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Blanchard T, Mugnier A, Boulet F, Meynadier A, Priymenko N. Epidemiological and clinical profiles of young and senior dogs fed a standard diet. Prev Vet Med 2025; 240:106537. [PMID: 40253962 DOI: 10.1016/j.prevetmed.2025.106537] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2025] [Revised: 03/29/2025] [Accepted: 04/13/2025] [Indexed: 04/22/2025]
Abstract
This study aimed to explore age-related differences in epidemiological and clinical parameters in dogs consuming a standardized diet, focusing on factors relevant to veterinary practitioners. A total of 106 dogs were included, comprising young (2-5 years) and senior (≥8 years) individuals. Epidemiological data were collected through questionnaires and veterinary consultations, while clinical parameters were assessed via physical examinations and blood analyses. Compared to younger dogs, senior dogs were less active, more likely to live in houses, and more frequently received regular deworming. They were also more likely to consume food purchased from pet stores or supermarkets compared to younger dogs. Clinical evaluations revealed that senior dogs had higher plasma globulin and platelets and lower albumin, consistent with chronic low-grade inflammation associated with aging. Muscle loss, poor coat quality, and reduced lymphocyte counts were also prominent in senior dogs, potentially reflecting sarcopenia, malnutrition, and immunosenescence, respectively. Notably, dogs previously fed diets lacking a source of omega-3 fatty acids exhibited elevated plasma triglycerides even after transitioning for four weeks to a premium diet containing fish oil, underscoring the lasting impact of long-term dietary habits. These findings highlight the importance of regular veterinary follow-ups for senior dogs and the role of high-quality nutrition, including sources of omega-3 fatty acids. By identifying key epidemiological and clinical differences, this study offers valuable insights to help veterinary practitioners distinguish between healthy and pathological aging.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tiphaine Blanchard
- GenPhySE, Université de Toulouse, INRAE, ENVT, Castanet Tolosan 31326, France; Lallemand SAS, 19 rue des Briquetiers, Blagnac, France.
| | | | - Fleur Boulet
- GenPhySE, Université de Toulouse, INRAE, ENVT, Castanet Tolosan 31326, France.
| | - Annabelle Meynadier
- GenPhySE, Université de Toulouse, INRAE, ENVT, Castanet Tolosan 31326, France.
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2
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Hoummady S, Chaise L, Guillot M, Rebout N. All pet owners are not the same: End-of-Life caregiver expectations and profiles. Top Companion Anim Med 2025; 65:100960. [PMID: 39920918 DOI: 10.1016/j.tcam.2025.100960] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2024] [Revised: 01/08/2025] [Accepted: 02/03/2025] [Indexed: 02/10/2025]
Abstract
The study aims to explore the specific needs of French pet owners who have experienced the loss of a pet, recognizing the limited focus on end-of-life and palliative care in veterinary practice. By characterizing owner profiles, the research seeks to enhance veterinary approaches and education to better address the unique challenges and emotional aspects associated with pet care and loss. An anonymous online survey was distributed to 302 French owners who already experienced the loss of an animal, including demographic information and feelings about their experience of a pet's end-of-life (EOL). Data were analysed using descriptive and qualitative analysis (including the use of AI chatbot ChatGPT). 56.6 % of participants reported a relatively smooth pet death, yet 67.0 % found the end-of-life period challenging. Three distinct owner groups emerged, each with varying needs. The first group expressed high guilt and a greater need for support, emphasizing the necessity for information and improved training. The second group, more informed and independent, benefits from veterinary support, while a leaflet suits them. The third group, competent in pain evaluation, requires less veterinary support. These differences highlight the importance of personalized owner support. The study proposes essential pillars for veterinarians and nurses' training, forming the EPITO system: Emotional support, Personalization, Information, Training, Tools, and Open discussion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara Hoummady
- Institut Polytechnique UniLaSalle, Transformations et Agro-Ressources, ULR 7519, Université d'Artois, Collège vétérinaire76130 Mont-Saint-Aignan, France..
| | | | - Marion Guillot
- Territoires et Société, VetAgro Sup, Clermont-Ferrand, France..
| | - Nancy Rebout
- Université Clermont Auvergne, INRAE, VetAgro Sup, UMR Herbivores, F-63122 Saint-Genès-Champanelle, France..
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3
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Colleran EJ, Delgado MM, Ren Y, German AJ, Gruen ME, Gunn-Moore DA, Romanowski K, Simpson W, Kirnos C, Keefe Ternes K, Karnia J, Temples M, Taylor SL, Bain M, Buffington CAT. A non-randomized pilot study to test the feasibility of developing a frailty scale for pet cats. Front Vet Sci 2025; 12:1549566. [PMID: 40078212 PMCID: PMC11897749 DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2025.1549566] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2024] [Accepted: 02/11/2025] [Indexed: 03/14/2025] Open
Abstract
Introduction Human frailty has long been studied and dozens of "frailty scales" have been developed, but equivalent research is more limited in cats. This pilot study aimed to determine the feasibility of recruiting and retaining veterinary practices and owners, collecting study data, and analyzing results about frailty in older cats. Methods Participating feline-exclusive practice veterinarians recruited cats aged 11-20 years, of either sex and of any breed. Owners completed a questionnaire about their cat and estimated its frailty. Study veterinarians also estimated the cat's frailty after obtaining a history, conducting a physical examination, and completing a separate questionnaire. The derived variables were used to investigate the following domains of frailty: (1) cognitive function; (2) behavior; (3) activity; (4) body weight; (5) body condition score; (6) muscle condition score; (7) any unexplained changes in weight, cognitive function, or eating behavior; and (8) the number of chronic diseases identified in the cat. Some cats were followed prospectively for 6 months, and mortality during this period was compared with frailty status, as determined by the veterinarian. Results Half (6/12) of the veterinary practices invited to participate successfully recruited 273 owner-cat pairs, with baseline questionnaire results obtained from 189 owners (69%) and veterinarian questionnaires obtained for 210 cats (77%). Of 122 cats having both owner and veterinarian questionnaire results, 45 (37%) were classified as frail by the owner and 51 (42%) by the veterinarian, with 28 (23%) classified as frail on both questionnaires. Of the cats with follow-up data, 13 of the 64 cats (20%) reported by veterinarians to be frail died or were euthanased during the 6-month follow-up, compared with only 1 of 54 cats (2%) that were not reported to be frail (Fisher's exact test P = 0.003). Discussion Developing a brief feline frailty questionnaire (FFQ) was feasible, and the results of such assessments were associated with 6-month mortality. A larger definitive trial should be considered to explore further the (dis)agreement between owners and veterinarians and better understand which frailty signs owners might be missing.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Mikel M. Delgado
- Feline Minds Cat Behavior Consulting, Sacramento, CA, United States
| | - Yunyi Ren
- Department of Public Health Sciences, School of Medicine, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, United States
| | - Alexander J. German
- Institute of Life Course and Medical Sciences, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, University of Liverpool, Neston, United Kingdom
| | - Margaret E. Gruen
- Department of Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, United States
| | - Danièlle A. Gunn-Moore
- The Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies and The Roslin Institute, The University of Edinburgh, Easter Bush Veterinary Campus, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Kathleen Romanowski
- Department of Surgery, School of Medicine, University of California, Davis, Sacramento, CA, United States
| | - Wendy Simpson
- Morrisville Cat Hospital, Morrisville, NC, United States
| | | | | | - Judy Karnia
- Scottsdale Cat Clinic, Scottsdale, AZ, United States
| | | | - Sandra L. Taylor
- Department of Public Health Sciences, School of Medicine, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, United States
| | - Melissa Bain
- Department of Medicine and Epidemiology, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, United States
| | - C. A. Tony Buffington
- Department of Medicine and Epidemiology, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, United States
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Coleman AE, Creevy KE, Anderson R, Reed MJ, Fajt VR, Aicher KM, Atiee G, Barnett BG, Baumwart RD, Boudreau B, Cunningham SM, Dunbar MD, Ditzler B, Ferguson AM, Forsyth KK, Gambino AN, Gordon SG, Hammond HK, Holland SN, Iannaccone MK, Illing K, Kadotani S, Knowles SA, MacLean EL, Maran BA, Markovic LE, McGrath S, Melvin RL, Mueller MS, Nelson OL, Olby NJ, Pancotto TE, Parsley E, Potter BM, Prescott JO, Saunders AB, Sawyer HM, Scansen BA, Schmid SM, Smith CC, Tjostheim SS, Tolbert MK, Tropf MA, Visser LC, Ward JL, Wesselowski SR, Windsor RC, Yang VK, Ruple A, Promislow DEL, Kaeberlein M. Test of Rapamycin in Aging Dogs (TRIAD): study design and rationale for a prospective, parallel-group, double-masked, randomized, placebo-controlled, multicenter trial of rapamycin in healthy middle-aged dogs from the Dog Aging Project. GeroScience 2025:10.1007/s11357-024-01484-7. [PMID: 39951177 DOI: 10.1007/s11357-024-01484-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2024] [Accepted: 12/14/2024] [Indexed: 02/25/2025] Open
Abstract
Companion dogs are a powerful model for aging research given their morphologic and genetic variability, risk for age-related disease, and habitation of the human environment. In addition, the shorter life expectancy of dogs compared to human beings provides a unique opportunity for an accelerated timeline to test interventions that might extend healthy lifespan. The Test of Rapamycin In Aging Dogs (TRIAD) randomized clinical trial is a parallel-group, double-masked, randomized, placebo-controlled, multicenter trial that will test the ability of rapamycin to prolong lifespan and improve several healthspan metrics in healthy, middle-aged dogs recruited from Dog Aging Project participants. Here, we describe the rationale, design, and goals of the TRIAD randomized clinical trial, the first rigorous test of a pharmacologic intervention against biological aging with lifespan and healthspan metrics as endpoints to be performed outside of the laboratory in any species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amanda E Coleman
- Department of Small Animal Medicine and Surgery, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA.
