Ralph the dog's impact on science and his family
In a Nutshell
The Dog Aging Project studies over 50,000 dogs, including Ralph—a family pet diagnosed with advanced dementia in 2025—to uncover insights into human Alzheimer's, as dogs exhibit similar brain shrinkage, neuron loss, and fluid buildup. Ralph failed memory tests, showed MRI-confirmed atrophy, and participated in a rapamycin pilot study, where his post-mortem brain revealed fewer inflammation-causing microglia cells compared to placebo dogs. Keep dogs active, mentally stimulated, and on a good diet to support brain health, mirroring human advice.
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60 Minutes overtime reported on the Dog Aging Project, a collaboration between dog owners, scientists, and veterinarians to study dogs as they age. Over 50,000 dogs have participated, some suffering from dementia. Scientists hope to unlock secrets of a longer, healthier life for humans.
To understand human disease and to be able to intervene and even prevent human disease, we have to find the right model. And in dogs, we think we have a really unique opportunity.
Dr. Dirk Keene, a neuropathologist from the University of Washington, believes studying dogs with dementia can provide insights into human diseases like Alzheimer's. Dog brains have the same frontal lobe, temporal lobe, and occipital lobe as human brains, with the same basic shape.
Dementia changes brain size and structure similarly in humans and dogs. Disease kills neurons, causing the brain to shrink and the middle cavity to enlarge with fluid.
The Ro family—Tara, husband Jason, young daughter Eloise, and dog Ralph—noticed changes in Ralph's behavior in 2024. Last winter, he couldn't calm down, paced, panted a lot, and wasn't himself. He loves ice cubes but wouldn't notice them on the floor; they had to hand it to him. He wanders around the house.
In February 2025, Ralph took a cognitive test and was diagnosed with dementia. He was enrolled in the Dog Aging Project because he could help figure out what works for dementia in dogs.
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