Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
How well the Liverpool Osteoarthritis in Dogs test works compared
By Walton, Myles Benjamin et al.·Published in PloS one·2013·Department of Musculoskeletal Biology and School of Veterinary Science, United Kingdom·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Evaluation of construct and criterion validity for the 'Liverpool Osteoarthritis in Dogs' (LOAD) clinical metrology instrument and comparison to two other instruments.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of 222 dogs with osteoarthritis was evaluated using a new questionnaire called the Liverpool Osteoarthritis in Dogs (LOAD) to see how well it measured their pain and mobility. The results showed that LOAD, along with two other pain assessment tools, were effective in identifying the severity of osteoarthritis in dogs. The LOAD questionnaire was found to be user-friendly and provided valid results that correlated with objective measurements of the dogs' movement. This means that pet owners can use LOAD to better understand their dog's condition and track changes over time.
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Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To test the 'Liverpool Osteoarthritis in Dogs' (LOAD) questionnaire for construct and criterion validity, and to similarly test the Helsinki Chronic Pain Index (HCPI) and the Canine Brief Pain Inventory (CBPI). DESIGN: Prospective Study. ANIMALS: 222 dogs with osteoarthritis. PROCEDURE: Osteoarthritis was diagnosed in a cohort of dogs on the basis of clinical history and orthopedic examination. Force-platform analysis was performed and a "symmetry index" for peak vertical force (PVF) was calculated. Owners completed LOAD, CBPI and HCPI instruments. As a test of construct validity, inter-instrument correlations were calculated. As a test of criterion validity, the correlations between instrument scores and PVF symmetry scores were calculated. Additionally, internal consistency of all instruments was calculated and compared to those previously reported. Factor analysis is reported for the first time for LOAD, and is compared to that previously reported for CBPI and HCPI. RESULTS: Significant moderate correlations were found between all instruments, implying construct validity for all instruments. Significant weak correlations were found between LOAD scores and PVF symmetry index, and between CBPI scores and PVF symmetry index. CONCLUSION AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: LOAD is an owner-completed clinical metrology instrument that can be recommended for the measurement of canine osteoarthritis. It is convenient to use, validated and, as demonstrated here for the first time, has a correlation with force-platform data.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23505459/