Survey of Handlers of 158 Police Dogs in New Zealand: Functional Assessment and Canine Orthopedic Index.

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dc.citation.issueMAR
dc.citation.volume6
dc.contributor.authorBaltzer WI
dc.contributor.authorOwen R
dc.contributor.authorBridges J
dc.contributor.editorLevine D
dc.coverage.spatialSwitzerland
dc.date.accessioned2024-10-31T20:18:22Z
dc.date.available2024-10-31T20:18:22Z
dc.date.issued2019-04-16
dc.description.abstractObjectives: To determine the functional assessment (FA) of fitness and Canine Orthopedic Index (COI) scores of 158 police dogs. The hypothesis was the dogs would have excellent fitness and no evidence of orthopedic disease regardless of age as reported by the handlers. Study Design: Observational, prospective study. Sample Population: Handlers of dogs >1 year of age in active duty or breeding/active duty. Methods: COI and FA questionnaires were completed via e-mail. Fisher's Exact test for count data assessed scores by age group (<2 years, 2–5 years, >5 years); Wilcoxon Signed-rank test correlated COI parameters (stiffness, function, gait, quality of life) to FA. Results: The dogs were 3.2 ± 2.4 (mean ± standard deviation) years-old, 96% were German Shepherds and 111 were male. 32% of dogs could hold the “Hup” position for no longer than 4 s and 8% frequently had difficulty with this task. Difficulty jumping into vehicles occurred in 1/3 of the dogs. Overall FA was impaired in 20% (score >8), abnormal in 15% (score = 5–7), and reduced (score = 1–4) in 36% of dogs. Only 29% had normal function (FA score = 0) and these were significantly younger (2.8 ± 1.7 years, p < 0.05) than impaired dogs (6.6 ± 2.2 years). COI stiffness score was abnormal in 37% (3.3 ± 2.2) and gait was abnormal in 41% (5.4 ± 4.0). Quality of life (QOL) was excellent in 69% of dogs. Stiffness for the <2 year-old group was 0.2 ± 0.8, for the 2–5 year-old group was 1.1 ± 2.0 and for the >5 year-old group was 3.2 ± 2.4. Gait score for the <2 year group was 0.8 ± 2.2, and for the 2–5 year group was 1.9 ± 3.2 and for the >5 year group was 6.0 ± 4.3. Quality of life was close to excellent for the <2 year-olds (0.3 ± 1.1) and 2–5 year-olds (0.8 ± 2.0) but the >5 year-olds scored higher (3.0 ± 2.5). Only the COI gait score correlated with the FA score (p = 0.30). Conclusions and Clinical Relevance: Police dogs were reported by handlers to have good to excellent QOL, however, increasing age was associated with declining FA and COI scores.
dc.description.confidentialfalse
dc.edition.edition2019
dc.format.pagination85-
dc.identifier.author-urlhttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31058169
dc.identifier.citationBaltzer WI, Owen R, Bridges J. (2019). Survey of Handlers of 158 Police Dogs in New Zealand: Functional Assessment and Canine Orthopedic Index.. Front Vet Sci. 6. MAR. (pp. 85-).
dc.identifier.doi10.3389/fvets.2019.00085
dc.identifier.eissn2297-1769
dc.identifier.elements-typejournal-article
dc.identifier.issn2297-1769
dc.identifier.numberARTN 85
dc.identifier.urihttps://mro.massey.ac.nz/handle/10179/71885
dc.languageeng
dc.publisherFrontiers Media S.A.
dc.publisher.urihttps://www.frontiersin.org/journals/veterinary-science/articles/10.3389/fvets.2019.00085/full
dc.relation.isPartOfFront Vet Sci
dc.rights(c) 2019 The Author/s
dc.rightsCC BY 4.0
dc.rights.urihttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
dc.subjectcanine orthopedic index
dc.subjectfunctional assessment
dc.subjectgait
dc.subjectmusculoskeletal disease
dc.subjectpolice working dog
dc.titleSurvey of Handlers of 158 Police Dogs in New Zealand: Functional Assessment and Canine Orthopedic Index.
dc.typeJournal article
pubs.elements-id423164
pubs.organisational-groupCollege of Health
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