Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Using the 6-minute walk test to check lung health in pet dogs
By Swimmer, R A & Rozanski, E A·Published in Journal of veterinary internal medicine·2011·Department of Clinical Sciences, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Evaluation of the 6-minute walk test in pet dogs.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of dogs, including six with breathing problems due to mild to moderate pulmonary disease, participated in a 6-minute walk test to see how far they could walk compared to healthy dogs. The healthy dogs walked an average of about 523 meters, while the dogs with breathing issues only managed around 385 meters. This test was simple to conduct and effectively showed the difference in walking ability between healthy dogs and those with lung problems. The results suggest that this test could help veterinarians assess respiratory health in dogs.
People also search for: dog breathing problems test · how far can a healthy dog walk · pulmonary disease in dogs
Abstract
BACKGROUND: The 6-minute walk test (6MWT) is widely used in human medicine to objectively assess the degree of impairment, and to provide objective evidence of disease progression or response to therapy. HYPOTHESIS/OBJECTIVES: The 6MWT will be easy to perform and well-tolerated in pet dogs. Dogs with pulmonary disease will walk shorter distances than healthy dogs. ANIMALS: Sixty-nine healthy dogs were recruited from the hospital community. Six dogs with mild to moderate pulmonary disease were recruited from animals presented for evaluation at the teaching hospital. METHODS: Prospective study. Dogs walked for 6 minutes in a hallway and the distance covered was measured. Pulse oximetry and heart rate were recorded before and after walking. Physical characteristics of the dogs, including age, leg length, body condition score, and weight, were recorded. Healthy dogs were compared with affected dogs by a Student's t-test (P < .05). Correlations were calculated between the age, physical characteristics, and distances walked in the healthy dogs. RESULTS: Healthy dogs walked 522.7 ± 52.4 m, while sick dogs (n = 6) walked 384.8 ± 41.0 m (P < .001). There was low (r = 0.13) to moderate (r= 0.27) correlation in the healthy dogs between physical characteristics and distances walked. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: The 6MWT was easy to perform and discriminated between healthy dogs and dogs with pulmonary disease.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21352372/