Epsilon Archive for Student Projects

Abstract

Due to better nutrition, veterinary and overall care, pet dogs’ lifespan has increased. With more old dogs we see more health problems associated with age, among those cognitive decline, leading to deficits in learning and memory, disorientation, anxiety and other altered behaviors. Cognitive decline can have severe negative impacts on the life of both dog and owner, when the dog for example forgets being housetrained or starts being awake at night.

Two pet food manufacturers have developed food with specific ingredients in order to improve cognitive functions or delay the onset of cognitive impairment. Hill’s Pet Nutrition has developed a dog food with supplements of a broad spectrum of antioxidants and mitochondrial nutrients, aiming to diminish oxidative damage in the brain, thereby maintaining brain function and improving learning ability. Purina Pro Plan market dog food with the addition of medium-chain triglycerides, said to supply the brain with an alternative energy source in the form of keton bodies, leading to improved cognitive functions. This report consists of a literature study of the manufacturers studies and independent research related to the ingredients in the diets, in order to evaluate whether age associated cognitive decline can be ameliorated by special diets. The results from studies of these dog foods and independent research support the manufacturers claims that these pet foods can have a positive effect on cognitive decline in aged dogs, and therefore presents a possibility of adding mentally sound years to a dog’s life and improving the quality of life for both dog and owner.