Gait scoring in dogs with thoracolumbar spinal cord injuries when walking on a treadmill.

Background: An inexpensive method of generating continuous data on hind limb function in dogs with spinal cord injury is needed to facilitate multicentre clinical trials. This study aimed to define normal fore limb, hind limb coordination in dogs walking on a treadmill and then to determine whether reliable data could be generated on the frequency of hind limb stepping and the frequency of coordinated stepping in dogs with a wide range of severities of thoracolumbar spinal cord injury.

Results: Sixty-nine neurologically normal dogs of different body sizes including seven lame dogs were videotaped walking on the treadmill without prior training and all used the lateral gait of right fore, left hind, left fore, right hind (RF-LH-LF-RH).

The sensory field and repeatability of the cutaneous trunci muscle reflex of the dog.

Objective: To describe the cutaneous trunci muscle (CTM) reflex in dogs.

Study Design: Prospective descriptive study.

Animals: Normal dogs (n = 155) and 10 dogs with thoracolumbar myelopathies.