The wild ancestors of dogs, wolves, often die before they reach 10 years old; in contrast, most pet dogs will live to 10, 12, 16 or even older. Thanks to better quality food, shelter, veterinary care and owner understanding, the lifespan of dogs has increased considerably over the centuries. But just as we have seen with ageing humans, many ageing dogs show signs of cognitive decline. And just like in humans, scientists and dog owners are looking for ways to prevent this decline. One new product that might show promise is Neuro-Pro. Let’s investigate this product today. 

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Canine Cognitive Dysfunction (CCD)

Canine cognitive dysfunction, sometimes termed doggy dementia, is the gradual degeneration of brain tissue as a dog ages. This takes place because of brain neurone death, reduced metabolism, a buildup of waste products in the brain and other factors. Around 20% of dogs over 14 will be diagnosed with CCD, but studies have shown that the symptoms of cognitive decline may be identified much earlier in dogs as young as 8. Many of these symptoms are often considered ‘normal ageing’ by owners, so may not be identified as a problem. Furthermore, many elderly dogs suffer from other diseases, like chronic kidney disease or osteoarthritis, that may mask the signs of CCD further.

CCD causes many physical and behavioural changes including:

  • disorientation and confusion
  • changes to sleeping habits
  • incontinence in the house
  • changes in activity levels
  • reduced grooming
  • loss of memory and learned behaviours (dogs will forget tricks
  • anxiety
  • aggression
  • loss of senses like hearing and vision
  • reduced ability to learn

Diagnosis of CCD is very difficult. It can generally only be done after all other diseases have been ruled out (a diagnosis of exclusion). This requires a thorough clinical examination by a vet, and testing such as blood tests, urine tests, and hormonal tests. Specialist tests are performed if other diseases are suspected; such as radiography for osteoarthritis, ultrasonography for liver and kidney disease, or even brain MRI and cerebrospinal fluid sampling for other brain diseases. Once these diseases have been ruled out (or mitigated if present), a diagnosis of CCD can be made.  

CCD cannot (currently) be cured, but the effects may be slowed down with changes to routine, diet and supplements. 

What is Neuro-Pro

Neuro-Pro is a new product developed by Cascade Animal Sciences and manufactured in the USA. Its main ingredients are two medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs) which are a type of fat. Studies in dogs and humans have shown the two MCTs help the brain and slow down ageing; decanoic triglyceride encourages mitochondrial biogenesis (an increase in the numbers of mitochondria within cells that produce energy) and reduce oxidative damage to brain cells, while octanoic triglyceride crosses the blood-brain barrier to provide fuel for the brain in the form of ketones. Cascade Animal Science claim that these effects may culminate in a slowing down of CCD when Neuro-Pro is used.

Neuro-Pro comes as a liquid that is added to a dog’s daily food based on their weight; though the website advises increasing the dose slowly to acclimatise your dog’s digestive system. 

What Does the Science Say

Earlier studies have proven that dogs supplemented with MCTs do demonstrate some of the physiological changes listed above. How does this translate to actual cognition– we will now look into two studies that investigated this.  

Study 1

A preliminary 2009 study had 24 laboratory beagles (10 male and 14 female) from 7 to 11 years old given either a control diet, or a diet with 5.5% MCTs for 240 days. During this time, they underwent repeated tests that have been shown to assess cognition, such as learning to respond to a particular object to get food, or learning to select an object away from their naturally preferred side. The study found significant improvements in all cognitive tests from as early as 15 days in some dogs when compared to the control group. This led to the conclusion that MCTs improve cognition in senior dogs. They also noted no changes to their blood test values after the study, indicating the MCTs were safe to be given long-term. 

The issues…

There are a few issues with this study, however. One is the small size and scope, focussing on a low number of dogs within a single breed; other breeds or larger numbers of dogs may have shown different results. Furthermore, there was no indication the study was double-blind (the researchers knew which dogs were in which category). This means that bias on the part of the researchers may have been present. The results were quantitative (they recorded the number of errors the dogs made during testing), which leaves less room for subjectivity and bias; but a double-blind study would be better.

There was also no assessment of the dog’s cognitive function before testing, meaning we don’t know whether any dogs had CCD prior to the test, and if they subsequently improved after MCT supplementation. We can thus assume that MCTs may help the general population of elderly dogs, but cannot be sure of the effects in dogs with CCD in this study. 

Study 2

A more recent 2018 study was much larger in scope than the 2009 study, and addressed some of the issues in the former. In this study, 87 pet dogs (aged 9-16 years, 48 male and 39 female, of 52 breeds) that had been identified as having CCD prior to testing were given either a control, a 6.5% or 9% MCT diet for 90 days. The MCT diets were blended with a mix of other nutrients (brain blend) with evidence suggesting they help the brain. During this time, the owners assessed their dog’s cognition using a questionnaire. The study found that 23 dogs fed a 6.5% diet of MCT either improved or did not decline in all 6 cognitive functions, with most improvements noted from at least day 30. 3 did decline, however. The results for dogs on 9% MCT diets were inconclusive due to a high dropout rate.

Interestingly, dogs on a control diet improved in 4 of the 6 categories by day 90. No dogs had changes to their blood testing either. The study thus claimed that a diet of MCTs is likely to improve cognitive dysfunction (or slow the decline) in dogs that already have CCD. 

The issues…

As with the first study, there are a few issues with the testing. The biggest problem is relying on owners to record the dog’s cognition. Although the study was double-blind (owners and researchers did not know what dog was on what diet) and the questionnaire has scientific backing, subjectivity and the placebo effect were likely to have affected the results. This possibly resulted in the perceived improvement in cognition with dogs on control diets; the researchers also theorise the brain blend may have been partially present in the control diet too which then improved cognition.

This leads us to the second problem with the study, which is testing using a mix of MCT and brain blend. This makes it difficult to know whether the brain blend or the MCTs had the biggest effect on cognition. Given that dogs on MCT and brain blend improved over those on the control diet (with partial brain blend), there was likely some improvement in part from the MCTs.

Conclusions

From these two studies, despite their flaws, there does appear to be some preliminary evidence that MCTs can improve cognition in elderly dogs, and slow or even reverse some of the changes in dogs with diagnosed CCD. Future studies should expand to larger numbers of dogs; use a less subjective method of cognitive assessment; consider the effects in the long-term; and ensure the effects of other chemicals on improved cognition are accounted for. But in short, this does back up some of the claims made by the makers of Neuro-Pro. 

Does this mean you should consider Neuro-Pro for your elderly dog? 

We would say that there is certainly no harm in trying the product (especially since both studies showed no short-term negative effects of MCTs). And you may notice some improvements in your dog’s day-to-day life. However, be mindful of the placebo effect. We would encourage your vet to assess your dog before and after starting the medication to see if they identify any changes. 

It is also a good idea to implement some other management options for CCD. There are other dietary supplements or whole diets that have been proven to protect the brain and slow down ageing, including those with antioxidants, essential fatty acids and omega 3. There are also two medications that should be considered – selegiline, a drug that reduces the breakdown of useful brain chemicals; and propentofylline, which improves brain blood flow. We also recommend providing mental stimulation via puzzle feeders, regular re-training of learned tricks, consistent routine, gentle exercise, and so on. Managing concurrent issues, like osteoarthritis, is critical too.

By implementing some of these drugs, nutraceuticals like Neuro-Pro, and management changes, you may be able to slow or even reverse some of the symptoms of CCD. However, always remember that CCD currently cannot be cured, so cognitive decline will unfortunately continue. If a dog is starting to suffer because of CCD, euthanasia on welfare grounds is always a humane option.

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