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- Author or Editor: Jürgen Zentek x
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Abstract
Objective—To evaluate the effects of a weight reduction program combined with a basic or more complex physical therapy program including transcutaneous electric nerve stimulation on lameness in overweight dogs with osteoarthritis.
Design—Nonblinded prospective randomized clinical trial.
Animals—29 adult overweight or obese dogs with a body condition score of 4/5 or 5/5 and clinical and radiographic signs of osteoarthritis.
Procedures—A weight-loss program was initiated for all dogs. One group received caloric restriction and a home-based physical therapy program. The other group received the identical dietetic protocol and an intensive physical therapy program including transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation. Lameness was assessed clinically and by kinetic gait analysis on a treadmill with 4 force plates to measure symmetry of ground reaction forces (GRFs) of the affected and contralateral limbs in bimonthly intervals for 6 months.
Results—Significant weight loss was achieved in both groups; however, greater weight reduction was attained by dogs treated with caloric restriction and intensive physiotherapy. Mobility and symmetry indices of GRFs were improved after 6 months; the best outcome was detected in the group receiving energy restriction combined with intensive physical therapy.
Conclusions and Clinical Relevance—Caloric restriction combined with intensive physical therapy improved mobility and facilitated weight loss in overweight dogs. The combination of dietetic and physical therapy may help to improve the health status more efficiently than dietetic treatment alone.
Abstract
Objective—To compare bone mineral measurements obtained by use of dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DEXA), peripheral quantitative computed tomography (pQCT), and chemical-physical analyses and determine effects of age and femur size on values obtained for the various techniques.
Sample Population—Femurs obtained from 15 juvenile and 15 adult large-breed dogs.
Procedure—In each femur, 7 regions of interest were examined by use of DEXA to measure the bone mineral content (BMC) and bone mineral density (BMD), and 5 were examined by use of pQCT to measure BMD. Among these, 1 region was examined by both noninvasive methods and an invasive method. Volume of the femur was determined by water displacement. Volumetric bone density (VBD) was calculated. Calcium (Ca), phosphorus (P), total Ca, and total P contents were determined.
Results—DEXA- and pQCT-derived results revealed that all values increased with age in juvenile dogs. In adults, VBD and pQCT-derived BMD decreased significantly and DEXA-derived BMD increased with increasing femur length. The pQCT-derived BMD correlated well with VBD and Ca content, whereas DEXA-derived BMC was strongly correlated with Ca content. In juveniles, values correlated regardless of the technique used, whereas in adult dogs, DEXA-derived BMD did not correlate with pQCT-derived BMD, Ca concentration, or VBD unless data were adjusted on the basis of femur length.
Conclusions and Clinical Relevance—DEXA-derived BMD adjusted for femur length yields approximately the same percentage variability in VBD as for pQCT-derived BMD. However, pQCT-derived BMD is still more sensitive for determining variability in Ca concentration, compared with DEXA-derived BMD adjusted for femur length. (Am J Vet Res 2004;65:891–900)