Dog Aging Project Veterinary Fellow Texas A&M University Bryan, Texas, United States
Abstract:
Background: Gait speed is a marker of frailty and a predictor of mortality in humans. Little information is available on frailty or its predictive value in companion dogs. Variable dog phenotypes complicate assessment of speed. Hypothesis/
Objectives: To evaluate gait speed in a population of healthy, adult companion dogs and determine which phenotypic measurements predict gait speed as part of a proposed frailty evaluation. Animals: Reportedly healthy, skeletally mature, client-owned dogs (≥2 years) that completed morphometric and mobility activities as part of the Dog Aging Project (DAP) (n=3,412).
Methods: Body condition scores (BCS) were extracted from medical records submitted by DAP participants. Annually, each DAP participant provides their dog’s weight and is asked to perform and report 1) eight unique measurements of their dog, and 2) a timed off-leash ten-meter run. Pearson’s product-moment correlation was used to assess associations between continuous measurements and speed.
Results: Measurements and speed were available for 1,374 dogs between 2-6 years. Six of the eight unique measurements and body weight were positively correlated with gait speed, with body weight being the primary driver of the relationship. BCS was not correlated with speed. Among all dogs, a broken-line analysis found a significant decline in gait speed at 8.37 years. Conclusions and clinical importance: Owner-reported gait speed may be a marker of frailty in otherwise healthy dogs. Given variable dog phenotype, the ability to use weight alone to interpret speed simplifies use of this practical, low-tech assessment.
