signs at day 30 and day 90. Twenty-nine client owned dogs were assessed for six different behavioral signs of cognitive dysfunction syndrome (CDS) and then placed on the 6.5% MCT diet. The dogs were re-assessed after 30 days and again after 90 days. The bars illustrate Means ± SEM for each of the measures at baseline, 30 days and 90 days. Fisher Exact Probability test for multiple comparisons was used to compare baseline with day 30 and day 90. The asterisks indicate statistically significant differences (p < 0.05) from baseline. Two dogs dropped out of the study, and one dog was removed from the study due to enrollment error.

Figure 2

Figure 2

Effects of 9% MCT diet on CDS signs at day 30 and day 90. Twenty-nine client owned dogs were assessed for six different behavioral signs of cognitive dysfunction syndrome (CDS) and then placed on the 9% MCT diet. The dogs were re-assessed after 30 days and again after 90 days. The bars illustrate Means ± SEM for each of the measures at baseline, 30 days and 90 days. Fisher Exact Probability test for multiple comparisons was used to compare baseline with day 30 and day 90. The asterisks indicate statistically significant differences (p < 0.05) from baseline. Six dogs dropped out of the study.

Figure 3

Figure 3

Effects of owners' comments on 9% MCT diet on the outcome of the diet. Twenty-nine client owned dogs were assessed for six different behavioral signs of cognitive dysfunction syndrome (CDS) and then placed on the 9% MCT diet. The dogs were re-assessed after 30 days and again after 90 days. The bars illustrate Means ± SEM for the mean score of six different behavioral signs at baseline, 30 days and 90 days. Six dogs dropped out of the study. Out of the 23 dogs remaining at the end of the study, 12 dog owners answered that they do not want to continue to feed their dogs with the diet, and 9 dog owners answered that they want to continue to feed their dogs with the diet. Fisher LSD test was used to analyze the data between the baseline and day 30 or baseline and day 90. The asterisks indicate statistically significant differences (p < 0.05) from baseline.

Figure 4

Figure 4

Effects of Control diet on CDS signs at day 30 and day 90. Twenty-nine client owned dogs were assessed for six different behavioral signs of cognitive dysfunction syndrome (CDS) and then placed on the control diet. The dogs were re-assessed after 30 days and again after 90 days. The bars illustrate Means ± SEM for each of the measures at baseline, 30 days and 90 days. Fisher Exact Probability test for multiple comparisons was used to compare baseline with day 30 and day 90. The asterisks indicate statistically significant differences (p < 0.05) from baseline. Four dogs dropped out of the study.

Similar articles

Cited by

References

    1. Azkona G, Garcia-Beleguer S, Chacon G, Rosado B, León M, Palacio J. Prevalence and risk factors of behavioural changes associated with age-related cognitive impairment in geriatric dogs. J Small Anim Pract. (2009) 50:87–91. 10.1111/j.1748-5827.2008.00718.x - DOI - PubMed
    1. Neilson JC, Hart BL, Cliff KD, Ruehl WW. Prevalence of behavioral changes associated with age-related cognitive impairments in dogs. J Am Vet Med Assoc. (2001) 18:1987–91. 10.2460/javma.2001.218.1787 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Borras D, Ferrer I, Pumarola M. Age-related changes in the brain of the dog. Vet Pathol. (1999) 36:202–11. 10.1354/vp.36-3-202 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Su MY, Tapp PD, Vu L, Chen YF, Chu Y, Muggenburg B, et al. . A longitudinal study of brain morphometrics using serial magnetic resonance imaging analysis in a canine model of aging. Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatr. (2005) 29:389–97. 10.1016/j.pnpbp.2004.12.005 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Uchida K, Nakayama H, Goto N. Pathological studies on cerebral amyloid angiopathy, senile plaques and amyloid deposition in visceral organs in aged dogs. J Vet Med Sci. (1991) 53:1037–42. 10.1292/jvms.53.1037 - DOI - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources