The CogniCaps Pilot Study: What It Measured and What It Cannot Show

CogniCaps was evaluated in a published, peer-reviewed open-label pilot investigation of 10 senior dogs over 60 days, with cognitive scoring at the start, at 30 days and at 60 days. The dogs received the supplement alongside their usual care, with no other cognition-directed products during the study.

What the study cannot show matters as much as what it measured. It was open label: owners and researchers knew every dog was receiving the supplement, and there was no placebo group, so expectation effects and the natural ups and downs of an aging dog’s behavior cannot be separated from any effect of the product. Ten dogs is a small sample. And the researchers were affiliated with the product’s development: the paper discloses that Dr. Curtis Dewey formulated CogniCaps and receives a percentage of sales.

Our read: a pilot study that describes what was measured and how, and that calls for a larger, controlled study. It is not evidence that CogniCaps treats any condition. CogniCaps is a cognitive support supplement; it is not a treatment for any disease. If your dog is showing changes, start with our dog dementia guide and your veterinarian.

Read the paper: Dewey CW, Rishniw M, Sakovitch K, Hollenbeck J. Open Veterinary Journal, 2023 (PubMed record).