| | - Kate E Creevy
- Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
| | - Rozalyn Anderson
- Department of Medicine, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA
- GRECC William S. Middleton Memorial Veterans Hospital, Madison, WI, USA
| | - May J Reed
- Department of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Virginia R Fajt
- Department of Veterinary Physiology and Pharmacology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
| | - Kathleen M Aicher
- Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
| | - Genna Atiee
- Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
| | - Brian G Barnett
- Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
| | - Ryan D Baumwart
- Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, USA
| | - Beth Boudreau
- Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
| | | | - Matthew D Dunbar
- Center for Studies in Demography and Ecology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Bobbie Ditzler
- Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
| | - Anna M Ferguson
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Kiersten K Forsyth
- Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
| | - Anya N Gambino
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Sonya G Gordon
- Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
| | - Hillary K Hammond
- Department of Small Animal Medicine and Surgery, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA
| | - Sydney N Holland
- Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
| | - Mary K Iannaccone
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Kate Illing
- Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
| | - Saki Kadotani
- Department of Veterinary Clinical Medicine, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL, USA
| | - Shelby A Knowles
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Evan L MacLean
- College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA
| | | | - Lauren E Markovic
- Department of Small Animal Medicine and Surgery, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA
| | - Stephanie McGrath
- Department of Clinical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA
| | - Rachel L Melvin
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | | | - O Lynne Nelson
- Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, USA
| | - Natasha J Olby
- Department of Clinical Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USA
| | | | - Elizabeth Parsley
- Department of Clinical Sciences, Tufts University, North Grafton, MA, USA
| | - Brianna M Potter
- Department of Clinical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA
| | - Jena O Prescott
- Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
| | - Ashley B Saunders
- Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
| | | | - Brian A Scansen
- Department of Clinical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA
| | - Sarah M Schmid
- Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
| | | | - Sonja S Tjostheim
- Department of Medical Sciences, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, USA
| | - M Katherine Tolbert
- Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
| | - Melissa A Tropf
- Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, USA
| | - Lance C Visser
- Department of Clinical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA
| | - Jessica L Ward
- Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, USA
| | - Sonya R Wesselowski
- Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
| | | | - Vicky K Yang
- Department of Clinical Sciences, Tufts University, North Grafton, MA, USA
| | - Audrey Ruple
- Department of Population and Health Sciences, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA, USA
| | - Daniel E L Promislow
- Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center On Aging, Tufts University, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Matt Kaeberlein
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
- Optispan, Inc, Seattle, WA, USA
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Waters DJ, Maras AH, Fu R, Carrillo AE, Chiang EC, Suckow CL. Frailty and Mortality Risk Among Dogs with Extreme Longevity: Development and Predictive Validity of a Clinical Frailty Index in the Exceptional Aging in Rottweilers Study. Animals (Basel) 2024; 14:3651. [PMID: 39765555 PMCID: PMC11672423 DOI: 10.3390/ani14243651] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2024] [Revised: 12/09/2024] [Accepted: 12/11/2024] [Indexed: 01/11/2025] Open
Abstract
Frailty refers to a state of increased vulnerability to mortality and other adverse outcomes as a consequence of age-related decline in physiologic reserve and function. Comparative biomedical scientists are relied upon to innovate approaches to enhance understanding of the similarities and differences between humans and other animal species that can impact healthy aging. The research aim of this study was to develop a clinical frailty index (FI) in the Exceptional Aging in Rottweilers Study (EARS) and test its ability to predict all-cause mortality in elderly dogs. EARS is an ongoing lifetime cohort study of pet dogs with extreme longevity living in North America. Living 30% longer than the breed average, these dogs represent the canine counterpart to human centenarians. A 34-item FI (EARS-FI) was constructed to assess deficit accumulation using clinical data collected by telephone interviews with owners of 93 dogs with extreme longevity. Health deficits across multiple domains, including cognitive and sensory, cardiovascular and endocrine, and mobility, were included. The association between EARS-FI and subsequent mortality was tested in Kaplan-Meier survival analysis and in age-adjusted Cox proportional hazard models. Median (interquartile range) EARS-FI was 0.43 (0.38-0.50), and the estimated frailty limit was 0.68, consistent with data reported in humans with extreme longevity. Frailty index increased with increasing chronological age (p < 0.001). Deficit accumulation was significantly associated with increased mortality risk. Age-adjusted hazard ratio for mortality per 0.01 unit increase in FI was 1.05 (95%CI, 1.02-1.08; p = 0.001). This work provides the first demonstration of a strong association between frailty and mortality risk in pet dogs with extreme longevity. Notably, EARS-FI showed key features observed in the evaluation of frailty in aging human populations: heterogeneity, increase with chronological age, and estimated limit of <0.7. Validated here as a predictor of mortality in aged pet dogs, EARS-FI offers a useful tool for further comparative analyses of the linkages between deficit accumulation, mortality, and other adverse health outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- David J. Waters
- Center for Exceptional Longevity Studies, Gerald P. Murphy Cancer Foundation, West Lafayette, IN 47906, USA; (A.H.M.); (E.C.C.); (C.L.S.)
- Center on Aging and the Life Course and the Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA
| | - Aimee H. Maras
- Center for Exceptional Longevity Studies, Gerald P. Murphy Cancer Foundation, West Lafayette, IN 47906, USA; (A.H.M.); (E.C.C.); (C.L.S.)
| | - Rong Fu
- Department of Sociology, Siena College, Loudonville, NY 12211, USA;
| | - Andres E. Carrillo
- Department of Exercise Science, College of Health Sciences, Chatham University, Pittsburgh, PA 15232, USA;
| | - Emily C. Chiang
- Center for Exceptional Longevity Studies, Gerald P. Murphy Cancer Foundation, West Lafayette, IN 47906, USA; (A.H.M.); (E.C.C.); (C.L.S.)
| | - Cheri L. Suckow
- Center for Exceptional Longevity Studies, Gerald P. Murphy Cancer Foundation, West Lafayette, IN 47906, USA; (A.H.M.); (E.C.C.); (C.L.S.)
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6
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Blanchard T, Mugnier A, Déjean S, Priymenko N, Meynadier A. Exploring frailty in apparently healthy senior dogs: a cross-sectional study. BMC Vet Res 2024; 20:436. [PMID: 39342207 PMCID: PMC11438228 DOI: 10.1186/s12917-024-04296-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2024] [Accepted: 09/23/2024] [Indexed: 10/01/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND As dogs age, they face various health challenges, and preventive care may be overlooked, impacting their quality of life. Frailty, a concept established in human medicine, has recently been applied to dogs using validated tools like the frailty index and frailty phenotype. This study aims to characterize frailty in senior pet dogs and investigate associated factors. To achieve this goal, 88 apparently healthy dogs, as reported by their owners, voluntarily participated in thorough consultations. These consultations included supplementary examinations such as urinary analyses, hematological assessments, and blood biochemistry. Additionally, owners completed questionnaires addressing their dog's overall health, cognitive and locomotor status, as well as their own attachment to the dog and personality traits. Subsequently, each dog was classified as robust or frail based on the presence of multiple criteria out of a set of five. All collected data underwent preliminary screening by a multiple factorial analysis, followed by binomial logistic regression to model frailty. RESULTS The final population consisted of 74 dogs, with a frailty prevalence of 41.9% (95% CI: 30.5 - 53.9). In the statistical analysis, older age of the dog, lower owner attachment score, lack of regular deworming, and a disparity in extraversion between owner and dog were identified as contributing factors to frailty. CONCLUSIONS This study emphasizes the importance of regular deworming and strong owner-pet attachment in reducing frailty in dogs. It underscores the significance of proactive pet care and highlights the complex relationship between owner-dog personalities and canine frailty. This research advocates for a holistic approach that considers both human and canine traits to promote better health outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tiphaine Blanchard
- GenPhySE, Université de Toulouse, INRAE, ENVT, Castanet Tolosan, 31326, France.
