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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Vet. Sci.
Sec. Comparative and Clinical Medicine
Volume 11 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fvets.2024.1335463

Establishing a clinically applicable frailty phenotype screening tool for aging dogs

Provisionally accepted
Katharine J. Russell Katharine J. Russell Alejandra Mondino Alejandra Mondino Gilad Fefer Gilad Fefer Korinn Saker Korinn Saker Margaret E. Gruen Margaret E. Gruen Natasha J. Olby Natasha J. Olby *
  • North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, United States

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Frailty is a well-defined clinical syndrome in humans caused by accumulation of impairments which result in loss of reserve capacity and increased vulnerability to disability, dependence, and death. Dogs are of particular interest in studies of frailty due to the similarities they share with people in their environment, lifestyles, and age-related diseases. The aim of this study was to develop a frailty phenotype, based on previously validated measures in dogs, which could be easily applied in the clinical setting, and which was predictive of all-cause, short term (6-month) mortality. The study was conducted in two phases. In phase 1, a retrospective cohort of 51 dogs was used to identify and evaluate potential measures for the 5 domains of frailty. This information was then used to develop a simple frailty phenotype based on examination findings and owner directed questions. In phase 2 of the study, this phenotype was evaluated in a prospective cohort of 198 dogs aged 9 years or older from multiple different specialty and primary care services to determine how the phenotype performed across a diverse canine population. The developed frailty phenotype was predictive of all-cause, short-term mortality independent of age, sex, or weight (hazard ratio = 4.71; 95% CI, 2.66 to 8.8). Of the covariates evaluated only breed was significant, with purebred dogs having 1.85 times higher mortality than mixed breed dogs (95% CI, 1.04 to 3.31). The frailty phenotype performed similarly across all hospital services from which patients were enrolled. Based on these findings, the defined frailty phenotype represents a valuable screening tool for early risk identification and intervention, and can aid in clinical decision making for owners and veterinarians. Additionally, it will promote further research into the understanding and treatment of frailty in dogs.

    Keywords: Frailty1, canine frailty2, frailty phenotype3, geriatric4, aging dogs5

    Received: 09 Nov 2023; Accepted: 23 Aug 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Russell, Mondino, Fefer, Saker, Gruen and Olby. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Natasha J. Olby, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, 27695, North Carolina, United States

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.