Growing old gracefully—Behavioral changes associated with “successful aging” in the dog, Canis familiaris (original) (raw)
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Journal of Veterinary Behavior: Clinical Applications and Research, 2012
Variation in breed longevity in the dog has led to the inference that large dogs age at a faster rate than small dogs, possibly because of an increased oxidative load. Potential differences in behavioral aging (the rate of age-related decline in cognito-behavioral performance) across breeds represent a significant challenge to veterinarians and scientists. Using data from a large cross-sectional survey of older dog owners, we aimed to identify breed differences in behavioral aging in successfully aged dogs R8 years of age. Differences based on longevity (short-lived, ,11 years; medium-lived, 11-13 years; and long-lived, .13 years), size (small-sized, ,35 cm; medium-sized, 35-55 cm; and large-sized, .55 cm), and breed (pure vs. crossbred) were identified using binary logistic regression. Significant breed differences across longevity group were seen in 2 behavioral responses: dogs drinking .1 L/d (P 5 0.001, maximum difference between groups 5 16.4%) and dogs showing aggression (P 5 0.006, maximum difference between groups 5 15.1%). In purebred dogs, 8 responses (P , 0.001-0.008, maximum difference between groups 5 8.4%-20%) showed significant differences across size group compared with 1 response, in crossbred dogs (P 5 0.008, max difference between groups 5 28.4%). Significant differences were observed across longevity group in the prevalence of arthritis (P 5 0.014) and across size group in the prevalence of arthritis (P , 0.001) and blindness (P 5 0.014). In medium-sized dogs, 2 age ! breeding group interactions were seen in ingestive behavior (P 5 0.037) and aggression (P 5 0.028). In large-sized dogs, 1 age ! breeding group interaction was seen in abnormal locomotion (P 5 0.025). A consistent direction in the differences identified was not seen across all analyses. In general, these data did not suggest an increased rate of behavioral aging in large, short-lived dogs. It is possible that size-dependent aging affects body systems differently or, alternatively, owner's management may differ between small and large dogs, resulting in differences in behavior.
A Preliminary Study toward a Rapid Assessment of Age-Related Behavioral Differences in Family Dogs
Animals
Over the last few years, several efforts have been undertaken to characterize the aging process in dogs. In the present study, we evaluate a short protocol measuring dogs’ cognitive, social, and physical capacities. Our aim was to develop a feasible test battery, with minimal pre-training requirements, no complex devices, and which is set outdoors (i.e., a specific testing room is not needed). As ageing in dogs is usually associated with a decrease in activity, we also assessed the personality trait activity/excitability with a dog personality questionnaire. Four subtests proved sensitive to the dogs’ age. In particular, old dogs displayed less approaching and following behaviors toward an unknown but friendly human, showed both less avoidance and interest toward a novel object, looked less at the owner when faced with an unsolvable problem, and performed worse on the short-term memory task. Previous test procedures for investigating age-related changes involve expensive and/or comp...
Journal of Small Animal Practice, 2009
Prevalence and risk factors of behavioural changes associated with age-related cognitive impairment in geriatric dogs OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to describe the prevalence and severity of behavioural changes associated with age and their relationship to risk factors such as sex, reproductive status, bodyweight and age. METHODS: A cross-sectional study design was chosen. A total of 325 geriatric dogs were included. Owners of dogs older than nine years were interviewed by a veterinary behaviourist. Structured phone interviews were used to gather information about four behavioural categories related to cognitive impairment: sleep/wake cycles, social interaction, learning and house training and signs of disorientation. RESULTS: Signs of cognitive impairment showed a prevalence of 22 5 per cent in geriatric dogs. Sex and age emerged as significant predictor variables. Females and neutered dogs were significantly more affected than males and entire dogs, respectively. Prevalence and severity increased with age. Although weight was not a statistically significant predictor variable, smaller animals had greater odds of showing age-related cognitive impairment. The most impaired behavioural categories were social interaction and house training. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: Age-related behavioural changes should be considered by practicing veterinarians because of their relative high prevalence among geriatric dogs, especially in females.
