Alzheimer's disease is a devastating
progressive neurological disorder of older men and women. A comparative disease
occurs in dogs and cats and is called canine and feline cognitive disorder
(doggie and kitty Alzheimer's) respectively. As in people, it is most commonly
seen in older pets. It is estimated to affect 10 million to 15 million pets
in the U.S. alone. Microscopically, beta amyloid plaques within the brain
and its blood vessels are seen (as in people with Alzheimer's.)
Recently, the drug AniprylR has been approved for treating cognitive disorder
in dogs. While effective in some patients, the drug can have rare side effects.
If effective, AniprylR must be used for the life of the dog. Since the medication
is expensive, a less expensive option might be preferred.
One safer, less expensive alternative that I have been using in my practice
for many years is the B vitamin supplement CholodinR. CholodinR contains the
B vitamin choline, phosphatidylcholine, methionine and inositol. Recently,
in an attempt to quantify response to CholodinR, the manufacturer asked me
to perform a study using the supplement in dogs and cats. The results of these
two studies are presented here.
Twenty-one dogs of various breeds were enrolled in the study. The age of
the participants ranged from 10 to 16 years of age. Nine neutered males and
12 spayed females were enrolled in the study.
At the beginning of the study, owners were asked to identify any problems
commonly associated with cognitive disorder. The following abnormal signs
were reported by pet owners:
Deafness
Lethargy/lack of energy
Excess sleep (sleeps a lot during the day)
House-training problems (usually urinating inside the house)
Staring at the wall
Occasional lack of recognition of the owner
Lack of awareness of surroundings
A blood profile including a T4 test was performed prior to the start of
the study. Each pet was supplied with a two-month supply of CholodinR to
be administered according to label instructions. At the end of a 30-day period
of treatment, the dosage was doubled if improvement was not seen.
The results were tabulated with the following scoring system. Pets were
scored as no response to the supplement, minimal response, moderate response
(up to 50 percent better) and significant response (greater than 50 percent
improvement in clinical signs.)
The results of the study indicated the following:
1 dog showed no response
5 dogs showed minimal response
4 dogs showed moderate response
5 dogs showed significant response
3 dogs was lost to follow-up
1 dog was euthanized for acute liver failure not related to cognitive disorder
or the supplement
Two dogs, owned by the same owner, showed an exaggerated response and became
quite hyperactive, causing the owner to stop the supplement. As a result,
the two dogs reverted to showing signs of cognitive disorder, which the owner
felt was more desirable than the improved, hyperactive state.
The study in cats enrolled 21 cats 10 years of age and older. Owners 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 owner
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 with the following scoring system. Pets were
scored as no response to the supplement, minimal response, moderate response
(up to 50 percent better), and significant response (greater than 50 percent
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 owner 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 owners. In most cases this behavior problem was
a long-term problem and unlikely to be related to cognitive disorder. The
cats showing the greatest response were those showing lethargy and lack of
energy, excess sleep, staring at the wall, occasional lack of recognition
of the owner, and lack of awareness of the surroundings.
These studies showed that supplementation with the B vitamin choline supplement
CholodinR is safe and effective for reversing signs of Alzheimer's disease
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 Alzheimer's disease (cognitive disorder.) CholodinR
is safe, inexpensive, and has no significant side effects.
As pet owners seek more natural therapy for common diseases, the use of
choline supplements such as CholodinR can be recommended.
The above information is simply informational. It's intent is not
to replace the advice of a veterinarian nor to assist you in making a diagnosis
of your pet. Please consult with your own veterinarian for confirmation of
any diagnosis. Your pets life may depend on it.
