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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Vet. Sci.
Sec. Veterinary Surgery
Volume 11 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fvets.2024.1409199
This article is part of the Research Topic Sports Medicine and Physical Rehabilitation, Volume III View all 10 articles

Owner-Reported Treatments and Outcomes of Perceived Injuries to the Thoracic and Pelvic Limb of Agility Dogs

Provisionally accepted
Bianca Alva Bianca Alva 1Arielle Pechette Markley Arielle Pechette Markley 2Abigail Shoben Abigail Shoben 2Nina R. Kieves Nina R. Kieves 2*
  • 1 VCA Animal Referral Center of Arizona, Mesa, Arizona, United States
  • 2 The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, United States

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    The aim of this study was to identify the type of veterinary care sought by handlers of injured agility dogs, the types of treatments the dogs received, and the timeframe for return to training and competition. Procedures: Owners of agility dogs completed an internet-based survey. They were instructed to report injuries that had kept the dog from training or competing for over a week, identify which area(s) of the body had been injured and answer questions about the most severe injury to each body part. Additional questions included if handlers had sought veterinary care, who primarily determined treatment, type of treatment(s), and length of time before the dog could return to full training and competition.Results: This sample included data on 1,714 total injuries from 1,256 unique dogs. Handlers sought veterinary care for over 80% of injuries across all anatomical locations. Handlers were most likely to seek specialty veterinary care for reported injuries to the stifle (71%), iliopsoas (63%) and tibia (61%), and least likely for reported injuries to the carpus (34%), metatarsus (33%) and metacarpus (22%). Treatment of reported injuries to the antebrachium and stifle were most likely to be directed by a veterinarian (>70%), while reported injuries of the thigh (51%) and hip (53%) were least likely. Rest was the most common treatment for all injuries. Return to sport within 3 months was common (>67%) for most perceived injury locations, though dogs with reported stifle injuries took longer to return to competition and had a higher rate of retirement. Conclusion and Clinical Relevance: Owners of agility dogs have a high rate of seeking veterinary care for injuries. Overall return to sport rates were high, with the stifle being the notable exception. Future studies regarding specific treatment of injuries in agility dogs, and how injuries and their treatment affect return to agility after injury are required to provide optimal care protocols for these canine athletes.

    Keywords: agility1, dog2, Injury3, thoracic limb4, pelvic limb5, treatment6, outcome7

    Received: 29 Mar 2024; Accepted: 31 Jul 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Alva, Pechette Markley, Shoben and Kieves. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Nina R. Kieves, The Ohio State University, Columbus, 43210, Ohio, United States

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.