New Expert Guidelines Aim to Standardize Diagnosis of Dog Dementia

What happened

• An international working group led by Dr. Natasha Olby of North Carolina State University published guidelines for diagnosing and monitoring canine cognitive dysfunction syndrome (CCDS), often called dog dementia. They appeared in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association on December 24, 2025 ^1,2,3.
• The aim is to give veterinarians and researchers a shared definition and practical criteria ^1,3.

What the guidelines include

• The condition is defined as a chronic, progressive, age-associated neurodegenerative syndrome with cognitive and behavioral changes, comparable in some ways to Alzheimer’s disease in people ¹.
• A flowchart helps veterinarians reach a diagnosis with two levels of certainty, and severity is graded on three levels from mild to debilitating impairment ¹.
• Caregiver questionnaires, including the Canine Dementia Scale (CADES) and the Canine Cognitive Dysfunction Rating (CCDR) scale, are recommended as screening tools ¹.
• Blood biomarkers and cognitive testing batteries are listed as priorities for future work ¹.

What owners can do

Changes such as disorientation, altered sleep, loss of house-training or new anxiety can have many causes, including pain and other illness, so a vet visit comes first. Our guide to dog health explains why senior dogs benefit from more frequent checkups, and our enrichment games suit older dogs when adapted.

Sources gave different ages for starting screening, so we haven’t stated one. Ask your vet.