Comparison of the Vertical Force Distribution in the Paws of Dogs with Coxarthrosis and Sound Dogs Walking over a Pressure Plate

Jane P L Moreira; Alexander Tichy; Barbara Bockstahler

doi:10.3390/ani10060986

Comparison of the Vertical Force Distribution in the Paws of Dogs with Coxarthrosis and Sound Dogs Walking over a Pressure Plate

Animals (Basel). 2020 Jun 5;10(6):986. doi: 10.3390/ani10060986.

Authors

Jane P L Moreira¹, Alexander Tichy², Barbara Bockstahler¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Companion Animals and Horses, Small Animal Surgery, Section of Physical Therapy, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, 1210 Vienna, Austria.
² Bioinformatics and Biostatistics platform, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, 1210 Vienna, Austria.

Abstract

In the present study, we used a pressure plate to investigate the ground reaction forces of limbs and the vertical force distribution (VFD) within the paws of dogs with coxarthrosis. We included 23 sound dogs (G_Sou) and 23 dogs with hip osteoarthrosis (G_Cox). The dogs walked over a pressure plate and the peak vertical force (PFz), vertical impulse (IFz) as the percentage of the total force, and time of occurrence of PFz as a percent of the stance phase duration (TPFz%) were evaluated, as well for the entire limb as in the paws (where the paws were divided into four quadrants). The G_Cox presented a lower PFz% in the lame hind limb than in others and transferred the weight to the caudal quadrants of the front limbs. IFz% was lower in the lame limb and was counterbalanced through higher loading of the caudal quadrants in all unaffected limbs. TPFz% was reached later in the lame limb than in the contralateral limb and the G_Sou, specifically in the caudomedial quadrant. In conclusion, we found complex compensatory effects of lameness in the hind limb, and this methodology was useful to define the VFD within the paws of dogs.

Keywords: coxarthrosis; dogs; gait analysis; paw; pressure plate; vertical force distribution.