Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Using activity monitors to measure itching in dogs
By Nuttall, Tim & McEwan, Neil·Published in Veterinary dermatology·2006·University of Liverpool Department of Veterinary Science, United Kingdom·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Objective measurement of pruritus in dogs: a preliminary study using activity monitors.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of dogs with itchy skin (atopic dermatitis) was monitored using activity trackers to see how much they scratched compared to healthy dogs. The results showed that the itchy dogs were significantly more active during the day and evening, but their activity dropped at night, similar to the healthy dogs. This suggests that using activity monitors could help veterinarians objectively measure itching in dogs at home. While this study is preliminary, it points to a new way to assess skin problems in dogs.
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Abstract
Pruritus is an important clinical sign and quality-of-life measure in canine dermatology, but can be difficult to assess objectively. Several studies in humans have used activity monitors to measure nocturnal scratching in patients with atopic dermatitis. The results correlate with observation of scratching, scoring in atopic dermatitis indices and levels of inflammatory chemokines. The aim of this study was to examine whether an activity monitor could be used to detect elevated interexercise (i.e. 'resting') activity in atopic dogs compared to healthy dogs. Five healthy dogs and six dogs with atopic dermatitis were fitted with a collar-mounted activity monitor (Actiwatch) that recorded the piezo-electric voltage generated over 15-s epochs for 7 days. Data from defined periods of exercise, playing, etc., were disregarded. Within each group, median (+/- interquartile range) epoch activity was similar during the day (atopic 21.0 [9.8-24.8]; healthy 5.1 [4.6-6.0]) and evening (atopic 19.1 [10.9-25.2]; healthy 5.8 [5.3-11.7]), and significantly lower overnight (atopic 5.8 [4.1-15.7]; healthy 2.5 [1.6-4.4]) (Mann-Whitney test; P < 0.05). The mean epoch activity, however, was significantly higher in atopic dogs compared to healthy dogs for all three time periods (P < 0.05). This study provides preliminary evidence that activity monitors could objectively assess canine pruritus in the normal home environment.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16961821/