Overview
- A peer‑reviewed study published June 25, 2026, found that shortening of front‑leg (thoracic limb) stride in older dogs is linked to worsening scores on the Canine Dementia Scale.
- The result comes from a longitudinal cohort of 88 senior dogs that were tested every six months with on‑leash five‑metre walkway trials and owner questionnaires for cognition and pain.
- Analyses showed the association was specific to front legs and not hind legs, and the effect of cognitive decline on thoracic stride length was larger than the effect of chronological age alone.
- Authors and reporting outlets warn the measure cannot diagnose dementia by itself because gait is also changed by chronic pain and orthopedic or spinal problems and may be too subtle without repeat measures.
- Practically, vets and owners can use repeated front‑leg stride checks as a scalable monitoring tool, but the study’s authors call for larger, more diverse validation studies before it is used as a standalone test.