References

Anderson KL, O'Neill DG, Brodbelt DC Prevalence, duration and risk factors for appendicular osteoarthritis in a UK dog population under primary veterinary care. Sci Rep. 2018; 8:(1) https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-018-23940-z

Belshaw Z, Dean R, Asher L. Could it be osteoarthritis? how dog owners and veterinary surgeons describe identifying canine osteoarthritis in a general practice setting. Prev Vet Med. 2020; 185 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.prevetmed.2020.105198

Benito J, Depuy V, Hardie E Reliability and discriminatory testing of a client-based metrology instrument, feline musculoskeletal pain index (FMPI) for the evaluation of degenerative joint disease-associated pain in cats. Vet J. 2013; 196:(3)368-373 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tvjl.2012.12.015

Bennett D, Morton C. A study of owner observed behavioural and lifestyle changes in cats with musculoskeletal disease before and after analgesic therapy. J Feline Med Surg. 2009; 11:(12)997-1004 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jfms.2009.09.016

Biskup JJ, Conzemius MG. Long-term arthroscopic assessment of intra-articular allografts for treatment of spontaneous cranial cruciate ligament rupture in the dog. Vet Surg. 2020; 49:(4)764-771 https://doi.org/10.1111/vsu.13379

Brown DC, Boston RC, Coyne JC, Farrar JT. Development and psychometric testing of an instrument designed to measure chronic pain in dogs with osteoarthritis. Am J Vet Res. 2007; 68:(6)631-637 https://doi.org/10.2460/ajvr.68.6.631

Brown DC, Boston RC, Farrar JT. Comparison of force plate gait analysis and owner assessment of pain using the canine brief pain inventory in dogs with osteoarthritis. J Vet Intern Med. 2013; 27:(1)22-30 https://doi.org/10.1111/jvim.12004

The canine brief pain inventory user guide. 2017. http://www.vet.upenn.edu/docs/default-source/VCIC/canine-bpi-user's-guide-2017-07 (accessed 6 January 2022)

The feline musculoskeletal pain index (FMPI). 2018. https://painfreecats.org/the-fmpi/#faq (accessed 6 January 2022)

Enomoto M, Lascelles BDX, Gruen ME. Development of a checklist for the detection of degenerative joint disease-associated pain in cats. J Feline Med Surg. 2020; 22:(12)1137-1147 https://doi.org/10.1177/1098612X20907424

Gruen ME, Griffith E, Thomson A, Simpson W, Lascelles BDX. Detection of clinically relevant pain relief in cats with degenerative joint disease associated pain. J Vet Intern Med. 2014; 28:(2)346-350 https://doi.org/10.1111/jvim.12312

Hielm-Björkman AK, Rita H, Tulamo R-M. Psychometric testing of the Helsinki chronic pain index by completion of a questionnaire in Finnish by owners of dogs with chronic signs of pain caused by osteoarthritis. Am J Vet Res. 2009; 70:(6)727-734 https://doi.org/10.2460/ajvr.70.6.727

Kimura T, Kimura S, Okada J, Suzuki S, Kitanaka T. Retrospective radiographic study of degenerative joint disease in cats: prevalence based on orthogonal radiographs. Front Vet Sci. 2020; 7 https://doi.org/10.3389/fvets.2020.00138

Klinck MP, Frank D, Guillot M, Troncy E. Owner-perceived signs and veterinary diagnosis in 50 cases of feline osteoarthritis. Can Vet J. 2012; 53:(11)1181-1186

Langenbach A, Green P, Giger U Relationship between degenerative joint disease and hip joint laxity by use of distraction index and Norberg angle measurement in a group of cats. J Am Vet Med Assoc. 1998; 213:(10)1439-1443

Lascelles BDX, Hansen BD, Roe S Evaluation of client-specific outcome measures and activity monitoring to measure pain relief in cats with osteoarthritis. J Vet Intern Med. 2007; 21:(3)410-416 https://doi.org/10.1892/0891-6640(2007)21[410:eocoma]2.0.co;2

