Scientists Find Ways to Cure Dog Dementia

A recent insight by an expert on animals has pointed out that nearly 12 per cent of dogs more than the age of 10 go on to develop a type of dementia which is very close to the type that affects human beings. Apparently, dog dementia is very similar to human dementia in terms of memory loss, disorientation, agitation, including pathology markers like Alzheimer plaques accumulating in the brain.

Further, when dogs become victims of dementia, owners cannot help but spot it due to the bond between the owner and the pet.

"Probably the most common and the most telling sign is when dogs start to stare at walls or get stuck behind objects. One of the features that owners find most distressing is when they lose that sense of familiarity with the owner or recognizing the owner, loss of that welcome-home behavior," researchers said.

Spurred on with the success on rats with memory loss, researchers plan to grow a million cells taken from a skin sample near the dog's stomach and transplant them into the hippocampus.

"What we're hoping is a few months later we'll see a major improvement in their clinical syndrome. If we were to see that, then that would be convincing evidence to then go for a human clinical trial", researchers said.

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Source-Medindia