- Lallemand SAS, 19 Rue Des Briquetiers, Blagnac, France.
| | | | - Sébastien Déjean
- Institut de Mathématiques de Toulouse, UMR5219, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, UPS, Toulouse, Cedex 9 F-31062, France
| | | | - Annabelle Meynadier
- GenPhySE, Université de Toulouse, INRAE, ENVT, Castanet Tolosan, 31326, France
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Russell KJ, Mondino A, Fefer G, Griffith E, Saker K, Gruen ME, Olby NJ. Establishing a clinically applicable frailty phenotype screening tool for aging dogs. Front Vet Sci 2024; 11:1335463. [PMID: 39391218 PMCID: PMC11465091 DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2024.1335463] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2023] [Accepted: 08/23/2024] [Indexed: 10/12/2024] Open
Abstract
Introduction Frailty is a well-defined clinical syndrome in humans caused by accumulation of impairments which result in loss of reserve capacity and increased vulnerability to disability, dependence, and death. Dogs are of particular interest in studies of frailty due to the similarities they share with people in their environment, lifestyles, and age-related diseases. Materials and methods The aim of this study was to develop a frailty phenotype screening tool, based on previously validated measures in dogs, which could be easily applied in the clinical setting, and which was predictive of all-cause, short term (6-month) mortality. The study was conducted in two phases. In phase 1, a retrospective cohort of 51 dogs was used to identify and evaluate potential measures for the five domains of frailty. This information was then used to develop a simple frailty phenotype based on examination findings and owner directed questions. In phase 2 of the study, this phenotype was evaluated in a prospective cohort of 198 dogs aged 9 years or older from multiple different specialty and primary care services to determine how the phenotype performed across a diverse canine population. Results The developed frailty phenotype was predictive of all-cause, short-term mortality independent of age, sex, or weight (hazard ratio = 4.71; 95% CI, 2.66-8.8). Of the covariates evaluated only breed was significant, with purebred dogs having 1.85 times higher mortality than mixed breed dogs (95% CI, 1.04-3.31). The frailty phenotype performed similarly across all hospital services from which patients were enrolled. Conclusion Based on these findings, the defined frailty phenotype represents a valuable screening tool for early risk identification and intervention, and can aid in clinical decision making for owners and veterinarians. Additionally, it will promote further research into the understanding and treatment of frailty in dogs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katharine J. Russell
- Department of Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, United States
| | - Alejandra Mondino
- Department of Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, United States
| | - Gilad Fefer
- Department of Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, United States
| | - Emily Griffith
- Department of Statistics, College of Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, United States
| | - Korinn Saker
- Department of Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, United States
| | - Margaret E. Gruen
- Department of Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, United States
| | - Natasha J. Olby
- Department of Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, United States
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Simon KE, Russell K, Mondino A, Yang CC, Case BC, Anderson Z, Whitley C, Griffith E, Gruen ME, Olby NJ. A randomized, controlled clinical trial demonstrates improved owner-assessed cognitive function in senior dogs receiving a senolytic and NAD+ precursor combination. Sci Rep 2024; 14:12399. [PMID: 38811634 PMCID: PMC11137034 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-63031-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2024] [Accepted: 05/23/2024] [Indexed: 05/31/2024] Open
Abstract
Age-related decline in mobility and cognition are associated with cellular senescence and NAD + depletion in dogs and people. A combination of a novel NAD + precursor and senolytic, LY-D6/2, was examined in this randomized controlled trial. Seventy dogs with mild to moderate cognitive impairment were enrolled and allocated into placebo, low or full dose groups. Primary outcomes were change in cognitive impairment measured with the owner-reported Canine Cognitive Dysfunction Rating (CCDR) scale and change in activity measured with physical activity monitors. Fifty-nine dogs completed evaluations at the 3-month primary endpoint, and 51 reached the 6-month secondary endpoint. There was a significant difference in CCDR score across treatment groups from baseline to the primary endpoint (p = 0.02) with the largest decrease in the full dose group. No difference was detected between groups using in house cognitive testing. There were no significant differences between groups in changes in measured activity. The proportion of dogs that improved in frailty and owner-reported activity levels and happiness was higher in the full dose group than other groups, however this difference was not significant. Adverse events occurred equally across groups. All groups showed improvement in cognition, frailty, and activity suggesting placebo effect and benefits of trial participation. We conclude that LY-D6/2 improves owner-assessed cognitive function over a 3-month period and may have broader, but more subtle effects on frailty, activity and happiness as reported by owners.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katherine E Simon
- Department of Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USA
| | - Katharine Russell
- Department of Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USA
- Southeast Veterinary Neurology, Miami, FL, USA
| | - Alejandra Mondino
- Department of Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USA
| | - Chin-Chieh Yang
- Department of Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USA
| | - Beth C Case
- Department of Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USA
| | - Zachary Anderson
- Department of Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USA
| | - Christine Whitley
- Department of Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USA
| | - Emily Griffith
- Department of Statistics, College of Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USA
| | - Margaret E Gruen
- Department of Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USA
| | - Natasha J Olby
- Department of Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USA.
- Comparative Medicine Institute, NC State University, Raleigh, NC, USA.
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Wrightson R, Albertini M, Pirrone F, McPeake K, Piotti P. The Relationship between Signs of Medical Conditions and Cognitive Decline in Senior Dogs. Animals (Basel) 2023; 13:2203. [PMID: 37443999 DOI: 10.3390/ani13132203] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2023] [Revised: 06/22/2023] [Accepted: 06/27/2023] [Indexed: 07/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Canine cognitive dysfunction syndrome (CCDS) is a progressive age-related neurodegenerative disorder in dogs. Minimal research has been performed to investigate how clinical signs may be impacted by other medical conditions. A cross-sectional study was performed using the Canine Cognitive Assessment Scale (CCAS) to evaluate cognitive impairment as reported by owners. Owner-reported health-related measures included behaviour changes, the body condition score, and veterinary diagnoses of disease. The responses from 804 dogs in the last 25% of their expected lifespan were analysed. Factors were identified in the owner-reported behavioural signs of disease representing pathologies in four body systems: musculoskeletal-neurological, digestive, metabolic, and dermatological, with the items comprising these factors also compiled into a cumulative measure of health. The results showed a strong correlation between the CCAS score and both the musculoskeletal-neurological factor and the overall cumulative measure of health. Moderate correlations between the CCAS score and the digestive factor and metabolic factor were also observed. The correlation between the dermatological factor and the CCAS score was weak. This study highlights the need to screen dogs for concurrent diseases when using scales to assess cognitive impairment and to monitor dogs who have health conditions, particularly those that are painful, for the onset of cognitive impairment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rosalind Wrightson
- The Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, Midlothian, Edinburgh EH25 9RG, UK
| | - Mariangela Albertini
- Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, University of Milan, 26900 Lodi, Italy
| | - Federica Pirrone
- Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, University of Milan, 26900 Lodi, Italy
| | - Kevin McPeake
- The Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, Midlothian, Edinburgh EH25 9RG, UK
| | - Patrizia Piotti
- Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, University of Milan, 26900 Lodi, Italy
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Melvin RL, Ruple A, Pearson EB, Olby NJ, Fitzpatrick AL, Creevy KE. A review of frailty instruments in human medicine and proposal of a frailty instrument for dogs. Front Vet Sci 2023; 10:1139308. [PMID: 37441560 PMCID: PMC10333704 DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2023.1139308] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2023] [Accepted: 06/09/2023] [Indexed: 07/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Over the last few decades, frailty has become a pillar of research and clinical assessment in human gerontology. This complex syndrome, characterized by loss of physiologic reserves leading to decreased resilience to stressors, is of critical importance because it predicts higher risks of poor health outcomes, including mortality. Thus, identifying frailty among the elderly human population has become a key focus of gerontology. This narrative review presents current scientific literature on frailty in both humans and animals. The authors discuss the need for an accessible frailty instrument for companion dogs suitable for general use in veterinary medicine and the advances that would be facilitated by this instrument. A phenotypic frailty instrument for companion dogs, utilizing components that are easily collected by owners, or in the general practice setting, is proposed. The authors elaborate on the domains (physical condition, physical activity, mobility, strength, cognitive task performance, and social behavior), factors that will be included, and the data from the Dog Aging Project that inform each domain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rachel L. Melvin
- Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences, Texas A&M University School of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, College Station, TX, United States
| | - Audrey Ruple
- Department of Population Health Sciences, Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, United States
| | - Elizabeth B. Pearson
- Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences, Texas A&M University School of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, College Station, TX, United States
| | - Natasha J. Olby
- Department of Clinical Sciences, NC State University College of Veterinary Medicine, Raleigh, NC, United States
| | | | - Kate E. Creevy
- Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences, Texas A&M University School of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, College Station, TX, United States
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11
