J Parkinsons Dis

Dogs can detect Parkinson’s disease through scent with high accuracy

July 22, 2025

Two trained detection dogs accurately identified Parkinson’s disease (PD) using only skin swabs, highlighting a reproducible olfactory signature in sebum. This approach could support earlier diagnosis, particularly in ambiguous cases, and aid validation of PD biomarkers.

Study details. In a double-blind, case-control study across 25 UK National Health Service sites, two dogs were trained over 38–53 weeks on 205 sebum samples. They were then tested on 100 unseen samples (40 drug-naïve PD, 60 controls), with randomized presentation and blinded handlers.

Results. Dog 1 achieved 70% sensitivity and 90% specificity; Dog 2 reached 80% sensitivity and 98% specificity (p<0.0001).

Source:

Rooney N, et al. (2025, July 14). J Parkinsons Dis. Trained dogs can detect the odor of Parkinson's disease. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40659046/