Canine cognitive dysfunction syndrome: prevalence, clinical signs and treatment with a neuroprotective nutraceutical

Cognitive dysfunction syndrome (CDS) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder of senior dogs. Since age-related behavioural changes may be useful indicators for early diagnosis and treatment, the first purpose of the present study was to investigate the prevalence of clinical signs of CDS in a general population of aged dogs. The second aim was to evaluate the use of a neuroprotective nutraceutical (Senilife1, Innovet Italia srl, Rubano, Italy) using an open-label clinical pilot trial. Dogs were recruited from a geriatric population not referred for behavioural consultations. A questionnaire with a checklist of behaviours was filled out to evaluate behavioural items grouped in the following categories: disorientation (D), socio-environmental interaction (I), sleep–wake cycles (S), house soiling (H), general activity (A)—(DISHA). Each owner was asked to rate the frequency of the behavioural signs: never, rarely, often, or always. One hundred and twenty-four dogs were assessed in the first survey; 22 of the 124 dogs tested in the survey were ruled out based on exclusion criteria (clinically and/or sensory severe impairment), 42 dogs had alterations in one category and 33 dogs had signs in 2 or more categories. Consequently 75 dogs had signs consistent with CDS.