PLOS ONE, 2020
Dogs demonstrate behavioural changes and cognitive decline during aging. Compared to laboratory dogs, little is known about aging in pet dogs exposed to different environments and nutrition. In this study, we examined the effects of age, an enriched diet and lifelong training on different behavioural and cognitive measures in 119 pet dogs (>6yrs). Dogs were maintained on either an enriched diet or a control diet for one year. Lifelong training was calculated using a questionnaire where owners filled in their dog's training experiences to date. Before commencing the diet and after one year of dietary treatment, they were tested in the Modified Vienna Canine Cognitive Battery (MVCCB) consisting of 11 subtests to examine correlated individual differences in a set of tasks measuring general, social and physical cognition and related behaviours. Fourty two behavioural variables were coded and were subjected to principle component analyses for variable reduction. Twelve subtest level components and two Z-transformed variables were subjected to exploratory factor analysis which resulted in six final factors: Problem solving, Trainability, Sociability, Boldness, Activity-independence and Dependency. Problem solving, Sociability, Boldness, and Dependency showed a linear decline with age, suggesting that the MVCCB can be used as a tool to measure behavioural and cognitive decline in aged pet dogs. An enriched diet and lifelong training had no effect on these factors, calling attention to the fact that the real world impact of nutritional and other interventions in possibly counteracting the effects of aging, should be further investigated in pet dogs living under diverse conditions, in order to understand their ultimate effects.
Characteristics of ageing pets and their owners: dogsv.cats
British Journal of Nutrition, 2011
The purpose of the present cross-sectional, convenience sampled study was to ascertain differences in diet and lifestyle between cat (n 155) and dog (n 318) owners and their pets. Average cat ownership was 6•1 (SD 5) years and average cat's age was 6•9 (SD 5) years. Cats were reported to be overweight (14 %), fed ad libitum (87 %), given medication (11 %) and had health conditions (24 %). Cat's age was significantly and positively related to cat's weight, duration of illness, owner's BMI and some owners' dietary characteristics. Overweight in cats was significantly associated with overweight in older owners ($ 60 years). Younger cat owners (,60 years) showed non-statistically significant trends between the owner's BMI and cat's overweight. Cat's age was inversely correlated with cat's and owner's activity levels. Dogs were owned for 5•5 (SD 4) years and mean dog's age was 5•9 (SD 4) years. Dogs were reported to be overweight (18 %), fed ad libitum (49 %), given medication (31 %) and had health conditions (34 %). Dog's age was positively associated with duration of illness. Dog's age was inversely correlated with amount of food fed, dog's activity and owner's exercise and intake of fruit, vegetables and whole grains. Dog's age was positively correlated with the owner's BMI and frequency of added fat consumption. Overweight in dogs was associated with overweight in older owners ($60 years) and was correlated with poorer health in both the dog and the owner. Younger dog owners were more likely to have an overweight dog if they themselves were obese. Similarities were found in owner's and pet's diet and lifestyle issues with ageing. Overweight was associated with ageing, dietary, lifestyle and health issues in this sample. Older owners who were overweight had overweight pets. Strategies should be targeted towards decreasing both owner's and pet's overweight. The use of exercise and dietary interventions should be encouraged.
Canine Geriatric Syndrome: A Framework for Advancing Research in Veterinary Geroscience
Frontiers in Veterinary Science, 2022
Biological aging is the single most important risk factor for disease, disability, and ultimately death in geriatric dogs. The effects of aging in companion dogs also impose significant financial and psychological burdens on their human caregivers. The underlying physiologic processes of canine aging may be occult, or early signs of aging may be ignored because of the misconception that biological aging is natural and therefore inevitable. The ability to detect, quantify, and mitigate the deleterious processes of canine aging would greatly enhance veterinary preventative medicine and animal welfare. In this paper we propose a new conceptual framework for aging in dogs, the Canine Geriatric Syndrome (CGS). CGS consists of the multiple, interrelated physical, functional, behavioral, and metabolic changes that characterize canine aging as well as the resulting clinical manifestations, including frailty, diminished quality of life, and age-associated disease. We also identify potential key components of a CGS assessment tool, a clinical instrument that would enable veterinarians to diagnose CGS and would facilitate the development and testing of interventions to prolong healthspan and lifespan in dogs by directly targeting the biological mechanisms of aging. There are many gaps in our knowledge of the mechanisms and phenotype of aging in dogs that must be bridged before a CGS assessment tool can be deployed. The conceptual framework of CGS should facilitate identifying these gaps and should stimulate research to better characterize the processes and effects of aging in dogs and to identify the most promising preventative strategies to target these.
Frontiers in Veterinary Science, 2021
Behavioral development is a lifelong process where cognitive traits such as learning and memory may be expected to take quadratic or linear trajectories. It is common practice for operational purposes to reduce study subjects into chronological categories when conducting research. However, there are no agreed-upon thresholds for this practice, and the lack of standardization may hinder comparison between studies of normative and pathological aging. In this perspective review, chronological categories have been identified that can be considered to represent normative cognitive and neurological aging in domestic family dogs. These categories work to capture age-related developmental trajectories for the majority of dog breeds. It is encouraged that researchers studying cognition and behavior, pathological cognitive deficits, or welfare of dogs across age categories utilize the categories presented here to best enable comparison between studies. The proposed groups could also support e...