Predicting behavioral changes associated with age-related cognitive impairment in dogs

Objective-To monitor the progression of age-related behavioral changes in d ogs during a period of 6 to 18 months and to determine whether signs of dys function in any of 4 behavioral categories can be used to predict further i mpairment. Design-Age-stralified cohort study. Animals-63 spayed female and 47 castrated male dogs 11 to 14 years of age. Procedure-Data were collected from randomly selected dog owners who were in terviewed by telephone twice at a 12- to 18-month interval; data were inclu ded if the dog had lived greater than or equal to 6 months between intervie ws. The interview focused on signs of impairment in the following behaviora l categories: orientation in the home and yard, social interactions with hu man family members, house training, and the sleep-wake cycle. Dogs were det ermined to have impairment in 0 behavioral categories (on the basis of less than or equal to 1 sign for each category), impairment in 1 category (grea ter than or equal to 2 signs of dysfunction in that category), or impairmen t in greater than or equal to 2 categories. Results-Between interviews, 22% (16/73) of dogs that did not have impairmen t in a category at the time of the first interview developed impairment in that category by the time of the second interview. Forty-eight per cent (13 /27) of dogs that had impairment in 1 category at the rime of the first int erview developed impairment in greater than or equal to 2 categories by the time of the second interview and were significantly more likely to develop impairment in greater than or equal to 2 categories, compared with dogs th at initially had impairment in 0 categories. Dogs with 1 sign of dysfunctio n in orientation were significantly more likely to develop impairment in th at category, compared with dogs that had 0 signs of dysfunction in orientat ion. Conclusions and Clinical Relevance-Age-related behavioral changes in dogs a re progressive. Clinicians should consider trying to predict which dogs are most likely to become progressively impaired during the subsequent 6 to 18 months.