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Barnett BG, Wesselowski SR, Gordon SG, Saunders AB, Promislow DEL, Schwartz SM, Chou L, Evans JB, Kaeberlein M, Creevy KE. A masked, placebo-controlled, randomized clinical trial evaluating safety and the effect on cardiac function of low-dose rapamycin in 17 healthy client-owned dogs. Front Vet Sci 2023; 10:1168711. [PMID: 37275618 PMCID: PMC10233048 DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2023.1168711] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2023] [Accepted: 05/03/2023] [Indexed: 06/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction Geroscience studies of low-dose rapamycin in laboratory species have identified numerous benefits, including reversing age-related cardiac dysfunction. Cardiovascular benefits have been observed in dogs with 10 weeks of treatment, raising questions about possible benefits and adverse effects of long-term use of low-dose rapamycin. The objectives of this study were to assess the impact of 6 months of low-dose rapamycin on echocardiographic indices of cardiac function in healthy dogs and to document the occurrence of adverse events. Methods Seventeen client-owned dogs aged 6-10 years, weighing 18-36 kg, and without significant systemic disease were included in a prospective, randomized, placebo-controlled, masked clinical trial. Low-dose rapamycin (0.025 mg/kg) or placebo was administered three times per week for 6 months. Baseline, 6-month, and 12-month evaluation included physical examination, cardiology examination, and clinicopathology. Three-month evaluation included physical examination and clinicopathology. Owners completed online questionnaires every 2 weeks. Results There were no statistically significant differences in echocardiographic parameters between rapamycin and placebo groups at 6 or 12 months. No clinically significant adverse events occurred. In 26.8% of the bi-weekly surveys owners whose dogs received rapamycin reported perceived positive changes in behavior or health, compared to 8.1% in the placebo group (p = 0.04). Discussion While no clinically significant change in cardiac function was observed in dogs treated with low-dose rapamycin, the drug was well-tolerated with no significant adverse events.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brian G. Barnett
- Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, United States
| | - Sonya R. Wesselowski
- Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, United States
| | - Sonya G. Gordon
- Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, United States
| | - Ashley B. Saunders
- Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, United States
| | - Daniel E. L. Promislow
- Department of Biology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States
| | - Stephen M. Schwartz
- Epidemiology Program, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, WA, United States
| | - Lucy Chou
- Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, United States
| | - Jeremy B. Evans
- Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, United States
| | - Matt Kaeberlein
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States
| | - Kate E. Creevy
- Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, United States
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12
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Dhaliwal R, Boynton E, Carrera-Justiz S, Cruise N, Gardner M, Huntingford J, Lobprise H, Rozanski E. 2023 AAHA Senior Care Guidelines for Dogs and Cats. J Am Anim Hosp Assoc 2023; 59:1-21. [PMID: 36584321 DOI: 10.5326/jaaha-ms-7343] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
Veterinary professionals are taught to recognize that "old age is not a disease." However, clients may have the perception that older dogs and cats undergo an unavoidable physical, mental, and behavioral decline attributable simply to old age. The veterinary team's role includes providing medical care and support to senior pets to maintain their quality of life, as well as supporting and educating clients on proper senior animal care and addressing any misconceptions about the aging process. These Guidelines describe a systematic approach to the healthcare of the senior pet that is based on an evidence-guided assessment of both healthy and unhealthy canine and feline patients. By using evidence-guided medicine, which may include conventional and integrative approaches as well as environmental management for the senior pet, the patient's quality of life can be enhanced and potentially extended during this vulnerable life stage. Developing a senior program for the veterinary practice requires appropriate training of the entire healthcare team and includes a robust client education program that focuses on the wellbeing of the senior pet. Palliative and hospice care should be included in the education and information provided for both the veterinary team and the families of senior pets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ravinder Dhaliwal
- MedVet Silicon Valley Veterinary Specialists, San Jose, California (R.D.)
| | | | | | - Nicole Cruise
- Northcentral Technical College, Wausau, Wisconsin (N.C.)
| | | | | | - Heidi Lobprise
- Cibolo Creek Veterinary Hospital, Kerrville, Texas (H.L.)
| | - Elizabeth Rozanski
- Department of Clinical Sciences, Tufts Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, North Grafton, Massachusetts (E.R.)
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13
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McKenzie BA, Chen FL. Assessment and Management of Declining Physical Function in Aging Dogs. Top Companion Anim Med 2022; 51:100732. [DOI: 10.1016/j.tcam.2022.100732] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2022] [Revised: 09/13/2022] [Accepted: 10/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
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14
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Bisset ES, Howlett SE. The Use of Dietary Supplements and Amino Acid Restriction Interventions to Reduce Frailty in Pre-Clinical Models. Nutrients 2022; 14:2806. [PMID: 35889763 PMCID: PMC9316446 DOI: 10.3390/nu14142806] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2022] [Revised: 06/06/2022] [Accepted: 07/05/2022] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Frailty is a state of accelerated aging that increases susceptibility to adverse health outcomes. Due to its high societal and personal costs, there is growing interest in discovering beneficial interventions to attenuate frailty. Many of these interventions involve the use of lifestyle modifications such as dietary supplements. Testing these interventions in pre-clinical models can facilitate our understanding of their impact on underlying mechanisms of frailty. We conducted a narrative review of studies that investigated the impact of dietary modifications on measures of frailty or overall health in rodent models. These interventions include vitamin supplements, dietary supplements, or amino acid restriction diets. We found that vitamins, amino acid restriction diets, and dietary supplements can have beneficial effects on frailty and other measures of overall health in rodent models. Mechanistic studies show that these effects are mediated by modifying one or more mechanisms underlying frailty, in particular effects on chronic inflammation. However, many interventions do not measure frailty directly and most do not investigate effects in both sexes, which limits their applicability. Examining dietary interventions in animal models allows for detailed investigation of underlying mechanisms involved in their beneficial effects. This may lead to more successful, translatable interventions to attenuate frailty.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elise S. Bisset
- Department of Pharmacology, Dalhousie University, P.O. Box 15000, Halifax, NS B3H 4R2, Canada;
| | - Susan E. Howlett
- Department of Pharmacology, Dalhousie University, P.O. Box 15000, Halifax, NS B3H 4R2, Canada;
- Department of Medicine (Geriatric Medicine), Dalhousie University, P.O. Box 15000, Halifax, NS B3H 4R2, Canada
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15
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Mondino A, Wagner G, Russell K, Lobaton E, Griffith E, Gruen M, Lascelles BDX, Olby NJ. Static posturography as a novel measure of the effects of aging on postural control in dogs. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0268390. [PMID: 35802714 PMCID: PMC9269968 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0268390] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2022] [Accepted: 04/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Aging is associated with impairment in postural control in humans. While dogs are a powerful model for the study of aging, the associations between age and postural control in this species have not yet been elucidated. The aims of this work were to establish a reliable protocol to measure center of pressure excursions in standing dogs and to determine age-related changes in postural sway. Data were obtained from 40 healthy adult dogs (Group A) and 28 senior dogs (Group B) during seven trials (within one session of data collection) of quiet standing on a pressure sensitive walkway system. Velocity, acceleration, root mean square, 95% ellipse area, range and frequency revolve were recorded as measures of postural sway. In Group A, reliability was assessed with intraclass correlation, and the effect of morphometric variables was evaluated using linear regression. By means of stepwise linear regression we determined that root mean square overall and acceleration in the craniocaudal direction were the best variables able to discriminate between Group A and Group B. The relationship between these two center-of-pressure (COP) measures and the dogs’ fractional lifespan was examined in both groups and the role of pain and proprioceptive deficits was evaluated in Group B. All measures except for frequency revolve showed good to excellent reliability. Weight, height and length were correlated with most of the measures. Fractional lifespan impacted postural control in Group B but not Group A. Joint pain and its interaction with proprioceptive deficits influence postural sway especially in the acceleration in the craniocaudal direction, while fractional lifespan was most important in the overall COP displacement. In conclusion, our study found that pressure sensitive walkway systems are a reliable tool to evaluate postural sway in dogs; and that postural sway is affected by morphometric parameters and increases with age and joint pain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alejandra Mondino
- Department of Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, United States of America
| | - Grant Wagner
- Department of Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, United States of America
| | - Katharine Russell
- Department of Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, United States of America
| | - Edgar Lobaton
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, United States of America
| | - Emily Griffith
- Department of Statistics, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, United States of America
| | - Margaret Gruen
- Department of Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, United States of America
| | - B. Duncan X. Lascelles
- Department of Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, United States of America
- Comparative Pain Research and Education Center, College of Veterinary Medicine, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, United States of America
- Thurston Arthritis Center, UNC School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, United States of America
- Center for Translational Pain Research, Department of Anesthesiology, Duke University, Durham, NC, United States of America
| | - Natasha Jane Olby
- Department of Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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16
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Abstract
A comprehensive mobility assessment goes beyond the orthopedic or neurologic examination for the localization of pathology. This assessment involves attention to the dog's posture and stance, a hands-on examination with special attention to soft tissue structures, and the performance of functional assessments. A comprehensive mobility assessment can guide advanced diagnostic testing as well as providing a foundation in the formulation of a successful treatment plan.
