Clean Run - December 2014 - 49

Sports Medicine
Assessment of the

Agility Dog
By Brittany Jean Carr, DVM, Debra Canapp, DVM, DACVSMR, CVA, CCRT. Photos courtesy of VOSM

Human athletes often have an entire
team of health professionals devoted to
maintaining and improving their health
and fitness. Likewise, canine sports
medicine and rehabilitation professionals can play a pivotal role in helping you
keep your dog in top athletic condition,
not only to maintain fitness but also to
help prevent injury. Furthermore, canine sports medicine and rehabilitation
professionals can help you understand
your dogs' strengths and weaknesses in
agility. This valuable knowledge can create an advantage, or help to avoid a disadvantage in agility, and can guide you
in diminishing the potential for injuries.

Preseason Evaluation
A canine sports medicine and rehab veterinarian should conduct a preseason
sports medicine evaluation and examination. A full physical exam and complete blood count and blood chemistry
should be done to ensure that your dog
is healthy for training and competition.
Systemic disease can not only affect a
dog's performance but also potentially
predispose a dog to injury. A thorough
orthopedic exam should be conducted
to identify potential problem areas that
could affect performance and establish a normal baseline in the event that
problems or injuries arise. Particular emphasis should be placed on your dog's
structure, posture, and gait.

December 14 | Clean Run

Orthopedic Exam
The orthopedic exam should include thorough palpation and assessment of each joint
and boney structure. Abnormalities in muscle tone, strength, symmetry, range of motion,
and function should be noted. Goniometric measurements should be documented for
each extremity joint to assess range of motion and detect restrictions or excessive joint
angle. Muscle mass measurements should be recorded to confirm symmetry of the soft
tissues. A neurological exam should be conducted to rule out any underlying neurological conditions that could affect performance. Additionally, a chiropractic exam can
be performed to ensure that your dog's body is in proper mechanical alignment; malalignment can negatively affect performance and place a dog at a higher risk for injury.

Baseline Diagnostics
It is not uncommon for agility dogs to present subtle alterations of gait, many of
which are so subtle they may not be identified as an overt lameness. It is critical to
understand and establish a baseline normal gait. Both subjective and objective gait
analysis should be performed.
Subjective Gait Analysis
In the subjective gait analysis your dog should be evaluated at both the walk and
the trot from multiple angles and directions. It is also very helpful to view videos of
the dog at a walk and trot, preferably in slow motion if available. Changes in gait not
visible to the naked eye, such as a slight shortening of stride, can often be captured
on video and identified in slow motion, making slow-motion video a valuable tool.
Viewing videos of your dog training and performing can provide the canine sports
medicine and rehab professional with useful information on how the dog engages
his body while working. Dogs with subtle injuries often change the manner in which
they perform a skill, which places them at a higher risk to not only further injure the
initial site, but also develop compensatory injuries. These subtle adaptations are
often easily detected on video. Thus, it is ideal to have videos of your dog, in both
training and performance, to share with your canine sports medicine and rehab vet.
Objective Gait Analysis
A baseline objective gait analysis should also be done because this can provide a multitude of data on your dog's gait characteristics. Pressure-sensing walkways provide
information on a dog's total pressure index, stride length, step length, and stance
time. Should a change in performance, subtle lameness, or injury arise, a baseline gait
analysis can be helpful for comparison and to establish a diagnosis.
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Clean Run - December 2014

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