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Objective: To determine the relationship between synovial biomarker concentrations and severity of lameness and to assess the ability to differentiate normal from osteoarthritic joints with synovial biomarker concentrations., Study Design: Prospective clinical study., Sample Population: Twelve hounds with no evidence of osteoarthritis (OA) and 27 client-owned dogs with unilateral lameness and joint pain in a single joint from naturally occurring OA., Methods: Enrollment in the OA group required a history of lameness, radiographic evidence of OA on orthogonal joint radiographs, and ≥6% gait asymmetry between contralateral limbs. The concentrations of 14 synovial OA biomarkers in synovial samples obtained after gait analysis were measured with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays and compared between normal and OA joints., Results: Concentrations of monocyte chemoattractant protein (MCP)-1, substance P, interleukin (IL)-6, IL-8, KC-like, matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-1, and MMP-3 were greater (P ≤ .05) in OA than in normal joints. The concentrations of bradykinin and tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinase-4 were decreased in OA compared with normal joints. Monocyte chemoattractant protein 1 was identified as the most accurate marker to distinguish OA from normal joints. No correlation was detected between any OA biomarker concentration, individually or in combination, and severity of gait asymmetry at the walk., Conclusion: Differences in proinflammatory and anti-inflammatory biomarkers were detected between OA and normal joints, but no relationship was identified between biomarker concentrations and gait asymmetry in dogs with OA., Clinical Impact: This information will help guide future studies to elucidate how factors such as disease chronicity, severity, and etiology affect these relationships., (© 2019 The American College of Veterinary Surgeons.)

Objective  To determine if environmental variables affect the average daily activity counts (AC) of dogs with osteoarthritis (OA) and/or owners' perception of their dog's clinical signs or quality of life. Methods  The AC and Canine Brief Pain Inventory (CBPI) owner questionnaires of 62 dogs with OA were compared with daily environmental variables including the following: average temperature (°C), high temperature (°C), low temperature (°C), relative humidity (%), total precipitation (mm), average barometric pressure (hPa) and total daylight hours. Results  Daily AC significantly correlated with average temperature and total daylight hours, but average temperature and total daylight hours accounted for less than 1% of variation in AC. No other significant relationships were found between daily AC and daily high temperature, low temperature, relative humidity, total precipitation or average barometric pressure. No statistical relationship was found between daily AC and the CBPI, nor between environmental variables and the CBPI. Canine Brief Pain Inventory scores for pain severity and pain interference decreased significantly over the test period. Clinical Significance  The relationship between daily AC and average temperature and total daylight hours was significant, but unlikely to be clinically significant. Thus, environmental variables do not appear to have a clinically relevant bias on AC or owner CBPI questionnaires. The decrease over time in CBPI pain severity and pain interference values suggests owners completing the CBPI in this study were influenced by a caregiver placebo effect., Competing Interests: Disclosure The authors report no conflicts of interest in this work., (Schattauer GmbH Stuttgart.)

Objectives: To assess the safety and efficacy of an orally administered nutraceutical (Glu/CS+; + for additional ingredient) for the treatment of clinical osteoarthritis (OA) in dogs., Methods: In this double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial, client-owned dogs with clinical signs of OA in one or more joints were assigned to a Glu/CS+ (n = 30) or placebo (n = 30) group. Dogs were administered Glu/CS+ or placebo orally and wore an activity monitor (AM) continuously throughout a 97 day study period. Prior to the initiation of the treatment, seven days of baseline activity was collected. On days -7, 30, 60 and 90 of the study, owners completed a patient assessment form (Canine Brief Pain Inventory). Data between groups were compared., Results: No serious adverse events were reported. No difference was found between groups when evaluating daily activity counts during the seven-day pre-treatment period and the 90-day treatment period. Owner assessment (pain interference and pain severity scores) improved over the 90-day treatment period for both groups, however no difference was found between treatment groups., Conclusions: Treatment with oral Glu/CS+ for a 90 day treatment period when compared to placebo treatment did not result in a significant increase in activity counts in dogs with clinical OA. However, owner assessment scores similarly improved throughout the study period for dogs in both groups, suggesting a caregiver placebo effect in this outcome measure.

Objective: To determine the 12-month outcome in dogs with spontaneous cranial cruciate ligament (CCL) rupture after repair with an intra-articular decellularized allograft., Study Design: Prospective pilot case series., Animals: Ten client-owned dogs with unilateral CCL rupture., Methods: An intra-articular, decellularized, deep digital flexor tendon allograft was secured in the stifle with a femoral cross pin and tibial spiked washers and screws. An interference screw was placed in the tibial tunnel. Dogs were evaluated with an owner questionnaire, radiographs, and force platform gait analysis before and 2, 6, and 12 months after surgery., Results: Owners reported improvement in level of pain and mobility throughout the study, especially over the first 6 months. Peak vertical force and vertical impulse improved across all time points. Ground reaction force asymmetry index for peak vertical force and vertical impulse at 12 months showed 3 dogs within a normal index (<6%), 4 dogs as nonvisibly lame (6-20%), and 3 dogs as visibly lame (≥20%). For most dogs, osteoarthritis scoring did not change over the 12-month period and some femoral-tibial translation was detected on standing horizontal beam radiographs., Conclusion: Intra-articular repair using a decellularized allograft can provide functional clinical outcomes in dogs with CCL disease. A better understanding of long-term engraftment after this procedure is needed., (© 2017 The American College of Veterinary Surgeons.)

