How many control dogs were included in the study?

• A. 9
• B. 13
• C. 15
• D. 11

Answer: (D)

The number of control animals is defined by what the authors report for the control group in the study’s design and data presentation. In SAIM papers, you’ll usually find this clearly stated in the Animals/Subjects section and confirmed in the accompanying table or a flow diagram, showing how many individuals were allocated to each group.

In this study, the control group is documented as eleven dogs, which is why eleven is the correct answer. That count reflects how many non-diseased dogs were available or selected to serve as the comparison group and to balance the study for the outcomes measured. The other numbers don’t align with the study’s stated group sizes, so they aren’t consistent with what the paper reports for controls.