Front Matter

40 Canine Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation

Most pressure‐sensing walkways do not
measure total ground reaction forces but rather
compute an indirect measure of these forces.
One of the most important measurements col-
lected is the total pressure placed on each foot.
Dogs place more of their weight on their tho-
racic limbs compared to their pelvic limbs. For
most breeds, this distribution is approximately
60% of the dog’s weight on the thoracic limbs
(30% on each thoracic limb) and 40% on the pel-
vic limbs (20% on each pelvic limb). However,
recent studies have shown this can vary among
breeds (Carr et al., 2015).
As with any other gait analysis system, there
are advantages and disadvantages to using a
pressure‐sensing walkway (Table  2.5). All the
above quantitative gait analysis systems have the
potential to provide substantial information
regarding most areas of locomotion research.
However, for several reasons, only certain aspects
of these technologies can be harnessed by the
practicing veterinarian. Many of these systems
are very expensive, in the hundreds of thousands
of dollars. In addition, they frequently have a
significant learning curve, not only for the acqui-
sition of data, but even more so for their analysis.
Some systems require significant numbers of
repeat measures on a single dog, which is not
practical in the clinical setting, and accurate anal-
ysis of the data is often not possible in real time.
Nonetheless, several 2‐D computer‐assisted
videographic gait analysis systems are finding
their way into specialty practices. These sys-
tems can be operated by trained technical staff

and provide a videographic presentation of

the  dog’s gait that can be understood by the

educated client. New developments will con-

tinue to increase our ability to quantify the

kinematics and kinetics of canine gait.

Accelerometry in dogs

Recently, accelerometers have been validated

for use in dogs (Hansen et al., 2007; Brown et al.,

2010; Michel & Brown, 2011; Wrigglesworth

et al., 2011; Yam et al., 2011; Preston et al., 2012;

Clark et al., 2014; Morrison et al., 2014; Bruno

et  al., 2015; Vitger et al., 2016). In fact, recent

studies have demonstrated their use in manag-

ing weight loss plans for overweight patients

(Morrison et al., 2014; Vitger et al., 2016). One

study demonstrated that accelerometers could

be used to measure physical performance and

potentially differentiate between on‐lead activity,

off‐lead activity, and playing activity in healthy

dogs versus dogs with osteoarthritis (Bruno

et al., 2015). These inexpensive and small units

are under development for use in clinic‐based

objective gait analysis systems.

Breed variation in gait

Studies have compared the gaits of various

breeds and found differences in ground reac-

tion forces (Bertram et al., 2000; Besancon et al.,

2004;Colborne et al., 2005; Molsa et al., 2010;

Voss et al., 2010; Agostinho et al., 2011; Kano

et  al., 2016; Volstad et al., 2016). These differ-

ences were attributed to variations in confor-

mation and/or body weight. One recent study

evaluated temporospatial gait characteristics of

Border Collies and Labrador Retrievers (Carr

et al., 2016). Labrador Retrievers were shown to

place significantly more weight on the pelvic

limbs at both the walk and the trot than Border

Collies. Border Collies were also shown to have

a significantly shorter gait cycle and stride

length, even when accounting for differences in

body size and weight.

That study proposed that the differences in

quantitative gait characteristics identified could

be related to differences in the original pur-

poses for which these dogs were bred. Border

Collies were originally bred for herding sheep,

a job that requires rapid changes in movement

Table 2.5 Temporospatial gait analysis advantages
and disadvantages

Advantages Disadvantages

Multiple readings can

be obtained from a

single pass

Determination of stride

and step length

Information on limb

placement

User‐friendly software

Portability

Ability to only measure

total ground reaction

forces

Inability to separate the

three force vectors (dorso-

ventral, craniocaudal and

mediolateral) as with force

plate analysis