Cornell helps aging dogs increase their quality of life

A “TUG” test for dogs might sound like a game of tug-of-war, but it’s actually a new assessment veterinarians are using to evaluate the mobility of their senior canine patients.

TUG stands for “timed up and go.” It’s a test derived from human medicine, timing how long it takes someone to get up from a chair, walk a distance, turn around and sit back down. Chris Frye, D.V.M. section chief of the Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation Service, is senior author on a paper in the American Journal of Veterinary Research that establishes TUG as the first practical and reliable functional test of canine geriatric mobility.

“When I see older dogs, their owners often tell me that they have hesitation getting up from their bed and other activities, and we wanted to create something that could be used as a standardized test across veterinary hospitals to pinpoint animals in need of treatment,” said Frye.

Since the TUG test doesn’t require special equipment, it can be replicated in virtually any hospital environment. Frye and his team are also investigating how the TUG test might be a good indicator for other health risks or a as a new method to monitor response to therapy.

This publication was propelled in large part by an initiative launched last spring: the Purina Cornell Canine Healthy Aging and Mobility Program (CHAMP), a new partnership between the Cornell University Hospital for Animals and Nestle Purina. Frye and Joseph Wakshlag, D.V.M., Ph.D., section chief of the Nutrition Service, collaborated with Purina’s chief veterinary officer Kurt Venator, D.V.M. , to kickstart the program. CHAMP aims to optimize the health of aging dogs through a combination of medical, nutritional and lifestyle approaches. Purina’s $1.5 million gift enables Frye and Wakshlag to investigate healthy aging in dogs through research and clinical medicine, targeting obesity prevention, proper aging nutrition and supplementation, pain control, as well as strength and mobility.

“With obesity being the number one health condition in dogs, there is an intersection between nutrition and mobility issues for the aging pet,” said Wakshlag, who initially pitched the idea to Purina with Frye, knowing these areas were among Cornell’s specialties. “It’s about our pets living their best lives through exercise, optimal nutrition, pain control and improving quality of life.” 

“We appreciate the strong support from Purina and the work of our faculty and staff to bring this program to life. I’m sure it will provide valuable new information that will be a great resource for veterinarians and benefit aging dogs,” said Lorin D. Warnick, D.V.M., Ph.D. ’94, the Austin O. Hooey Dean of Veterinary Medicine.

Venator, a Cornell alum, has been with Purina for many years, and has helped fortify the longstanding partnership between the two, of which CHAMP is only the latest piece. “The goal of these partnerships is to promote evidence-based science to help us better understand, in Cornell’s case, what we can do for our dogs as they age,” said Venator. “Both Purina and Cornell have a deep commitment to helping pets live longer, healthier and happier lives.”

“You can have a lot of great ideas, but if you don’t have the resources, you can’t accomplish them,” said Frye. “We really applaud Purina and Dr. Venator for recognizing that.”

CHAMP is already backing research like Frye’s TUG publication and other projects. This partnership provided resources for an additional faculty member, trainee support and brought in modernized equipment for interventional pain management. Moreover, CHAMP funding was used to create a state-of-the-art veterinary kitchen in the Cornell University Hospital for Animals, which helps educate students on the importance of nutrition for their patients.

“It’s a generous gift from a company that is looking toward healthy aging,” said Wakshlag. “Of course, it starts with proper nutrition, but there is so much more.”

Indeed, some senior dogs need pain control so they can exercise without discomfort, and a proper diet to build muscle from that exercise. The diet must also account for any other disease they are managing.

As Frye puts it, “There’s a lot of overlap.”

“CHAMP is responding to the beautiful evolution of the human-animal bond. People want to know they’ve done everything they can to help their dogs live a long, healthy life,” Venator said.

Frye agrees: “Quality of life is important, and pet mobility, nutrition and lifestyle are a big part of that.” Cornell already uses pain and weight management, nutritional joint supplementation, physical therapy and activity modification to help patients with mobility issues. “Through CHAMP,” said Frye, “we knew we could make leaps and bounds within the veterinary and scientific community to improve dog welfare — and not only to improve their mobility and quality of life, but to extend it as well.”

Venator, Wakshlag and Frye are frequent collaborators. For example, when veterinary sports medicine was founded as a specialty within the field approximately 15 years ago, Purina was there with support for equipment and residencies. “Actions like these help promote education and build the science that supports the field,” said Frye.

CHAMP is the latest iteration of such support. “The science that’s already come out is exciting and it’s just the foundation of things to come,” said Venator.

Frye and Wakshlag plan to continue their research into CHAMP-related areas, particularly canine physiology, exercise physiology, aging, disease mobility, nutrition and even sporting dog welfare.

“CHAMP is advancing scientific knowledge that leads to dogs having a great quality of life with their pet parents,” said Venator. “Although dogs become seniors around age seven, they still have a long, healthy life to live.”