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17
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Abstract
Frailty is a complex syndrome affecting a growing sector of the global population as medical developments have advanced human mortality rates across the world. Our current understanding of frailty is derived from studies conducted in the laboratory as well as the clinic, which have generated largely phenotypic information. Far fewer studies have uncovered biological underpinnings driving the onset and progression of frailty, but the stage is set to advance the field with preclinical and clinical assessment tools, multiomics approaches together with physiological and biochemical methodologies. In this article, we provide comprehensive coverage of topics regarding frailty assessment, preclinical models, interventions, and challenges as well as clinical frameworks and prevalence. We also identify central biological mechanisms that may be at play including mitochondrial dysfunction, epigenetic alterations, and oxidative stress that in turn, affect metabolism, stress responses, and endocrine and neuromuscular systems. We review the role of metabolic syndrome, insulin resistance and visceral obesity, focusing on glucose homeostasis, adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK), mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+ ) as critical players influencing the age-related loss of health. We further focus on how immunometabolic dysfunction associates with oxidative stress in promoting sarcopenia, a key contributor to slowness, weakness, and fatigue. We explore the biological mechanisms involved in stem cell exhaustion that affect regeneration and may contribute to the frailty-associated decline in resilience and adaptation to stress. Together, an overview of the interplay of aging biology with genetic, lifestyle, and environmental factors that contribute to frailty, as well as potential therapeutic targets to lower risk and slow the progression of ongoing disease is covered. © 2022 American Physiological Society. Compr Physiol 12:1-46, 2022.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laís R. Perazza
- Department of Physical Therapy and Athletic Training, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Holly M. Brown-Borg
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of North Dakota, Grand Forks, North Dakota, USA
| | - LaDora V. Thompson
- Department of Physical Therapy and Athletic Training, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
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18
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McKenzie BA, Chen FL, Gruen ME, Olby NJ. Canine Geriatric Syndrome: A Framework for Advancing Research in Veterinary Geroscience. Front Vet Sci 2022; 9:853743. [PMID: 35529834 PMCID: PMC9069128 DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2022.853743] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2022] [Accepted: 03/23/2022] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Biological aging is the single most important risk factor for disease, disability, and ultimately death in geriatric dogs. The effects of aging in companion dogs also impose significant financial and psychological burdens on their human caregivers. The underlying physiologic processes of canine aging may be occult, or early signs of aging may be ignored because of the misconception that biological aging is natural and therefore inevitable. The ability to detect, quantify, and mitigate the deleterious processes of canine aging would greatly enhance veterinary preventative medicine and animal welfare. In this paper we propose a new conceptual framework for aging in dogs, the Canine Geriatric Syndrome (CGS). CGS consists of the multiple, interrelated physical, functional, behavioral, and metabolic changes that characterize canine aging as well as the resulting clinical manifestations, including frailty, diminished quality of life, and age-associated disease. We also identify potential key components of a CGS assessment tool, a clinical instrument that would enable veterinarians to diagnose CGS and would facilitate the development and testing of interventions to prolong healthspan and lifespan in dogs by directly targeting the biological mechanisms of aging. There are many gaps in our knowledge of the mechanisms and phenotype of aging in dogs that must be bridged before a CGS assessment tool can be deployed. The conceptual framework of CGS should facilitate identifying these gaps and should stimulate research to better characterize the processes and effects of aging in dogs and to identify the most promising preventative strategies to target these.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Frances L. Chen
- Cellular Longevity Inc., dba Loyal, San Francisco, CA, United States
| | - Margaret E. Gruen
- College of Veterinary Medicine, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, United States
| | - Natasha J. Olby
- College of Veterinary Medicine, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, United States
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19
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Frye C, Carr BJ, Lenfest M, Miller A. Canine Geriatric Rehabilitation: Considerations and Strategies for Assessment, Functional Scoring, and Follow Up. Front Vet Sci 2022; 9:842458. [PMID: 35280131 PMCID: PMC8914307 DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2022.842458] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2021] [Accepted: 01/17/2022] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Geriatric animals account for half of the pet population in the United States with their numbers increasing annually. Furthermore, a significant percentage of veterinary patients with movement limitations could be grossly categorized as geriatric and living within the end stage of their predicted lifespans. Because mobility is correlated to quality of life and time to death in aging dogs, a major goal in optimizing canine geriatric health is to improve functional movement. Within the geriatric population, identifying disabilities that affect daily living and quality of life may be used by the rehabilitation practitioner to provide stronger prognoses, treatment goals, and outcome measures. Examples of such means are described within this review. In human medicine, the concept of “optimal aging”, or “healthy aging”, has emerged in which inevitable detrimental age-related changes can be minimized or avoided at various levels of physical, mental, emotional, and social health. Both environment and genetics may influence aging. Identifying and improving environmental variables we can control remain a key component in optimizing aging. Furthermore, diagnosing and treating age related comorbidities common to older populations allows for improved quality of life and is often directly or indirectly affecting mobility. Obesity, sarcopenia, and a sedentary lifestyle are a trifecta of age-related morbidity common to both people and dogs. Healthy lifestyle choices including good nutrition and targeted exercise play key roles in reducing this morbidity and improving aging. Disablement models act as essential tools for creating more effective physiotherapy plans in an effort to counter dysfunction and disability. Within these models, functional testing represents a standard and validated means of scoring human geriatric function as well as monitoring response to therapy. Because of the great need in dogs, this review aims to provide a reasonable and testable standardized framework for canine functional scoring. We believe a complete assessment of canine geriatric patients should comprise of identifying environmental variables contributing to health status; diagnosing comorbidities related to disease and aging; and characterizing disability with standardized methods. Only through this process can we construct a comprehensive, reasonable, and targeted rehabilitation plan with appropriate follow up aimed at healthy aging.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher Frye
- Department of Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, United States
- *Correspondence: Christopher Frye
| | - Brittany Jean Carr
- The Veterinary Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation Center, Anderson, SC, United States
| | - Margret Lenfest
- Department of Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, United States
| | - Allison Miller
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, United States
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20
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Abstract
As the most phenotypically diverse mammalian species that shares human environments and access to sophisticated healthcare, domestic dogs have unique potential to inform our understanding of the determinants of aging. Here we outline key concepts in the study of aging and illustrate the value of research with dogs, which can improve dog health and support translational discoveries. We consider similarities and differences in aging and age-related diseases in dogs and humans and summarize key advances in our understanding of genetic and environmental risk factors for morbidity and mortality in dogs. We address health outcomes ranging from cancer to cognitive function and highlight emerging research opportunities from large-scale cohort studies in companion dogs. We conclude that studying aging in dogs could overcome many limitations of laboratory models, most notably, the ability to assess how aging-associated pathways influence aging in real-world environments similar to those experienced by humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Audrey Ruple
- Department of Population Health Sciences, Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia, USA;
| | - Evan MacLean
- School of Anthropology and College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, USA;
| | - Noah Snyder-Mackler
- School of Life Sciences, Center for Evolution and Medicine, and School for Human Evolution and Social Change, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, USA;
| | - Kate E. Creevy
- Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, USA
| | - Daniel Promislow
- Department of Laboratory Medicine & Pathology and Department of Biology, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, Washington, USA;
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21
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Howlett SE, Rutenberg AD, Rockwood K. The degree of frailty as a translational measure of health in aging. NATURE AGING 2021; 1:651-665. [PMID: 37117769 DOI: 10.1038/s43587-021-00099-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 166] [Impact Index Per Article: 41.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2020] [Accepted: 07/06/2021] [Indexed: 04/30/2023]
Abstract
Frailty is a multiply determined, age-related state of increased risk for adverse health outcomes. We review how the degree of frailty conditions the development of late-life diseases and modifies their expression. The risks for frailty range from subcellular damage to social determinants. These risks are often synergistic-circumstances that favor damage also make repair less likely. We explore how age-related damage and decline in repair result in cellular and molecular deficits that scale up to tissue, organ and system levels, where they are jointly expressed as frailty. The degree of frailty can help to explain the distinction between carrying damage and expressing its usual clinical manifestations. Studying people-and animals-who live with frailty, including them in clinical trials and measuring the impact of the degree of frailty are ways to better understand the diseases of old age and to establish best practices for the care of older adults.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susan E Howlett
- Geriatric Medicine Research Unit, Department of Medicine, Dalhousie University & Nova Scotia Health, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
- Department of Pharmacology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
| | - Andrew D Rutenberg
- Department of Physics and Atmospheric Science, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
| | - Kenneth Rockwood
- Geriatric Medicine Research Unit, Department of Medicine, Dalhousie University & Nova Scotia Health, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.
