Among dogs older than ten years, each extra year of life boosts the risk of developing the neurodegenerative condition Canine Cognitive Dysfunction (CCD) by more than 50%.
Male Dogs are More Prone to Contagious Cancer on Nose or Mouth: Here�s Why
Sniffing or licking female dogs’ genitalia- a common site of Canine Transmissible Venereal Tumor (CTVT) can spread this unusual cancer to the nose and mouth of male dogs.
Sniffing or licking female dogs’ genitalia- a common site of Canine Transmissible Venereal Tumor (CTVT) can spread this unusual cancer to the nose and mouth of male dogs.
‘The authors report that when considering age alone among dogs aged more than ten years, the odds of being diagnosed with Canine Cognitive Dysfunction (CCD) increased by 68% for each additional year of age.’
As with humans, cognitive function declines as dogs age and animals affected by CCD may show signs such as memory deficits, loss of spatial awareness, altered social interactions, and sleep disruption. Previous estimates of CCD rates in dogs have varied from 28% in 11- to 12-year-old dogs to 68% in 15- to 16-year-old dogs.
Dementia in Dogs
Sarah Yarborough and colleagues investigated the prevalence of CCD in a large sample of companion dogs participating in the Dog Aging Project, a longitudinal study of ageing in pet dogs in the USA. A total of 15,019 dogs were included in the sample. Between December 2019 and 2020, owners completed two surveys called the Health and Life Experience Survey (with information about health status and physical activity), and the Canine Social and Learned Behavior survey, which included questions to test for CCD such as whether the dog failed to recognize familiar people. Dogs’ lifespans were classified into quartiles, with 19.5% being in the last quartile of their life, 24.4% in the third quartile, and 27% and 29.1% in the second and first quartiles. 1.4% of dogs were classified as having CCD.When controlling for other factors such as health problems, sterilization, activity levels, and breed type, the odds of a dog developing CCD increased by 52% for each additional year of life.
The authors also note that for dogs of the same breed, age, and health and sterilization status, the odds of CCD were 6.47 times higher in dogs whose owners reported that their dogs were not active compared to those whose owners reported were very active. However, the authors caution that their study does not show a causal relationship between inactivity and CCD due to its cross-sectional nature, and cognitive decline may in fact lead to reduced activity. They conclude that further research is needed to better understand CCD.
Why Dogs are Man�s Best Friends?
Melanocortin 2 receptor gene (MC2R) may have played a role in the domestication of dogs promoting lower levels of stress around humans.
Melanocortin 2 receptor gene (MC2R) may have played a role in the domestication of dogs promoting lower levels of stress around humans.
Scientists Test Immunotherapy for Lung Cancer in Dogs
Scientists used the natural protein "interleukin-15" to reinvigorate the immune system to make it recognize the cancer cells and eliminate them.
Scientists used the natural protein "interleukin-15" to reinvigorate the immune system to make it recognize the cancer cells and eliminate them.
Can Sniffer Dogs Really Detect COVID?
In the study, trained sniffer dogs were able to detect COVID-19 in 97% of symptomatic cases and nearly 100% of asymptomatic cases simply by sweat sample.
In the study, trained sniffer dogs were able to detect COVID-19 in 97% of symptomatic cases and nearly 100% of asymptomatic cases simply by sweat sample.
