A survey on the orthopedic and functional assessment in a Portuguese population of police working dogs

BACKGROUND: Working dogs are at an increased risk of developing an orthopedic disease compared to companion dogs. This study aimed to evaluate functional and orthopedic index fitness in a Portuguese population of police working dogs. In an observational, prospective study, information on 165 dogs was collected. The age, sex, breed, specific work, and history of previous diagnosis of orthopedic disease were recorded for each patient. A copy of the Canine Orthopedic Index (COI), Hudson Visual Analogue Scale (HVAS), and Functional Assessment (FA) was collected for all dogs. COI, HVAS, and FA scores between breeds, work, age, sex, and history of a previous diagnosis of orthopedic disease were compared. Multiple regression was run to predict COI, HVAS, and FA scores from breeds, work, age, sex, and history of orthopedic disease. Correlations between items were determined with Pearson's correlation. A p < 0.05 was set. RESULTS: The sample was composed of 92 males and 73 females, with a mean age of 5.2 ± 3.2 years. Four main dog breeds were represented, 60 Belgian Malinois Shepherd Dogs, 52 German Shepherd Dogs, 29 Labrador Retrievers, and 14 Dutch Shepherd Dog. A prevalence of diarrhea of 10.6% was determined, with 4% of dogs having liquid diarrhea. German Shepherd Dogs had significantly higher FA scores (p = 0.03). Dogs with a history of previous veterinary assistance due to orthopedic issues had significantly lower HVAS scores and higher scores with all remaining questionnaires (p < 0.01 for all). No differences were found between sexes or specific work. Age and a history of orthopedic disease contributed to the prediction of all scores. FA scores had a good correlation with COI and HVAS. CONCLUSION: This population of police working dogs has a good to excellent level of physical fitness. There was a relationship between increasing age, history of orthopedic disease, and worse scores with all questionnaires. All considered questionnaires could differentiate between animals with a previous history of orthopedic disease and sound dogs.