Doggie and kitty Alzheimer’s:
Can we prevent and treat cognitive disorder?
by Shawn Messonnier, DVM

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In the study involving felines, 21 cats age 10 years of age and older were enrolled. People were invited to enroll their cats in the study if the cats showed any of the following signs:
• Deafness
• Lethargy/lack of energy
• Excess sleep (sleeps a lot during the day)
• Poor coat (excessive shedding or thin, dry coat)
• Poor appetite
• Chronic constipation
• House-training problems (usually urinating outside of the litter box not related to anxiety behavior problems)
• Staring at the wall
• Occasional lack of recognition of the guardian
• Lack of awareness of surroundings

As with the canine study, cats were screened with a blood profile prior to entering the study to be certain that underlying disease was not the cause of the clinical signs.

The results were tabulated in a way similar to the canine study: as having no response to the supplement, minimal response, moderate response (up to 50% better), and significant response (greater than 50% improvement in clinical signs.)
The results of the study indicated the following:
5 cats showed no response
4 cats showed minimal response
5 cats showed moderate response
4 cats showed significant response
1 cat guardian did not respond to our follow-up call
2 cats died of unrelated causes during the study

Most cats showing no or minimal response had house-training problems as the only complaint from the guardians. In most cases, this behavior was a long-term problem and not likely related to cognitive disorder. The cats with the greatest response were those showing lethargy and lack of energy, excess sleep, staring at the wall, occasional lack of recognition of family members, and lack of awareness of the surroundings.

To summarize, these studies showed that supplementation with Cholodin is safe and effective for reversing signs of cognitive disorder in dogs and cats. My own clinical experience indicates that, if given to older pets before clinical signs appear, many pets taking choline supplementation will not develop signs of cognitive disorder. In effect, the regular use of this supplement may actually prevent the development of cognitive disorder. It is safe, inexpensive, and has no significant side effects. If you cannot find the patented product, you may wish to try a phosphatidylcholine supplement available from health food stores. Recommended dosage would be 50 to 100 mg daily for a 50 pound dog.

In addition to choline therapy, I believe it’s important to minimize inflammation in older pets (minimizing inflammation may prevent or decrease the incidence of many other disorders, including cancer, as well). To that end, feeding a natural food devoid of by-products and chemicals, minimizing or eliminating vaccinations, minimizing or eliminating the use of chemical flea and tick products, and providing additional anti-inflammatory support (fish oil, antioxidants, etc.) may also minimize the chances of an older pet developing cognitive disorder.

Published in the April/May 2005 issue of Animal Wellness