Mathews K, Kronen PW, Lascelles D Guidelines for recognition, assessment and treatment of pain: WSAVA global pain council members and co-authors of this document. J Small Anim Pract. 2014; 55:(6)E10-E68 https://doi.org/10.1111/jsap.12200

McCarthy J, Comerford EJ, Innes JF, Pettitt RA. Elbow arthrodesis using a medially positioned plate in 6 dogs. Vet Comp Orthop Traumatol. 2020a; 33:(1)51-58 https://doi.org/10.1055/s-0039-1694783

McCarthy J, Woods S, Mosley JR. Long-term outcome following management of canine humeral intracondylar fissure using a medial approach and a cannulated drill system. Vet Rec. 2020b; 186:(15)490-490 https://doi.org/10.1136/vr.105403

Muller C, Gaines B, Gruen M Evaluation of clinical metrology instrument in dogs with osteoarthritis. J Vet Intern Med. 2016; 30:(3)836-846 https://doi.org/10.1111/jvim.13923

Penn Vet. Canine Brief Pain Inventory (Canine BPI). 2021. https://www.vet.upenn.edu/research/clinical-trials-vcic/our-services/pennchart/cbpi-tool (accessed 6 January 2022)

Renwick SM, Renwick AI, Brodbelt DC, Ferguson J, Abreu H. Influence of class IV laser therapy on the outcomes of tibial plateau leveling osteotomy in dogs. Vet Surg. 2018; 47:(4)507-515 https://doi.org/10.1111/vsu.12794

Spencer AJ, Tobias MK, Peck JN, Kent M. Veterinary surgery small animals.St. Louis, Missouri: Elsevier; 2018

Walton MB, Cowderoy E, Lascelles D, Innes JF. Evaluation of construct and criterion validity for the ‘Liverpool osteoarthritis in dogs’ (LOAD) clinical metrology instrument and comparison to two other instruments. PLoS One. 2013; 8:(3) https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0058125

Clinical

Osteoarthritis in small animals: tools for diagnosis and monitoring

02 March 2022
Clinical
7 mins read
02 March 2022
Volume 27 · Issue 3
Figure 1. Flowchart for interpreting Liverpool Osteoarthritis in Dogs (LOAD) questionnare scores.
Figure 1. Flowchart for interpreting Liverpool Osteoarthritis in Dogs (LOAD) questionnare scores.

Abstract

A diagnosis of osteoarthritis is frequently presumptive, based on history, clinical signs and orthopaedic examination. One of the most useful and underused tools for a more thorough assessment of the patient's condition is a client metrology instrument. There are many validated client metrology instruments available for use in canine patients. Client metrology instrument options for felines that have been rigorously tested for their ability to assess chronic pain and osteoarthritis in cats include the Feline Musculoskeletal Pain Index and the use of client-specific outcome measurements. Although definitive diagnostic cut-offs have not yet been established for most of these questionnaires, just as clinicians gain experience with interpretation of clinical examination findings, by using these client metrology instruments frequently, clinicians will gain experience in their interpretation. Most importantly, these instruments provide accurate data on patient outcomes and therefore improve patient welfare.

Osteoarthritis is a commonly encountered condition in both dogs and cats, particularly as they age. In dogs under primary care in the UK there is an annual prevalence of 2.5%, with larger breeds having an even higher prevalence, such as 7.7% in Golden Retrievers (Anderson et al, 2018). Cats appear to have a very high prevalence of osteoarthritis with evidence of appendicular degenerative joint disease in 74% (Kimura et al, 2020).

A diagnosis of osteoarthritis is frequently presumptive, based on history, clinical signs and orthopaedic examination. Historical indicators of osteoarthritis are usually a reluctance to exercise, which may include reports of laying down more often during play; stiffness when rising that is worse after a period of inactivity; lameness, and a reduced ability to jump. Cats may also have an unkempt appearance and no longer sharpen their claws (Bennett and Morton, 2009).

Register now to continue reading

Thank you for visiting UK-VET Companion Animal and reading some of our peer-reviewed content for veterinary professionals. To continue reading this article, please register today.

Register
Or continue by

Signing in with your registered email address

canine
client metrology instrument
feline
osteoarthritis