Is Your Dog Slowing Down?

According to a new study from North Carolina State University, older dogs who slow down physically also slow down mentally!

” “When you look at functional aging, the two most important predictors of morbidity are mobility and cognition,” Olby says. “Mobility relies heavily on sensory input, central processing and motor output — in other words, the nervous system — as a result, mobility and cognition are super interconnected. When you have less mobility, the amount of input your nervous system gets is also reduced. “

This statement by one of the researchers illustrates why we still want to help our senior dogs, especially those mobility challenged move and why touch – sensory input is so important. Neurons that fire together wire together and those that don’t, don’t.

On the human side, gait speed has been used as a reliable measure functional independence, fall risk, mortality, and cognitive decline. This study showed that age-related changes in our dog’s gait speed are associated with cognitive performance, independent of pain scores.

Furthermore, a decline in speed with age was not linear. Just because your dog is getting older they don’t automatically slow down at the same rate each year that passes. In fact, the study found walking speed was more related to the stage of life than your dog’s chronological age.

While the effects of exercise on the brain weren’t covered in this study specifically, other studies have demonstrated that habitual exercise and physical activity improve mental and cognitive health. In addition, it has beneficial structural changes such as neurogenesis, synaptogenesis, angiogenesis and increased brain volume. Basically, exercise enhances brain health.

If your dog is slowing down, don’t just right it off as “they are getting old”. Have them checked out by your vet and if possible, have their mobility assessed by a professional canine rehab therapist so that they may help you devise a mobility plan that will help your dog’s body and brain!

Turns out you can teach an old dog new tricks… and should

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