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Journalism of Courage
Just like dementia in humans, dogs too experience a decline in cognitive functions, which is known as canine cognitive dysfunction (CCD) or doggy dementia.
A large sample-size study published in the journal Scientific Reports on August 25 has reported that a dog’s chances of developing CCD rise by 52% with each additional year of age.
Some earlier studies have found dementia can occur in at least 14% to 35% of older dogs, The New York Times reported.
The results of the new study were arrived at after analysing data from surveys completed by the owners of 15,019 dogs as part of the Dog Aging Project.
The disease, the study said, is difficult to diagnose as it is often confused with age-related issues among canines like loss of vision or hearing. However, symptoms that pet owners should look out for include changes in the dog’s sleep cycle, forgetting years of house training, wandering around the house as if lost, among others. Another clinical sign that the study points to is altered social interaction — with the dog either being withdrawn or getting aggressive.
According to the researchers, the risk factors linked to CCD mirror some of the factors for humans with dementia.
“Given increasing evidence of the parallels between canine and human cognitive disease, accurate CCD diagnosis in dogs may provide researchers with more suitable animal models in which to study aging in human populations,” the study said.
