Evaluation of the response to a food-searching task in older dogs with and without cognitive impairment

Abstract

The aim of this study was to evaluate the performance of older dogs in a food-searching task and analyze whether cognitive decline may influence the responses of these patients. Twenty-six dogs over 9 years of age were included, and among these, 10 dogs exhibited behavioral changes (BC group). Sixteen dogs were used as controls. The dog owners were asked to complete a questionnaire to assess the behavioral changes associated with cognitive dysfunction syndrome (CDS), and after clinical evaluations, the dogs were presented with a bowl containing 5 meat-flavored snacks at the bottom and covered with twelve equal-sized balls. The food-searching task was considered to be complete when a dog located and/or ingested the 5 snacks within three minutes. According to the performance of individual dogs in the task, the tester assigned a score ranging from 0-4. The mean ages and questionnaire scores were higher in the BC group (15.50 ± 1.72 years old, P = 0.0004 and 36.50 ± 16.75, P < 0.001) than in the control group (11.94 ± 2.77 years old and 1.94 ± 1.84). For most dogs in the BC group, the questionnaire scores indicated moderate or severe CDS. In the control group, 43.75% of dogs completed the food-searching task, while no dogs in the BC group were able to complete the task. The mean task score was higher in the BC group (3.40 ± 0.97, P = 0.042), which indicated worse performance for the task compared to the control group (2.31 ± 1.40). The behavioral changes were directly related to the dogs' advanced ages, and cognitive dysfunction compromised their performance in the food-searching task.