“To understand the experiences of owners of dogs with chronic pain and explore owner perceptions of their pets’ pain.”
“By understanding the impact of chronic pain on dog owners and ap- preciating how owners perceive pain in their pets, veterinarians may be able to provide better care for patients and clients.“
“To assess validity and reliability for a visual analogue scale (VAS) used by owners to measure chronic pain in their osteoarthritic dogs.”
“Although valid and reliable, the pain VAS was a poor tool for untrained owners because of poor face validity (ie, owners could not recognize their dogs’ behavior as signs of pain). Only after owners had seen pain diminish and then return (after starting and discontinuing NSAID use) did the VAS have face validity.”
“To evaluate the accuracy of numerical rating (NRS) and visual analogue (VAS) scoring scales compared with force plate gait analysis and agreement between observers for each scoring scale.”
“Subjective scoring scales do not replace force plate gait analysis. Agreement is low unless lameness is severe, and each observer uses an individually unique scale. Subjective scoring scales most accurately reflect force plate gait analysis when lameness is severe.”
“To determine the accuracy of pressure plate kinetic asymmetry indices (ASIs) for diagnosis of unilateral hind limb lameness in dogs and their correlation with visual gait assessment (VGA) scores.”
“Results indicated that ASIs of PVF and VI deter- mined via analysis of pressure plate measurements were reliable indicators of clinical lame- ness in dogs, but the ASI of PVP was not. The ASI of PCA is an interesting new variable for assessment of limb loading symmetry.”
This article outlines the rationale and thought processes behind the construction of this proposed instrument and the ‘item generation’ — determination by expert opinion of what the instrument should contain and look like (face validity). It gives a detailed overview of COAST, and practical details on how it is proposed to be used.
This report describes a novel instrument developed by an expert panel to facilitate diagnosis of OA through standardized and guided assessment. Ultimately, an effective staging tool like this may help improve pain control and general clinical management of dogs with OA by providing standardized ‘scores’ over time that can be related to treatment efforts. With COAST, the authors are proposing a schematic approach to diagnosing and staging canine OA, utilizing inputs from the pet owner and from the veterinarian consultation and examination.
Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common cause of chronic disability in older adults. Although classically considered a “wear and tear” degenerative condition of articular joints, recent studies have demonstrated an inflammatory component to OA that includes increased activity of several cytokines and chemokines in joint tissues that drive production of matrix-degrading enzymes.
Understanding the basic mechanisms by which aging affects joint tissues should provide new targets for slowing or preventing the development of OA.
The developmental orthopedic diseases and associated osteoarthritis are the most common articular diseases in dogs. They account for some 70% of visits for articular disease and related problems within the appendicular skeleton. Twenty two percent of cases were dogs aged one year or under (5). The incidence of OA is increased by trauma as well as obesity, aging and genetic abnormalities.
This document is designed to provide the user with easy‐to‐implement, core fundamentals on the successful recognition and treatment of pain in the day‐to‐day small animal clinical practice setting.
While not intended to be an exhaustive treatise on the subject matter, the text does provide an extensive reference list and there is additional material on the WSAVA website (www.wsava.org) designed to provide resources for those wanting to further their knowledge of this subject matter based on the current literature.
Joints are functional units that transmit mechanical loads between contacting bones during normal daily or specialized activities, e.g., sports. All components of the joint, i.e. articular cartilage, bone, muscles, ligaments/tendons and nerves, participate in load transmission. Failure in any of these components can cause joint malfunction, which, in turn, may lead to accumulation of damage in other joint components.
The importance of the neuromuscular system to the initiation and progression of OA is still poorly understood. Many surgical extra- and intra-articular procedures have been used for the treatment of OA. Although some of the new methods, such as autologous chondrocyte transplantation and mosaicplasty, have given good clinical results, it is reasonable to emphasize that the methods still are experimental and more controlled studies are needed.
Recently, an expanding body of knowledge has documented the nature and functions of receptors in joint tissues and their potential importance in preserving the smooth normal functioning of the motor-skeletal system and in amplifying the inflammatory response to joint injuries and diseases. This review summarizes the current knowledge of the anatomical and physiological substrates of these mechanisms.
Synovial joints are sites of major interactions between the musculoskeletal and the nervous systems. Understanding the mechanisms that activate and control these interactions will certainly offer the opportunity to develop new, more effective treatments for patients with joint disorders.
