New guidelines standardize diagnosis and monitoring of canine dementia

A new international expert consensus has established the first standardized guidelines for diagnosing and monitoring canine cognitive dysfunction syndrome, or CCDS, often described as canine dementia. Published in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association in late December 2025, the guidance defines CCDS as a chronic, progressive, age-associated neurodegenerative syndrome and centers diagnosis around changes in the DISHAA domains: disorientation, social interaction, sleep disruption, house soiling, learning and memory, activity changes, and anxiety. The group, led by North Carolina State University neurologist Natasha Olby, also introduced two diagnostic certainty levels, one based on history, exams, and lab work, and a higher-certainty level that adds brain MRI and normal CSF cell counts, along with three severity stages from mild to severe. (news.ncsu.edu)

Why it matters: For veterinary professionals, the guidelines address a long-standing gap: many senior dogs show behavioral changes that can be mistaken for normal aging, pain, sensory decline, endocrine disease, intracranial disease, or other comorbidities. That matters in practice because a 2025 survey of U.S. veterinarians found most respondents wanted standardized criteria to improve confidence in diagnosing CCDS, and relatively few reported using screening questionnaires or advanced imaging. The new recommendations also put structure around monitoring, calling for annual behavioral screening starting at age 7, and six-month CCDS scale follow-up when concerns are identified, with routine six-month scoring for all dogs beginning at age 10. (frontiersin.org)

What to watch: Next up will be validation work around blood biomarkers, cognitive testing batteries, and real-world uptake of the guidelines in primary care practice. (elib.tiho-hannover.de)