Canine sporting competitions, e.g., agility, obedience, rally obedience, and utility trials, e.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFStifle injury is common in the companion dog population, affecting weight bearing, neuromuscular control, and balance. Therapeutic exercises after stifle injury seem to be effective, but high-quality research evaluating the effects is lacking. This randomized controlled trial evaluated the effects of a 12-week progressive therapeutic home exercise protocol on three-legged standing, targeting balance and postural- and neuromuscular control and disability in dogs with stifle injury.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: To explore physical activity patterns, including conditioning exercise and sport-specific training, and management routines utilized by handlers of Swedish sporting and working dogs participating in agility, obedience, rally obedience and working trial disciplines.
Procedures: Dog handlers provided information on competition-level dogs through an internet-based cross-sectional and descriptive survey on physical activity, sport-specific training and management. Results are reported overall and stratified by participation in specific disciplines.
Unlabelled: Dog trials and competitions involve various sport disciplines, e.g., obedience, agility, working dog trials and rally obedience.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPhysical fitness is required for canine athletes and working dogs to optimize performance in various disciplines. There is a lack of research on the effects of resistance exercise on cardiorespiratory variables in dogs. The aim of this study was to investigate the immediate effects of parachute-resisted (PR) gallop on heart rate, running speed and stride frequency compared to unresisted (UR) gallop in dogs.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFOwners' ability to recognize signs of chronic pain in dogs undergoing pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic pain interventions during a period of physical rehabilitation is not known. This study aimed to compare dogs with and without chronic pain, and to assess the relationship between explanatory factors, including the probability of owners' response bias induced by pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic pain intervention, and chronic pain in dogs with osteoarthritis (OA). Seventy-one dogs with OA were included in this observational study.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: To evaluate intervention, implement evidence-based practice and enhance the welfare of dogs with naturally occurring osteoarthritis (OA), access to valid, reliable and clinically relevant outcome measures is crucial for researchers, veterinarians and rehabilitation practitioners. The objectives of the present study were to translate and evaluate psychometric properties, in terms of internal consistency and construct validity, of the owner-reported measure canine brief pain inventory (CBPI) in a Swedish sample of dogs with pain related to OA.
Results: Twenty-one owners of clinically sound dogs and 58 owners of dogs with pain related to OA were included in this observational and cross-sectional study.
Unlabelled: The aim of the present study was to assess the criterion validity, relative reliability and level of agreement of Polar® RS800CX heart rate monitor measuring inter-beat intervals (IBIs), compared to simultaneously recorded electrocardiogram (ECG) in dogs.
Methods: Five continuous minutes of simultaneously recorded IBIs from Polar® RS800CX and Cardiostore ECG in 11 adult healthy dogs maintaining standing position were analyzed. Polar® data was statistically compared to ECG data to assess for systematic differences between the methods.
Unlabelled: The aim of the present study was to assess criterion validity, and relative and absolute reliability of Polar® RS800CX heart rate monitor, compared to simultaneously recorded electrocardiogram (ECG) data, in measuring heart rate of dogs during standing position and at trot on a treadmill.
Methods: Heart beats from Polar® RS800CX and Cardiostore ECG were recorded simultaneously during seven continuous minutes in standing position and at trot, in 10 adult healthy dogs. Polar® data was statistically compared to ECG data for a variety of mean beats per minute (BPM), standard deviation and confidence interval.