Canine Cognitive Dysfunction (CCD) is a progressive neurodegenerative condition similar to Alzheimer’s disease (AD) in humans. Treating CCD presents challenges as there are limited effective drugs with acceptable side effects. Nutraceuticals, including conventional (Western) and non-conventional (Eastern) ingredients, have been explored as alternative options. Some individual supplements have shown promising results in reducing neuronal damage in animal models and improving cognition in clinical trials involving dogs and humans with cognitive impairment.
Aim: This open-label clinical trial aimed to investigate the effects of an oral integrative supplement called CogniCaps® (a combination of conventional nutraceuticals and Chinese herbals) on cognitive scores in aging dogs with CCD over a 2-month period.
Methods: Ten aging dogs (>9 years old) with moderate cognitive scores (16-33) were recruited for the study. They were administered CogniCaps® orally for two months, without the use of additional drugs or cognitive-enhancing nutraceuticals. Baseline cognitive scores were compared with scores obtained at 30 and 60 days after treatment initiation. Cognitive scores were analyzed for differences between baseline, 30-day, and 60-day assessments.
Results: The study showed significant improvement in cognitive scores at 30 days (38% reduction) and 60 days (41% reduction) after starting treatment (p = 0.002). There was no significant difference in scores between the 30-day and 60-day assessments (p = 0.7), indicating sustained improvement.
Conclusion: This preliminary study suggests that the integrative supplement CogniCaps® may enhance cognitive scores in dogs with CCD within the first 30 days of administration. Furthermore, the improvement appears to be sustained at the 60-day follow-up period.