Background: Subjective pain assessment scales have been widely used for assessing lameness in response to pain, but the accuracy of these scales has been questioned. To assess scale accuracy, 10 lame, presa Canario dogs with osteoarthritis (OA) associated with bilateral hip dysplasia were first treated with mesenchymal stem cells. Then, potential lameness improvement was analyzed using two pain scales (Bioarth and visual analog scale). These data were compared with similar data collected using a force platform with the same animals during a period of 6 months after treatment. Results: The F test for intraclass correlation showed that concordance in pain/lameness scores between the 2 measuring methodologies was not significant (P value ≥ 0.9213; 95 % confidence interval, -0.56, 0.11). Although subjective pain assessment showed improvement after 6 months, force platform data demonstrated those same animals had returned to the initial lameness state. Conclusion: Use of pain assessment scales to measure lameness associated with OA did not have great accuracy and concordance when compared with quantitative force platform gait analysis.

Background The limb center of pressure (COP) path measures and quantifies the load distribution within a limb in a still or moving subject. Under this premise, the aim of this study was to test whether data derived from this parameter could detect the differences between sound and lame limbs in unilaterally lame dogs with elbow dysplasia. To accomplish this purpose, ten unilaterally lame dogs of similar conformation were walked over a pressure platform. Next, the COP path, in relation to the position of sound and lame limbs, was measured in a coordinate system over a standard paw template obtained by pedobarography during the whole support phase. To compare variables, force platform data (peak vertical force and vertical impulse) from the same animals were obtained. Sound and lame limb statokinesiograms were also obtained while the animals stood still. Results The statistical analysis clearly showed that COP in lame limbs start cranially and were shorter than sound limbs. In addition, the value of the COP excursion index was lower in lame limbs. Finally, the area of statokinesiograms was greater in lame limbs. Conclusion This methodology based in limb COP characteristics serves to discriminate between sound and lame limbs in dogs with elbow dysplasia. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s12917-019-1881-1) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

BackgroundThe usefulness of studying posture and its modifications due to locomotor deficiencies of multiple origins has been widely proven in humans. To assess its suitability in the canine species, static posturography and dynamic pedobarography were performed on lame dogs affected with unilateral elbow dysplasia and cranial cruciate ligament rupture by using a pressure platform. With this objective, statokinesiograms and stabilograms, the percentage of pressure distribution between limbs, paw area, mean pressure, and peak pressure, were obtained from lame and sound dogs. These data were compared with Peak Vertical Force values originated from a force platform in the same recording sessions.ResultsSignificant differences were found in the parameters mentioned above between sound and lame dogs and limbs.ConclusionsPosturography and pedobarography are useful and reliable for the monitoring of fore and hindlimb lameness in dogs, providing a new set of parameters for lameness detection.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1186/s12917-018-1435-y) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

The goal of this study was to objectively assess the effect of a platelet-rich plasma (PRP) derivate in English bulldogs with stifle degenerative joint disease secondary to cranial cruciate ligament rupture (CCLR). We used a force platform and affixed electrogoniometers to measure peak vertical force (PVF), vertical impulse (VI), stance time (ST), and angular range of motion (AROM), from 12 lame client-owned English bulldogs with post-CCLR stifle joint abnormalities. The 12 affected subjects were treated with 4 intra-articular injections of PRP, at 30-day intervals. Ten untreated, sound English bulldogs were used as a reference group. Clinical outcomes were evaluated using a linear mixed effects model. Mean values of PVF, VI, ST, and AROM were improved within the first 3 months post-treatment in the CCLR group, with mean measured changes increasing to maximum 4.56% body weight gain, 1.5% body weight/second, 0.07 seconds, and 6.18 degrees, respectively. The effects declined progressively after the treatment interval, ending at nearly initial levels after 6 months. This study demonstrates that dogs with CCLR treated with intra-articular PRP had improved PVF, VI, ST, and AROM over time; the duration of effect was waning by the end of the post-treatment period.

BackgroundStatic posturography and pedobarography are based on the detection of postural imbalance and, consequently, the pressure redistribution between limbs in lame subjects. These techniques have proven to be useful for the detection of lameness in humans and dogs. The main objective of this study was to test the suitability of static posturography and pedobarography in diagnosing lameness in ponies.A pressure platform was used to obtain postural data (statokinesiograms, mean X and Y, length, LFS ratio, and mean velocity) from 10 sound ponies and 7 ponies with unilateral forelimb lameness. Static pedobarographic data (pressure distribution, mean pressure, and peak pressure) were also collected and compared with force plate data (peak vertical force and vertical impulse) obtained from the same animals at the walk.ResultsSignificant differences were seen between lame and sound ponies for almost all evaluated parameters. With this sample size, differences between lame and sound limbs/groups were detected with a statistical power of 90%, except for mean X and Y.ConclusionsStatic posturography and pedobarography provide a complementary approach for lameness detection in equids.

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Osteoarticular pathologies very often require an implementation therapy to favor regeneration processes of bone, cartilage and/or tendons. Clinical approaches performed on osteoarticular complications in dogs constitute an ideal model for human clinical translational applications. The adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (ASCs) have already been used to accelerate and facilitate the regenerative process. ASCs can be maintained in vitro and they can be differentiated to osteocytes or chondrocytes offering a good tool for cell replacement therapies in human and veterinary medicine. Although ACSs can be easily obtained from adipose tissue, the amplification process is usually performed by a time consuming process of successive passages. In this work, we use canine ASCs obtained by using a Bioreactor device under GMP cell culture conditions that produces a minimum of 30 million cells within 2 weeks. This method provides a rapid and aseptic method for production of sufficient stem cells with potential further use in clinical applications. We show that plasma rich in growth factors (PRGF) treatment positively contributes to viability and proliferation of canine ASCs into caprolactone 2-(methacryloyloxy) ethyl ester (CLMA) scaffolds. This biomaterial does not need additional modifications for cASCs attachment and proliferation. Here we propose a framework based on a combination of approaches that may contribute to increase the therapeutical capability of stem cells by the use of PRGF and compatible biomaterials for bone and connective tissue regeneration.

Background Pedobarographic analyses detect pressure redistribution among limbs and within limbs in humans, equids and dogs. The main objective of this study was to assess the usefulness of a set of pedobarographic parameters for the detection of lameness, as well as for its suitability for assessing the effects of therapies against osteoarthritis in dogs. With this purpose, eleven large-breed lame dogs with unilateral osteoarthritis due to elbow dysplasia were evaluated using a pressure platform prior to (D0) and after 3 months (D90) of treatment with mavacoxib, a COX-2 selective NSAID. The obtained parameters were: pressure distribution between lame and sound limbs, as well as paw area, mean pressure, and peak pressure of both lame and sound limbs. Results The results showed statistical differences in all these parameters between lame and sound limbs at D0; however, at D90, differences were significantly decreased as result of the treatment, indicating a substantial functional recovery under the study design conditions. Conclusions The provided data prove the suitability of this novel technique in canine models for the quantitative and objective assessment of lameness, but also for the evaluation of treatments for lameness caused by articular pain. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s12917-019-1946-1) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.