Objective: To document the caregiver placebo effect in owners and veterinarians of dogs with lameness from osteoarthritis., Design: Prospective, randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled, multicenter clinical trial., Animals: 58 dogs with lameness secondary to osteoarthritis., Procedures: Dogs enrolled in the placebo arm of an FDA-approved study were evaluated to determine the relationship between subjective (caregiver responses) and objective (force platform gait analysis) patient outcome measures., Results: A caregiver placebo effect for owners evaluating their dog's lameness occurred 39.7% of the time. A caregiver placebo effect occurred 44.8% of the time when veterinarians examined dogs for lameness at a walk, 44.8% of the time when veterinarians examined dogs for lameness at a trot, and 43.1% of the time when veterinarians evaluated dogs for signs of pain on palpation of the joint. This effect was significantly enhanced with time. Mean ground reaction forces (GRFs) remained unchanged for dogs during treatment with the placebo. Individually, of 58 dogs, 5 had GRFs that worsened by ≥ 5% over 42 days, 7 had GRFs that improved by ≥ 5% over 42 days, and 46 had GRFs that remained unchanged., Conclusions and Clinical Relevance: A caregiver placebo effect was common in the evaluation of patient response to treatment for osteoarthritis by both pet owners and veterinarians. Force platform gait analysis was an unbiased outcome measure for dogs with lameness from osteoarthritis. A caregiver placebo effect should be considered when interpreting owner and veterinary reports of patient response to treatment.

Objective: To evaluate limb function in client-owned dogs before and after total elbow arthroplasty (TEA) for severe, naturally occurring osteoarthritis (OA)., Study Design: Prospective clinical evaluation comparing limb function before and after surgery., Animals: Twenty adult, large breed dogs with elbow OA., Methods: Physical, radiographic, and force platform gait examinations were performed on all dogs before surgery. TEA was performed, and examinations were repeated at 3, 6, and 12 months after surgery. Pre- and postoperative findings were compared., Results: TEA led to a satisfactory outcome in 16 dogs. In dogs with a satisfactory outcome, function in the operated limb increased over time, with mean peak vertical force (PVF) and vertical impulse (VI) 1 year after surgery being nearly twice the presurgical value. Serious complications encountered included infection (n = 2), luxation (n = 1), and fracture of the humeral condyle (n = 1)., Conclusions: Although TEA, as presented, has significant limitations, it can be successfully performed in dogs with naturally occurring elbow OA. Improvements in technique and implant design should lead to improved prognosis., Clinical Relevance: Based on 1-year data, TEA can be successfully performed in dogs and should be considered as a treatment alternative for adult dogs with lameness from severe OA of the elbow joint., (Copyright 2003 by The American College of Veterinary Surgeons)

Objective: To evaluate the relationship between limb function and radiographic evidence of stifle osteoarthrosis (OA) in dogs., Study Design: The relationship between force platform data and radiographic OA score was evaluated on 2 separate days using regression analysis. Interday variation was also assessed., Animals: Forty-one dogs with visible lameness and radiographic evidence of stifle OA., Methods: Force platform data were collected at a velocity of 1.7 to 2.0 m/s for 5 trials on day 1 and day 8. Radiographs taken on day 1 were scored using a previously reported OA scoring system., Results: No significant relationship was found between force platform data and OA score. No significant differences were found between any day 1 and day 8 force platform values., Conclusions: Although radiographic evidence of stifle OA provides evidence of pathology, it does a poor job of representing limb function. In addition, the absence of significant differences between day 1 and day 8 values in this population of dogs supports use of only a single force platform evaluation before measuring a treatment effect., Clinical Relevance: The presence of OA in the stifle joint does not correlate with clinical function; radiographic outcome should be used cautiously as a predictor of clinical outcome., (Copyright 2003 by The American College of Veterinary Surgeons)

Abstract: Osteonecrosis of the femoral head remains a challenging orthopaedic problem. The disease frequently progresses to femoral head collapse, leading to debilitating osteoarthritis in the affected hip(s). Since a major goal of pre-collapse interventions is to forestall the need for hip arthroplasty, it is important that any animal models used to develop or study such interventions also have a natural history of progression to femoral head collapse. The emu (Dromaius novaehollandiae), a large flightless bird native to Australia, consistently progresses to femoral head collapse when osteonecrosis is experimentally induced cryogenically. Full biomechanical characterization of the demands this animal places on its hip is an important consideration in future usage of this model. This study reports in vitro measurement of the contact stress distributions on the emu femoral head during stance phase of the gait cycle, using Fuji pressure-sensitive film. Applied hip loadings were based upon ground reaction forces and hip flexion angles recorded in vivo. The contact stress data showed reasonable homology with the human hip, both in terms of stress magnitude and sites of habitual loading on the femoral head. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]