Dementia isn’t just a risk humans face as they age. Our canine pals can also experience severe cognitive decline, the early signs of which could be clear in the way they go for walkies.
A study conducted by researchers from North Carolina State University, the University of Montréal, and the University of Pennsylvania reveals how the stride length of a dog’s front legs can be used to accurately diagnose their cognitive decline.
Our own gait shrinks to a shuffle as our brain loses function. People with Alzheimer’s disease present slower walking speeds and shorter steps as their condition worsens, for example, with recent studies showing how an analysis of a person’s gait could play a significant role in spotting signs of the disease early.
We’re far from alone. A similar decline in cognition could also affect how our furry best friends put their best foot forward.
“Here we show that the length of front leg stride taken by dogs decreases with age, but even more importantly, decreases with a cognitive impairment,” says lead author Natasha J Olby, a professor of veterinary neurology and neurosurgery at North Carolina State University.
“In fact, we found that the effect of cognitive decline is larger than the effect of age by itself.”
Olby and her team used data from a longitudinal study on senior and geriatric dogs, which had been evaluated on multiple physiological and health characteristics.
Among these were cognitive tests and questionnaires that included an assessment of each dog’s behavioral changes, known as the Canine Dementia Scale.
Test results were assessed against frequent measurements of on-leash gait speeds along a 16-foot (5-meter) walkway, which included a brief acceleration.
The results were based on a total of 88 dogs of a wide variety of breeds, many of which were mixed. The team found that an owner-reported decline in their dog’s cognition was associated with a shorter-than-average stride length in their front legs.
The same relationship wasn’t seen in the stride of the rear legs, the researchers note, hinting at a closer connection between sensory integration and leading steps.
“It is fascinating to see that cognitive decline affects front legs and hind legs differently. In dogs, the hind legs are important for moving forward, while the front legs also change direction and initiate braking,” says Olby.
“The cerebral cortex integrates more sensory information into the neuronal circuits which produce steps in the front legs, and so loss of high-level sensorimotor integration affects them differently.”
The changes were too small to be significant as a diagnostic tool on their own, yet if combined with other forms of assessment, they could help owners better plan for their pet’s future health.
The length of stride in the front legs also decreased slightly with a rise in pain ratings, unsurprisingly, while the researchers also admit that the dog’s orthopedic condition could also affect their walk.
Nonetheless, if an owner notices their dog’s stride changing over time, it would certainly be worth mentioning to their vet.
This research was published in Frontiers.
Source: North Carolina State University via Scimex
Fact-checked by Bronwyn Thompson