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22
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Kane AE, Howlett SE. Sex differences in frailty: Comparisons between humans and preclinical models. Mech Ageing Dev 2021; 198:111546. [PMID: 34324923 DOI: 10.1016/j.mad.2021.111546] [Citation(s) in RCA: 74] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2021] [Revised: 07/18/2021] [Accepted: 07/22/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Frailty can be viewed as a state of physiological decline that increases susceptibility to adverse health outcomes. This loss of physiological reserve means that even small stressors can lead to disability and death in frail individuals. Frailty can be measured with various clinical tools; the two most popular are the frailty index and the frailty phenotype. Clinical studies have used these tools to show that women are frailer than men even though they have longer lifespans. Still, factors responsible for this frailty-mortality paradox are not well understood. This review highlights evidence for male-female differences in frailty from both the clinical literature and in animal models of frailty. We review evidence for higher frailty levels in female animals as seen in many preclinical models. Mechanisms that may contribute to sex differences in frailty are highlighted. In addition, we review work that suggests frailty may play a role in susceptibility to chronic diseases of aging in a sex-specific fashion. Additional mechanistic studies in preclinical models are needed to understand factors involved in male-female differences in frailty in late life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alice E Kane
- Blavatnik Institute, Dept. of Genetics, Paul F. Glenn Center for Biology of Aging Research at Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States.
| | - Susan E Howlett
- Department of Pharmacology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada; Department of Medicine (Geriatric Medicine), Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada.
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23
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McCune S, Promislow D. Healthy, Active Aging for People and Dogs. Front Vet Sci 2021; 8:655191. [PMID: 34164450 PMCID: PMC8215343 DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2021.655191] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2021] [Accepted: 05/05/2021] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Dogs act as companions who provide us with emotional and physical support. Their shorter lifespans compel us to learn about the challenges and gifts of caring for older individuals. Our companion dogs can be exemplars of healthy or unhealthy aging, and sentinels of environmental factors that might increase or decrease our own healthy lifespan. In recent years, the field of aging has emphasized not just lifespan, but healthspan—the period of healthy, active lifespan. This focus on healthy, active aging is reflected in the World Health Organization's current focus on healthy aging for the next decade and the 2016 Healthy Aging in Action initiative in the US. This paper explores the current research into aging in both people and companion dogs, and in particular, how the relationship between older adults and dogs impacts healthy, active aging for both parties. The human-dog relationship faces many challenges as dogs, and people, age. We discuss potential solutions to these challenges, including suggestions for ways to continue contact with dogs if dog ownership is no longer possible for an older person. Future research directions are outlined in order to encourage the building of a stronger evidence base for the role of dogs in the lives of older adults.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sandra McCune
- School of Psychology, School of Life Sciences, University of Lincoln, Lincoln, United Kingdom.,Animal Matters Consultancy Ltd., Stamford, United Kingdom
| | - Daniel Promislow
- Department of Lab Medicine and Pathology, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA, United States.,Department of Biology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States
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Late-life intermittent fasting decreases aging-related frailty and increases renal hydrogen sulfide production in a sexually dimorphic manner. GeroScience 2021; 43:1527-1554. [PMID: 33675469 PMCID: PMC8492807 DOI: 10.1007/s11357-021-00330-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2020] [Accepted: 01/25/2021] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Global average life expectancy continues to rise. As aging increases the likelihood of frailty, which encompasses metabolic, musculoskeletal, and cognitive deficits, there is a need for effective anti-aging treatments. It is well established in model organisms that dietary restriction (DR), such as caloric restriction or protein restriction, enhances health and lifespan. However, DR is not widely implemented in the clinic due to patient compliance and its lack of mechanistic underpinnings. Thus, the present study tested the effects of a somewhat more clinically applicable and adoptable DR regimen, every-other-day (EOD) intermittent fasting, on frailty in 20-month-old male and female C57BL/6 mice. Frailty was determined by a series of metabolic, musculoskeletal, and cognitive tasks performed prior to and toward the end of the 2.5-month dietary intervention. Late-life EOD fasting attenuated overall energy intake, hypothalamic inflammatory gene expression, and frailty in males. However, it failed to reduce overall caloric intake and had a little positive effect in females. Given that the selected benefits of DR are dependent on augmented production of the gasotransmitter hydrogen sulfide (H2S) and that renal H2S production declines with age, we tested the effects of EOD fasting on renal H2S production capacity and its connection to frailty in males. EOD fasting boosted renal H2S production, which positively correlated with improvements in multiple components of frailty tasks. Therefore, late-life initiated EOD fasting is sufficient to reduce aging-related frailty, at least in males, and suggests that renal H2S production capacity may modulate the effects of late-life EOD fasting on frailty.
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Abstract
Senior dogs and cats commonly present to veterinary clinics for wellness examinations and for illness. Nutritional needs change in healthy elder pets compared with the young adult life stage. Veterinary health care teams must provide nutritional assessments and individual recommendations, recognizing there is no defined nutrient profile for seniors. Individual variation prevents a one-size-fits-all approach. Advancing age places pets at risk for developing medical conditions. Early detection can lead to earlier nutritional intervention to support recovery, health, and quality of life. However, comorbidities may present a nutritional conundrum, requiring prioritization of problems and nutritional triage to balance needs.
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Mishra M, Howlett SE. Preclinical models of frailty: Focus on interventions and their translational impact: A review. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2021. [DOI: 10.3233/nha-200103] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
The concept of frailty refers to heterogeneity in the risk of adverse outcomes for people of the same age. It is traditionally thought of as the inability of the body to maintain homeostasis. It can help explain differences between chronological and biological age and can quantify healthspan in experimental studies. Although clinical studies have developed tools to quantify frailty over the past two decades, preclinical models of frailty have only recently been introduced. This review describes the notion of frailty and outlines two commonly used clinical approaches to quantify frailty: the frailty phenotype and the frailty index. Translation of these methodologies for use in animals is introduced and studies that use these models to evaluate interventions designed to attenuate or exacerbate frailty are discussed. These include studies involving manipulation of diet, implementation of exercise regimens and tests of pharmaceutical agents to exacerbate or attenuate frailty. Together, this body of work suggests that preclinical frailty assessment tools are a valuable new resource to quantify the impact of interventions on overall health. Future studies could deploy these models to evaluate new frailty therapies, test combinations of interventions and assess interventions to enhance the ability to resist stressors in the setting of ageing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manish Mishra
- Department of Pharmacology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
| | - Susan E. Howlett
- Department of Pharmacology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
- Department of Medicine (Geriatric Medicine), Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
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27
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Banzato T, Franzo G, Di Maggio R, Nicoletto E, Burti S, Cesari M, Canevelli M. A Frailty Index based on clinical data to quantify mortality risk in dogs. Sci Rep 2019; 9:16749. [PMID: 31727920 PMCID: PMC6856105 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-52585-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2019] [Accepted: 10/21/2019] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Frailty is defined as a decline in an organism’s physiological reserves resulting in increased vulnerability to stressors. In humans, a single continuous variable, the so-called Frailty Index (FI), can be obtained by multidimensionally assessing the biological complexity of an ageing organism. Here, we evaluate this variability in dogs and compare it to the data available for humans. In dogs, there was a moderate correlation between age and the FI, and the distribution of the FI increased with age. Deficit accumulation was strongly related to mortality. The effect of age, when combined with the FI, was negligible. No sex-related differences were evident. The FI could be considered in epidemiological studies and/or experimental trials to account for the potential confounding effects of the health status of individual dogs. The age-related deficit accumulation reported in dogs is similar to that demonstrated in humans. Therefore, dogs might represent an excellent model for human aging studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tommaso Banzato
- Department of Animal Medicine, Productions and Health, University of Padua, Viale dell'Università 16, Legnaro, Italy.
