Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Using activity monitors to track itching in 6 dogs with skin allergies
By Wernimont, Susan M et al.·Published in Sensors (Basel, Switzerland)·2018·Pet Nutrition Center, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Use of Accelerometer Activity Monitors to Detect Changes in Pruritic Behaviors: Interim Clinical Data on 6 Dogs.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
Six dogs with itchy skin, likely due to environmental allergies, wore a special activity monitor for two weeks while eating their regular food, followed by eight weeks on a veterinary diet designed for skin issues. The monitor tracked their scratching and head shaking, which are common signs of itching. Both veterinarians and owners reported improvements in the dogs' quality of life during the study, and the monitor's data confirmed these observations. This suggests that the veterinary diet may help reduce itching behaviors in dogs with skin problems.
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Abstract
Veterinarians and pet owners have limited ability to assess pruritic behaviors in dogs. This pilot study assessed the capacity of the Vetraxtriaxial accelerometer to measure these behaviors in six dogs with pruritus likely due to environmental allergens. Dogs wore the activity monitor for two weeks while consuming their usual pet food (baseline), then for eight weeks while consuming a veterinary-exclusive pet food for dogs with suspected non-food-related skin conditions (Hill's Prescription DietDerm DefenseCanine dry food). Veterinarians and owners completed questionnaires during baseline, phase 1 (days 1-28) and phase 2 (days 29-56) without knowledge of the activity data. Continuous 3-axis accelerometer data was processed using proprietary behavior recognition algorithms and analyzed using general linear mixed models with false discovery rate-adjustedvalues. Veterinarian-assessed overall clinical signs of pruritus were significantly predicted by scratching (β 0.176,= 0.008), head shaking (β 0.197,< 0.001) and sleep quality (β -0.154,< 0.001), while owner-assessed quality of life was significantly predicted by scratching (β -0.103,= 0.013) and head shaking (β -0.146,< 0.001). Among dogs exhibiting pruritus signs eating the veterinary-exclusive food, the Vetraxsensor provided an objective assessment of clinically relevant pruritic behaviors that agreed with owner and veterinarian reports.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29337903/