Dogs' Risk of Developing Dementia Increases 50 Percent Each Year After Their 10th Birthday, Study Finds

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There may be a reason why olddogscan’t learn new tricks.

University of Washington scientists found that dogs with the condition may experience “learning and memory deficits, loss of spatial awareness, altered social interactions, and disrupted sleeping pattern.”

Veterinarian Dr. Dana Varble, chief veterinary officer for the North American Veterinary Community, toldCNNthat pet owners should look for the signs of CCD as dogs age.

“Too often, pet owners think their dogs are just ‘slowing down’ and don’t realize there are things they can do to ease, slow or even stave off cognitive decline,” Varble said.

She added that “mental activity and exercise are important for a dog’s mental well-being just as it is in humans.”

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In fact, exercise may reduce pups' risks of developing CCD. Inactive dogs were 6.5 times more likely to be diagnosed with the condition, according to the study.

“The reduced odds of CCD among more active dogs in our cohort may be a result of these same mechanisms,” the researchers wrote in the study. “But it is important to note that this correlation could also exist simply because of dogs exhibiting less activity due to their cognitive decline.”

Researchers believe the study’s findings could be used to help diagnose both dogs — and humans.

“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,” they explained in the study.

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However, the scientists found only 1.4 percent of the dogs were classified as having CCD based on the owners' surveys.

source: people.com