| | - Giovanni Franzo
- Department of Animal Medicine, Productions and Health, University of Padua, Viale dell'Università 16, Legnaro, Italy
| | - Roberta Di Maggio
- Department of Animal Medicine, Productions and Health, University of Padua, Viale dell'Università 16, Legnaro, Italy
| | - Elisa Nicoletto
- Department of Animal Medicine, Productions and Health, University of Padua, Viale dell'Università 16, Legnaro, Italy
| | - Silvia Burti
- Department of Animal Medicine, Productions and Health, University of Padua, Viale dell'Università 16, Legnaro, Italy
| | - Matteo Cesari
- Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milano, Italy.,Geriatric Unit, Department of Clinical Sciences and Community Health, University of Milan, Milano, Italy
| | - Marco Canevelli
- Department of Human Neuroscience, Sapienza University, Rome, Italy
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28
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Sándor S, Kubinyi E. Genetic Pathways of Aging and Their Relevance in the Dog as a Natural Model of Human Aging. Front Genet 2019; 10:948. [PMID: 31681409 PMCID: PMC6813227 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2019.00948] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2019] [Accepted: 09/05/2019] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Aging research has experienced a burst of scientific efforts in the last decades as the growing ratio of elderly people has begun to pose an increased burden on the healthcare and pension systems of developed countries. Although many breakthroughs have been reported in understanding the cellular mechanisms of aging, the intrinsic and extrinsic factors that contribute to senescence on higher biological levels are still barely understood. The dog, Canis familiaris, has already served as a valuable model of human physiology and disease. The possible role the dog could play in aging research is still an open question, although utilization of dogs may hold great promises as they naturally develop age-related cognitive decline, with behavioral and histological characteristics very similar to those of humans. In this regard, family dogs may possess unmatched potentials as models for investigations on the complex interactions between environmental, behavioral, and genetic factors that determine the course of aging. In this review, we summarize the known genetic pathways in aging and their relevance in dogs, putting emphasis on the yet barely described nature of certain aging pathways in canines. Reasons for highlighting the dog as a future aging and gerontology model are also discussed, ranging from its unique evolutionary path shared with humans, its social skills, and the fact that family dogs live together with their owners, and are being exposed to the same environmental effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sára Sándor
- Department of Ethology, Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary
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29
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Morgan EM, Heseltine JC, Levine GJ, Promislow DEL, Creevy KE. Evaluation of a low-technology system to obtain morphological and mobility trial measurements in dogs and investigation of potential predictors of canine mobility. Am J Vet Res 2019; 80:670-679. [PMID: 31246119 DOI: 10.2460/ajvr.80.7.670] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To develop a low-technology system that can be used by dog owners to obtain morphological and mobility measurements in companion dogs as candidate components of an eventual canine frailty scale. ANIMALS 57 adult (≥ 1-year-old) dogs enrolled by 43 owners. PROCEDURES Morphological measurements of dogs were performed by investigators and dog owners. Dogs participated in timed in-clinic mobility trials across a flat surface (on-leash trial with the owner, on-leash trial with the investigator, and off-leash trial) and on stairs; each trial was repeated 3 times. Owners were asked to conduct a second stair trial at home 2 weeks later. Agreement between owner- and investigator-obtained measurements was assessed with Shrout-Fleiss intraclass correlation coefficients and paired t tests. Age, quartile of projected percentage of mean life span attained (adjusted for body weight), and height were evaluated as predictors of speed and stride length in mobility trials with linear regression and Spearman rank correlation analysis. RESULTS Agreement between owner- and investigator-obtained morphological measurements was strong. Age was a weak but significant predictor of decreased dog speed in mobility trials (adjusted R2, 0.10 to 0.23). Speed decreased significantly with increasing quartile of projected life span attained. A linear regression model that included height and age predicted dog speed better than models with age or height alone. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE Morphological and mobility trial measurements can be obtained by dog owners with minimal training. Low-technology measurements of mobility trial speed offer potential as components in a future scoring scale for canine frailty.
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30
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Heinze-Milne S, Banga S, Howlett S. Frailty Assessment in Animal Models. Gerontology 2019; 65:610-619. [DOI: 10.1159/000501333] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2019] [Accepted: 06/05/2019] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
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Bisset ES, Howlett SE. The biology of frailty in humans and animals: Understanding frailty and promoting translation. Aging Med (Milton) 2019; 2:27-34. [PMID: 31942510 PMCID: PMC6880675 DOI: 10.1002/agm2.12058] [Citation(s) in RCA: 61] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2019] [Accepted: 02/28/2019] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Frailty is a state of high vulnerability to adverse health outcomes. This concept is used to explain the heterogeneity in rates of aging in people of the same age. Frailty has important clinical implications, because even minor stressors can lead to adverse outcomes, including death, in frail individuals. Although frailty mechanisms are not well understood, advances in our ability to qualify frailty have encouraged efforts in this area. Quantification of frailty with both "frailty phenotype" and "frailty index" approaches has begun to highlight putative frailty mechanisms and new animal models of frailty are inspiring preclinical research. These models either adapt frailty phenotype and frailty index tools for use in animals or they use genetically manipulated mice that mimic conditions seen in frailty (eg, inflammation, sarcopenia, weakness). This review: describes commonly used tools to quantify frailty clinically, discusses potential frailty mechanisms, and describes animal models of frailty. It also highlights how these models have been used to explore frailty mechanisms and potential frailty interventions, including pharmacological treatments, diet, and exercise. These exciting new developments in the field have the potential to facilitate translational research, improve our understanding of mechanisms of frailty, and help develop new interventions to mitigate frailty in our aging population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elise S. Bisset
- Department of PharmacologyDalhousie UniversityHalifaxNova ScotiaCanada
| | - Susan E. Howlett
- Department of PharmacologyDalhousie UniversityHalifaxNova ScotiaCanada
- Department of Medicine (Geriatric Medicine)Dalhousie UniversityHalifaxNova ScotiaCanada
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32
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Sutherland-Smith J, Hutchinson D, Freeman LM. Comparison of computed tomographic attenuation values for epaxial muscles in old and young dogs. Am J Vet Res 2019; 80:174-177. [PMID: 30681359 DOI: 10.2460/ajvr.80.2.174] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To determine whether the degree of CT attenuation of muscle would differ between healthy old and young dogs. ANIMALS 10 healthy old (> 8 years old) and 9 healthy young (1 to 5 years old) Labrador Retrievers with a body condition score of 5 or 6 on a 9-point scale. PROCEDURES CT was performed with the dogs mildly sedated. A freehand closed polygon tool was used to define the outer margin of the left epaxial muscles on each transverse image obtained from the cranial to caudal endplates of T13. The CT attenuation values from every voxel from within these regions of interest were exported from DICOM software as a single dataset in an extensible markup language file. From these data, mean CT attenuation values were calculated for each dog and these mean values were compared between age groups. RESULTS Mean CT attenuation values for the epaxial muscles were significantly lower in old dogs than in young dogs. A significant negative correlation (r = -0.74) was identified between mean CT attenuation values and dog age. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE In addition to loss of skeletal muscle mass, low muscle CT attenuation values suggested that the old dogs in this study also had greater muscle fat content than did young dogs. Additional studies are warranted to evaluate qualitative and quantitative muscle changes in old dogs.
