Overview of canine participants detailing demographic data, husbandry, and experimental information
| Variable type | Variable | Group 1 | Group 2 | Group 3 | Group 4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Demographic data | 1. Species, common name | Dog | Dog | Dog | Dog |
| 1. Species, Latin name | Canis familiaris | Canis familiaris | Canis familiaris | Canis familiaris | |
| 1. Sample size | 4 | 6 | 10 | 3 | |
| 1. Sex of individuals | Male (n = 4) | Female (n = 6) | Male (n = 4), female (n = 6) | Female (n = 5) | |
| 1. Age (mean ± SD) | 4.5 ± 0.5 | 5.7 ± 0.47 | 10.4 ± 0.49 | 2 (±0) | |
| 1. Names | Jack, Rocky, Buzz, Axel | Ginny, Mocha, Caramel, Butterscotch, Molly, Dottie | Siris, Wanda, Nomad, Cashew, Quick, Streak, Jane, Zest, Lucy, Maggie | Faraday, Flair, Tilly | |
| 1. Breed | Medium to large mixed breed | Beagle crossbreed | Alaskan sled dogs | Beagles | |
| 1. Inclusion criteria | Mesaticephalic skull conformation, neurologically and clinically healthy | ||||
| Husbandry | 1. Source of animals | Bowman Lab | Boesch Lab | Vaika Foundation | Clinical Sciences Teaching Animals |
| 1. Housing of animals | Cornell Center for Animal Resources and Education | Cornell Aging Canine Facility | CARE | ||
| 1. Enrichment provided | Kenneling with outdoor or indoor runs allowing for supervised play in compatible groups | ||||
| 1. End point for animals | Returned to original lab protocol after MRI procedure. Groups 1, 2, and 4 have been subsequently adopted out to families for a home life. Group 3 is being monitored to a natural end of life. | ||||
| Experimental details | 1. Experimental outcome measures | Diffusion tensor imaging and T1-weighted 3D MRI sequences | |||
| 1. Procedure/experiment type | MRI of the brain 3T GE Discovery MRI unit | ||||
| 1. Justification of protocol | Limited research has gone into understanding the structure and function of the normal canine brain | ||||
| 1. Termination criteria | If any animal showed signs of pain or distress during the procedure while awake or demonstrated signs of clinical deterioration during anesthesia, they were immediately terminated from the study. | ||||
| 1. Criteria for assent of animal to participate | Any animal that demonstrates obvious distress because of any experimental procedure will be removed from the study | ||||
| 1. Ethics approval reference | IACUC Protocol No. 2015-0115 | ||||
CARE, Cornell Center for Animals Resources and Education.