Efficacy of Souroubea-Platanus Dietary Supplement Containing Triterpenes in Beagle Dogs Using a Thunderstorm Noise-Induced Model of Fear and Anxiety.

A novel botanical dietary supplement, formulated as a chewable tablet containing a defined mixture of Souroubea spp. vine and Platanus spp. Bark, was tested as a canine anxiolytic for thunderstorm noise-induced stress (noise aversion). The tablet contained five highly stable triterpenes and delivered 10 mg of the active ingredient betulinic acid (BA) for an intended 1 mg/kg dose in a 10 kg dog. BA in tablets was stable for 30 months in storage at 23 °C. Efficacy of the tablets in reducing anxiety in dogs was assessed in a blinded, placebo-controlled study by recording changes in blood cortisol levels and measures of behavioral activity in response to recorded intermittent thunder. Sixty beagles were assigned into groups receiving: placebo, 0.5×, 1×, 2×, and 4× dose, or the positive control (diazepam), for five days. Reduction in anxiety measures was partially dose-dependent and the 1× dose was effective in reducing inactivity time (p = 0.0111) or increased activity time (p = 0.0299) compared with placebo, indicating a decrease in anxiety response. Cortisol measures also showed a dose-dependent reduction in cortisol in dogs treated with the test tablet.

Therapeutic effects of an alpha-casozepine and L-tryptophan supplemented diet on fear and anxiety in the cat.

Objectives This study assessed the anxiolytic effectiveness of a test diet (Royal Canin Feline Calm diet) supplemented with L-tryptophan and alpha-casozepine. Methods Subjects were 24 cats that were classified as mildly or markedly fearful based on the presence of a person in their home room. Three different protocols were used to assess anxiety: (1) evaluation of the response to a human in the cat's home room (home room test); (2) analysis of the response to placement in an empty test room (open-field test); and (3) analysis of the response to an unfamiliar human (human interaction test). All three protocols were first run at baseline, and the results were used to assign the animals to control and test diet groups that showed equivalent fear and anxiety. Both groups were retested on the three protocols after 2 weeks (test 1) and again after 4 weeks (test 2). Results The diet groups differed for two behavioral measures in the open-field test: inactivity duration and inactivity frequency. The control group showed statistically significant increases in inactivity duration between baseline and test 1 and baseline and test 2, while the group fed the test diet showed a marginally not significant decrease in inactivity duration between baseline and test 1 and a not significant decrease for test 2. There was also a significant increase in inactivity frequency between baseline and test 1 in the test diet group and marginally not significant decrease in the control group. There were no differences between groups in the approach of the cats toward people for the home room test and the human interaction test. Conclusions and relevance These results suggest that the test diet reduced the anxiety response to placement in an unfamiliar location, but that fear in the presence of an unfamiliar person was not counteracted by the diet.

Cognitive dysfunction syndrome: a disease of canine and feline brain aging.

Brain aging is a degenerative process manifest by impairment of cognitive function; although not all pets are affected at the same level, once cognitive decline begins it is generally a progressive disorder. Diagnosis of cognitive dysfunction syndrome (CDS) is based on recognition of behavioral signs and exclusion of other medical causes that might mimic CDS or complicate its diagnosis. Drugs, diets, and supplements are now available that might slow CDS progression by various mechanisms including reducing oxidative stress and inflammation or improving mitochondrial and neuronal function. Moreover, available therapeutics may provide some level of improvement in cognitive and clinical signs of CDS.

Improvement of short-term memory performance in aged beagles by a nutraceutical supplement containing phosphatidylserine, Ginkgo biloba, vitamin E, and pyridoxine.

Aged dogs demonstrate cognitive decline that is linked to brain aging. The purpose of the present study was to examine if a commercially available nutraceutical supplement that may be neuroprotective and contains phosphatidylserine, Ginkgo biloba, vitamin E, and pyridoxine could improve cognitive function in aged beagles. Nine aged beagles were tested on performance on a delayed-non-matching-to-position task, which is a neuropsychological test of short-term visuospatial memory. All subjects were tested on 5 baseline sessions; then, to assess the supplement, a crossover design was used in which 1 group received the supplement and the other a control substance in the 1st phase, with treatment conditions being reversed in the 2nd phase. Performance accuracy was significantly improved in supplemented dogs compared with control dogs and the effect was long lasting. These findings suggest that the nutraceutical supplement can improve memory in aged dogs.

Therapeutic options for cognitive decline in senior pets.

Many treatment options are now available for pets with age-related cognitive dysfunction, including drugs, nutritional supplements, and diets. This article describes the theory, evidence of efficacy, and potential neuroprotective effects of products used to treat cognitive dysfunction. Cognitive dysfunction is a diagnosis of exclusion, because many painful conditions and health problems may present with similar signs. Practitioners must, therefore, actively question owners of senior pets in order to diagnose cognitive dysfunction and to assess the pet's general health and well-being.

Therapeutic agents for the treatment of cognitive dysfunction syndrome in senior dogs.

With increasing age, dogs develop a form of neurodegenerative disease which has many similarities to age related cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease in humans. A decline in learning and memory can be demonstrated in dogs beginning as young as 7 years of age using a variety of neuropsychological tests. However, clinical cases of cognitive dysfunction syndrome are seldom identified until the age of 11 years or older. This is likely due to the fact that the owners are relying on clinical observations such as house-soiling, sleep-wake cycles and disorientation, rather than tests of learning and memory. On the other hand, dogs that are trained to more exacting tasks such as guide dogs for the visually impaired, or bomb detection and agility trained dogs might be noticed to have a decline in performance at a much earlier age. Through the use of standardized neuropsychological testing protocols, a number of drugs, natural products and supplement formulations have been developed for use in dogs with cognitive dysfunction and, in some cases clinical trials have validated their efficacy. Furthermore, the testing of products currently licensed and in the pipeline for the treatment of cognitive decline and Alzheimer's in humans, may provide additional therapeutic agents for the treatment of senior dogs, as well as provide insight as to the potential for the efficacy of these compounds in humans. This review will examine those products that are now marketed along with some that might be considered for use in senior dogs with cognitive dysfunction as well as the research that has been used to validate the efficacy (or lack thereof) of these compounds.

Effectiveness and comparison of citronella and scentless spray bark collars for the control of barking in a veterinary hospital setting.

This study was designed to evaluate the efficacy of a citronella bark collar and a new, scentless spray bark collar in a veterinary hospital or a similar kennel-type environment. Forty-one dogs were included in the study. The efficacy of each collar was evaluated independently in comparison to control as well as in a crossover design. Thirty of the dogs were evaluated with the citronella collar, with 76.7% showing a reduction in barking. Twenty-nine dogs were evaluated with the scentless collar, with 58.6% showing a reduction in barking. The improvement over the control collars was statistically significant with both the citronella and scentless collars.