Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
How muscular dystrophy changes walking in Golden Retrievers
By Marsh, Anthony P et al.·Published in Neuromuscular disorders : NMD·2010·Department of Health and Exercise Science, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Kinematics of gait in golden retriever muscular dystrophy.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of Golden Retrievers with muscular dystrophy (GRMD) was observed walking to study their movement compared to healthy dogs. The GRMD dogs walked more slowly and had different joint movements, particularly at the knee and ankle, than their healthy littermates. This research helps understand how muscular dystrophy affects their gait, which could be useful for future treatments.
People also search for: golden retriever muscular dystrophy symptoms · why is my dog walking slowly · dog joint movement issues · treatment for golden retriever muscular dystrophy
Abstract
The goal of this study was to quantify the two-dimensional kinematics of pathologic gait during over-ground walking at a self-selected speed at the stifle (knee) and hock (ankle) joints in six Golden Retriever Muscular Dystrophy (GRMD) dogs and six carrier littermates (controls). We found that GRMD dogs walked significantly slower than controls (p<0.01). At the stifle joint, both groups displayed similar ROM (range of motion), but compared to controls, GRMD dogs walked with the stifle joint relatively more extended. At the hock joint, GRMD dogs displayed less ROM (range of motion) and walked with the joint relatively less flexed compared to controls. We controlled for gait speed in all analyses, so the differences we observed in joint kinematics between groups cannot be attributed solely to the slower walking speed of the GRMD dogs. This is the first kinematic study of gait in the GRMD dog, an important step in using this model in pre-clinical trials.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19932618/