Gait4dog

Following screening, dogs that met the inclusion criteria were enrolled and all owners provided written, informed consent for inclusion in the study. Prior to treatment owners then completed the Canine Brief Pain Inventory (CBPI) and the Liverpool Osteoarthritis in Dogs (LOAD) questionnaires. Dogs were also trotted across a pressure sensitive mat (Gait4Dog®, CIR Systems, Franklin, NJ) to collect objective gait data. We sought to obtain a minimum of 10 valid trials across the mat. A valid trial was considered one in which the leash was slack and not influencing the gait, the dog was trotting in a straight line while looking straight ahead without turning its head, and in which the dog maintained a relatively consistent pace. Dogs were typically trotted 20–40 times across the mat in order to ensure obtaining 10 acceptable trials. All trials were video-recorded for subsequent review.

Following screening, dogs that met the inclusion criteria were enrolled and all owners provided written, informed consent for inclusion in the study. Prior to treatment owners then completed the Canine Brief Pain Inventory (CBPI) and the Liverpool Osteoarthritis in Dogs (LOAD) questionnaires. Dogs were also trotted across a pressure sensitive walkway (Gait4Dog^®, CIR Systems, Franklin, NJ) to collect objective gait data. We sought to obtain a minimum of 5 valid trials. A trial was valid if the leash was slack and not influencing the dog's gait, the dog was trotting in a straight line while looking straight ahead without turning its head, and in which the dog maintained a relatively consistent pace. Dogs were typically trotted at least 20 times across the walkway in order to ensure obtaining five or more acceptable trials. All trials were video-recorded for subsequent review.

All animal experiments for the study were approved by the University of Missouri Animal Care and Use Committee and were conducted according to National Institutes of Health guidelines. The proposed IMU system was tested on four 2 ~ 4 years old, mixed-breed dogs in a synchronized validation study with a pressure-sensor based canine walkway gait system (GAIT4Dog, CIR Systems, Inc., Franklin, NJ, USA). The canines used in this study were derived from cross-breeding of golden retriever, Labrador retriever, beagle, and Welsh corgi. All dogs were first trained to walk comfortably in the testing area using a leash and halter vest one month before the test. The same walk training was conducted again one week before their scheduled gait tests. All gait tests were conducted in the canine housing facility at the University of Missouri.