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33
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Turner RBS, Hepworth G, Wilson K, Tyrrell D, Dunshea FR, Mansfield CS. Abdominal volume computed tomography assessment of body composition in dogs. BMC Vet Res 2019; 15:21. [PMID: 30621710 PMCID: PMC6325834 DOI: 10.1186/s12917-018-1768-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2018] [Accepted: 12/27/2018] [Indexed: 02/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Computed tomography (CT) has been used to estimate body composition and determine tissue distribution in dogs, despite limited validation. This may introduce error into estimates of body composition studies and its effect on health in dogs. Further, the modality has not been validated against dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) or over a wide range of dog breeds, ages and sexes. The objective of this study was to validate the use of semi-automated, abdominal volume CT for estimating total body composition of dogs relative to DXA. Twenty-two staff-owned dogs (weighing between 5.1-60 kg) were sedated and underwent full body DXA scan and abdominal CT. Abdominal tissue composition was estimated by CT using semi-automated volume segmentation, over predetermined tissue Hounsfield threshold values. Abdominal tissue composition determined by the various CT threshold ranges was compared to total body composition determined by DXA. Results Abdominal tissue composition estimated by CT strongly correlated with the estimates derived from DXA with a small Bland-Altman mean percentage differences in values: total body mass (− 250/2000HU: r2 = 0.985; − 1.10%); total fat mass (− 250/-25HU: r2 = 0.981; − 1.90%); total lean tissue mass (− 25/150HU: r2 = 0.972; 3.47%); and total bone mineral content (150/2000HU: r2 = 0.900; − 0.87%). Although averaged CT values compared well to DXA analysis, there was moderate variation in the individual predicted values. There was near perfect inter- and intra-observer agreement in segmentation volumes for abdominal fat. Conclusions Abdominal volume computed tomography (CT) accurately and reliably estimates total body composition in dogs, but greater variations may be observed in dogs weighing less than 10 kg.
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Affiliation(s)
- R B S Turner
- U-Vet Animal Hospital, Faculty of Veterinary and Agricultural Sciences, University of Melbourne, 250 Princes Highway, Werribee, Victoria, 3030, Australia.
| | - G Hepworth
- Statistical Consulting Centre, University of Melbourne, 139 Barry Street, Carlton, Melbourne, Victoria, 3053, Australia
| | - K Wilson
- U-Vet Animal Hospital, Faculty of Veterinary and Agricultural Sciences, University of Melbourne, 250 Princes Highway, Werribee, Victoria, 3030, Australia
| | - D Tyrrell
- U-Vet Animal Hospital, Faculty of Veterinary and Agricultural Sciences, University of Melbourne, 250 Princes Highway, Werribee, Victoria, 3030, Australia
| | - F R Dunshea
- Faculty of Veterinary and Agricultural Sciences, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, 3052, Australia
| | - C S Mansfield
- U-Vet Animal Hospital, Faculty of Veterinary and Agricultural Sciences, University of Melbourne, 250 Princes Highway, Werribee, Victoria, 3030, Australia
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Piotti P, Szabó D, Bognár Z, Egerer A, Hulsbosch P, Carson RS, Kubinyi E. Effect of age on discrimination learning, reversal learning, and cognitive bias in family dogs. Learn Behav 2018; 46:537-553. [PMID: 30251103 PMCID: PMC6328011 DOI: 10.3758/s13420-018-0357-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Several studies on age-related cognitive decline in dogs involve laboratory dogs and prolonged training. We developed two spatial tasks that required a single 1-h session. We tested 107 medium-large sized dogs: "young" (N=41, aged 2.5-6.5 years) and "old" (N=66, aged 8-14.5 years). Our results indicated that, in a discrimination learning task and in a reversal learning task, young dogs learned significantly faster than the old dogs, indicating that these two tasks could successfully be used to investigate differences in spatial learning between young and old dogs. We also provide two novel findings. First, in the reversal learning, the dogs trained based on the location of stimuli learned faster than the dogs trained based on stimulus characteristics. Most old dogs did not learn the task within our cut-off of 50 trials. Training based on an object's location is therefore more appropriate for reversal learning tasks. Second, the contrast between the response to the positive and negative stimuli was narrower in old dogs, compared to young dogs, during the reversal learning task, as well as the cognitive bias test. This measure favors comparability between tasks and between studies. Following the cognitive bias test, we could not find any indication of differences in the positive and negative expectations between young and old dogs. Taken together, these findings do not support the hypothesis that old dogs have more negative expectations than young dogs and the use of the cognitive bias test in older dogs requires further investigation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrizia Piotti
- Department of Ethology, Eötvös Loránd University, Pázmány P. s 1c, Budapest, 1117, Hungary.
| | - Dóra Szabó
- Department of Ethology, Eötvös Loránd University, Pázmány P. s 1c, Budapest, 1117, Hungary
| | - Zsófia Bognár
- Department of Ethology, Eötvös Loránd University, Pázmány P. s 1c, Budapest, 1117, Hungary
| | - Anna Egerer
- Department of Ethology, Eötvös Loránd University, Pázmány P. s 1c, Budapest, 1117, Hungary
| | - Petrouchka Hulsbosch
- Department of Ethology, Eötvös Loránd University, Pázmány P. s 1c, Budapest, 1117, Hungary
- Bioengineering Technology, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Geel, Belgium
| | - Rachel Sophia Carson
- Department of Ethology, Eötvös Loránd University, Pázmány P. s 1c, Budapest, 1117, Hungary
- Kalamazoo College, 1200 Academy St., Kalamazoo, MI, 49006, USA
| | - Enikő Kubinyi
- Department of Ethology, Eötvös Loránd University, Pázmány P. s 1c, Budapest, 1117, Hungary
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Molina J, Hervera M, Manzanilla EG, Torrente C, Villaverde C. Evaluation of the Prevalence and Risk Factors for Undernutrition in Hospitalized Dogs. Front Vet Sci 2018; 5:205. [PMID: 30211177 PMCID: PMC6123354 DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2018.00205] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2018] [Accepted: 08/07/2018] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Hospitalized dogs are predisposed to undernutrition, which can potentially affect outcome. This study evaluated the prevalence of undernutrition in hospitalized dogs (measured as loss of body condition score, BCS and body weight, BW) and studied the risk factors that affect nutritional status, and outcome (discharge or death). Data was collected prospectively during 9 months from 500 hospitalized dogs with a hospitalization length longer than 24 h in a veterinary teaching hospital in Spain. The BCS and BW changes were modeled using multiple linear regression and outcome was modeled using logistic regression. The risk factors studied were energy intake, hospitalization length, initial BW and BCS, age, sex, severity of clinical signs, department of admission, fasting or nutritional interventions, and the presence of anorexia, vomiting or diarrhea at admission. Most of the dogs (84.0%) consumed less than 25% of their energy requirements and only 3.4% of the dogs met these requirements. The majority of hospitalized dogs maintained their BCS (78.2%) and BW (77%) during hospitalization. Older patients (P = 0.040), higher initial BCS (P < 0.001), and vomiting at admission (P = 0.030) were associated with a decrease of BCS status during hospitalization. BCS was also decreased in patients with low energy intake, particularly in patients with hospitalization length longer than 3 days (P < 0.001). Both longer hospitalization length (P < 0.001) and vomiting at admission (P = 0.004) were also associated with a decrease in BW. Dogs that consumed their theoretical energy requirements [P < 0.001; Odds Ratio (OR) 0.95, 95% CI: 0.92 to 0.98], and had a higher initial BCS (P < 0.001; OR 0.39, 95% CI: 0.22 to 0.63) had a lower odds of dying. Anorexia at admission (P < 0.001; OR 5.67, 95% CI: 2.23 to 15.47) was associated with a higher risk of death. The results from this study support the finding that undernutrition is relatively common during hospitalization, with age, hospitalization length, decreased energy intake, and vomiting at admission as risk factors for undernutrition. Furthermore, an association was found between inadequate energy intake and death.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jenifer Molina
- Fundació Hospital Clínic Veterinari, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra, Spain.,Departament de Ciència Animal i Dels Aliments, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra, Spain
| | - Marta Hervera
- Expert Pet Nutrition, www.expertpetnutrition.com, Fermoy, Ireland
| | - Edgar Garcia Manzanilla
- Animal and Grassland Research and Innovation Centre, TEAGASC Moorepark, Fermoy, Ireland.,School of Veterinary Medicine, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Carlos Torrente
- Fundació Hospital Clínic Veterinari, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra, Spain.,Departament de Medicina i Cirurgia Animal, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra, Spain
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