Pet Evidence Project — Canine Cognitive Dysfunction Screening Summary

petevidenceproject.com/tools/canine-cognitive-dysfunction-screener

Pet information

Name: — · Age band: — · Size: — · Completed: —

Screening Result: 0 out of 12

Questions, responses, and domain scores

Disorientation / Spatial Confusion. Have you noticed your dog standing in a room appearing confused, or getting stuck in corners, behind furniture, or on the wrong side of a door they use every day? — — ( 0 of 2)
Altered Social Interaction. Has your dog become less interested in greeting you, seeks attention less than before; or conversely, has become unusually clingy or anxious when left alone, representing a change from their previous personality? — — ( 0 of 2)
Sleep-Wake Cycle Disruption. Is your dog restless, pacing, or vocalizing at night when they were previously settled, or sleeping significantly more during the day than they used to? — — ( 0 of 2)
Loss of Learned Behaviors / House Soiling. Has your dog started having accidents indoors after being reliably house trained for years, without any recent changes in diet, medication, or access to outdoor areas? — — ( 0 of 2)
Altered Activity Level and Aimless Behavior. Does your dog stare blankly at walls or into space, walk in repetitive circles or patterns with no apparent purpose, or seem to "forget" what they were doing mid-activity, like walking to their bowl and then standing still? — — ( 0 of 2)
New Anxiety or Fear Responses. Has your dog developed new fears or anxiety responses to things that never bothered them before such as strangers, everyday household sounds, or being in rooms they previously spent time in comfortably? — — ( 0 of 2)

DISHA summary

Disorientation: Confusion in familiar spaces or difficulty navigating everyday environments. Response: — ( 0 of 2)
Social interaction: Changes in greeting, seeking attention, withdrawal, clinginess, or separation-related behavior. Response: — ( 0 of 2)
Sleep-wake cycle: Night restlessness or vocalization and increased daytime sleeping. Response: — ( 0 of 2)
House soiling / learned behaviors: Loss of previously reliable house-training behavior. Response: — ( 0 of 2)
Activity / aimless behavior: Staring, repetitive movement, purposeless behavior, or forgetting an activity. Response: — ( 0 of 2)
Anxiety / fear: New fears or anxiety in previously familiar situations. Response: — ( 0 of 2)

Important: This screening tool cannot diagnose canine cognitive dysfunction or any other medical condition. Similar signs may be caused by pain, sensory loss, neurologic disease, metabolic disease, medication effects, anxiety, sleep disorders, or other treatable problems. Only a veterinarian can determine the underlying cause.

Discuss this with your veterinarian. Your veterinarian may recommend a validated cognitive assessment, such as the Canine Dementia Scale (CADES), as part of a complete evaluation. These tools are used alongside a medical history, physical examination, and testing to help distinguish cognitive dysfunction from other conditions.

About this screener

This screening tool is an original educational resource developed by Pet Evidence Project and informed by published research and the clinically established DISHA framework (Disorientation, altered Social Interactions, altered Sleep-wake cycles, House soiling, altered Activity, and Anxiety) - a clinically established framework for assessing canine cognitive dysfunction. It is not a modified version of any single questionnaire.

This tool is intended for educational screening only. It is not a validated clinical instrument, does not diagnose canine cognitive dysfunction, and does not replace veterinary assessment. Your veterinarian may use validated assessment tools, such as the Canine Dementia Scale (CADES), together with your dog's medical history and examination as part of a comprehensive evaluation.

For further information

These publications provide additional background on canine cognitive dysfunction and the clinical frameworks that informed this educational screener.

Madari A, et al. Assessment of severity and progression of canine cognitive dysfunction syndrome using the CAnine DEmentia Scale (CADES). Applied Animal Behaviour Science. 2015. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0168159115002373
Vitturini C, Cerquetella M, Spaterna A, Bazzano M, Marchegiani A. Diagnosis of Canine Cognitive Dysfunction Syndrome: A Narrative Review. Vet Sci. 2025 Aug 20;12(8):781. doi: 10.3390/vetsci12080781. PMID: 40872731; PMCID: PMC12390195. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12390195/

Resources: petevidenceproject.com/articles/cognitive · petevidenceproject.com/evidence-reviews/supplements/cognitive-function · petevidenceproject.com/tools/supplement-finder · petevidenceproject.com/tools/food-finder · petevidenceproject.com/senior-dog-corner · vetmodo.com

Canine Cognitive Dysfunction Screener

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