Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Comparison of subjective scoring systems used to evaluate equine laminitis.
- Journal:
- Veterinary journal (London, England : 1997)
- Year:
- 2011
- Authors:
- Viñuela-Fernández, I et al.
- Affiliation:
- Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies · United Kingdom
- Species:
- horse
Plain-English summary
This study looked at three different ways to score lameness in horses suffering from laminitis, which is a painful condition affecting their hooves. A group of 12 veterinarians and 12 veterinary students watched videos of 14 horses and rated how lame they thought each horse was. The researchers found that while all three scoring methods were generally reliable, the students were not as consistent as the experienced veterinarians, especially with two of the scoring systems. Overall, the study suggests that these scoring methods can be useful, but they may not be as accurate when used by less experienced observers.
Abstract
This study compared three subjective scoring systems used to assess lameness associated with equine laminitis: (1) visual analogue scale, (2) Obel score and (3) clinical grading system (CGS). Two groups of 12 observers, consisting of equine veterinarians and final-year veterinary students, scored lameness severity after watching video footage of 14 horses on two occasions. Generalizability theory was used to investigate the reliability of the three systems and the effects of observer experience. Overall reliability across all times and observers was high. Intra-observer reliability was higher than inter-observer reliability for all scoring systems, with student reliability being consistently lower than veterinarians, especially for Obel and CGS. All three methods were reasonably reliable tools for assessing lameness, but they were more limited in the hands of inexperienced observers.
Find similar cases for your pet
PetCaseFinder finds other peer-reviewed reports of pets with the same symptoms, plus a plain-English summary of what was tried across them.
Search related cases →Original publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20541956/