Shorter front-leg strides can be an early warning sign of dementia in senior dogs

Shorter front-leg strides can be an early warning sign of dementia in senior dogs

Scientists have shown that the stride length of the front legs (but not the hind legs) of senior and geriatric dogs decreases as their cognitive performance worsens. In contrast, chronological age itself was a poor predictor of stride length. A similar reduction in step length has been well documented in people with dementia. These results suggest that a decline in stride length could be an early warning sign of canine dementia, and so an informative new tool for veterinarians.

Stride length tied to cognitive decline in dogs

New research provides a more complete picture of dogs that are developing dementia, potentially allowing earlier detection.

A Dog's Shortening Front Stride Can Signal Dementia Before the Memory Goes

Years before a person with dementia starts forgetting names or losing the thread of a conversation, their walk often gives them away. The steps get shorter. Slower, a little uneven, sometimes a shuffle. Neurologists have long read this as a message from the frontal cortex and the cerebellum, the brain regions that plan and police movement, faltering. Now it turns out our dogs may be sending the same message, written in the length of their front-…