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Abstract Background High-flow nasal oxygen (HFNO) therapy is a non-invasive respiratory support method that provides oxygen-enriched, warmed, and humidified air to respiratory-compromised patients. It is widely used in human medical care, but in veterinary medicine it is still a relatively new method. No practical guidelines exist for its use in canine pneumonia patients, although they could potentially benefit from HFNO therapy. This study aims to provide a new, safe, non-invasive, and effective treatment protocol for oxygen supplementation of non-sedated dogs with pneumonia. Methods Twenty privately owned dogs with pneumonia will receive HFNO therapy at a flow rate of 1–2 L/kg, and the fraction of inspired oxygen will be determined individually (ranging from 21% to 100%). HFNO therapy will continue as long as oxygen support is needed based on clinical evaluation. Patients will be assessed thrice daily during their hospitalisation, with measured primary outcomes including partial pressure of oxygen, oxygen saturation, respiratory rate and type, days in hospital, and survival to discharge. Discussion The proposed protocol aims to provide a practical guideline for applying HFNO to dogs hospitalised due to pneumonia. The protocol could enable more efficient and well-tolerated oxygenation than traditional methods, thus hastening recovery and improving survival of pneumonia patients.

Osteoarthritis is a common degenerative disease in dogs, often manifested as pain, joint swelling, and lameness. Despite the lack of scientific evidence for its treatment efficacy, transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) is used in dogs as a pain-relieving treatment. This randomised single-blinded cross-over study investigated the effect of TENS on gait parameters in fifteen dogs with osteoarthritis. Stance time, swing time, stride time, stride length, peak vertical force (%BW), vertical impulse (%BW*sec), and symmetry indices were obtained using a pressure-sensitive mat. TENS treatment of 80 Hz and 100 µs with an individually selected amplitude was conducted for 45 min once daily for a treatment period of seven or ten days. No significant differences were seen between TENS and placebo for any of the gait parameters. Hence, in this study, TENS did not affect gait parameters, compared to placebo. Further studies are needed to confirm the observations.

Angular front limb deformity (ALD) refers to an excessively curved limb conformation, which is seen in some chondrodysplastic dog breeds. Common characteristics of ALD include carpal valgus (VALG), front limb rotation (ROT), elbow incongruity, and lateral radial head subluxation. These may cause lameness and discomfort in affected dogs. The clinical impact and breed-specific characteristics of front limb conformation in chondrodysplastic breeds are unknown. This prospective and cross-sectional study aimed to investigate differences in front limb conformation between three chondrodysplastic breeds. We further evaluate whether front limb conformation is associated with clinical findings and limb function. We propose novel methods to classify findings in the interosseous space and to quantify lateral radial head subluxation. Data from a total of 224 front limbs from 112 dogs of three chondrodysplastic dog breeds (30 Standard Dachshunds, 29 Skye terriers, and 53 Glen of Imaal terriers) were included in the study. Front limb VALG and ROT were measured with a goniometer. From the radiographs, the elbow joint was graded for incongruity (INC), and the humeroradial angle (HRA) was measured to assess lateral radial subluxation. The association of front limb conformation with clinical signs and limb function was investigated using orthopedic examination, goniometric and kinetic measurements, and radiography. The breeds differed significantly in their front limb conformation. The Dachshund had the least ROT and the least radial head subluxation. The Skye terrier had the most VALG, the most radial head subluxation, and the largest prevalence of moderate and severe INC. The Glen of Imaal terrier had the most ROT. In addition, INC, ROT, VALG, and HRA were found to be independent of each other and were associated with several measurable clinical abnormalities and limb function such as pain, lameness, limited range of motion, and elbow joint osteoarthritis. This implies that VALG, ROT, and HRA could be used in addition to INC grading when choosing musculoskeletal characteristics of dogs suitable for breeding.

The number of dogs and, with it, dog sports are growing in popularity, and the training of dogs begins at an early age. Although fitness testing is an imperative part of purposeful training and sports, to our knowledge, no objective field tests are available for measuring young dogs’ endurance fitness. The aim of this study is to describe a simple, easy-to-repeat, and inexpensive way to test training intervention effects on endurance fitness in young Labrador Retrievers. Healthy client-owned 16-week-old Labrador Retrievers will be recruited and divided into test and control groups. The test group will have an eight-week training program followed by a four-week detraining period, while the control group will live a normal puppy life. All dogs will be tested for endurance fitness four times at four-week intervals: at baseline, one month later, two months later at the end of the training period, and one month after ending the training program. Each of the four testing sessions will be identical and will consist of four measurements of heart rate (HR) and blood lactate (BL): at baseline, after trotting 1000 m, after sprinting 200 m, and at recovery 5–8 min after the sprint. The training-induced changes in endurance fitness are evaluated by changes in HR and heart rate recovery times (HRR), BL, and running times.

Electrotherapy modalities are currently used in the treatment of animals, but the evidence base supporting their use has not yet been systematically reviewed. Cochrane guidelines, as adapted by the Swedish Agency for Health Technology Assessment and Assessment of Social Services, were followed for this systematic review. A literature search regarding all currently known electrotherapy modalities applied to horses, dogs, and cats was conducted for the years 1980–2020 using three databases: CABI, PubMed, and Web of Science Core Collection. Of the 5385 references found, 41 articles were included in the review: 13 papers on pulsed electromagnetic field therapy (PEMFT), 7 on neural electrical muscle stimulation (NEMS), 5 on transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS), 4 on static magnets, 3 on interference, 2 each on percutaneous electrical neural stimulation (PENS), bioelectricity, and diathermy, and 1 each on micro-pulsed stimulation, capacitive coupled electrical stimulation, and microwave therapy. The literature per modality was limited in quantity (mean 3.7 papers). Half of the articles were assessed to have a high risk of bias (20 high, 7 moderate, and 14 low). The existing literature used a spectrum of indications and treatment parameters, which makes comparisons and drawing conclusions to support the use of these modalities in clinical practice challenging. The current scientific evidence is not sufficient to support the clinical effects of electrotherapies for any clinical indication in horses, dogs or cats. The selected suggestive results warrant further high-quality research on PEMFT, NEMS, TENS, and PENS.

The long-term effect of femoral head and neck osteotomy (FHO) on the locomotory system of dogs was evaluated. The study comprised an owner questionnaire and an orthopaedic examination, anatomical measurements, and pressure-sensitive walkway analysis for dogs. Linear mixed effect models were used for statistical analysis. Ten dogs with a median of 2.5 years since their unilateral FHO were included. According to the questionnaire results, nine dogs had returned to a normal physical activity level. Muscle atrophy (p = 0.005), less extension in the coxofemoral joint (p = 0.003), and less static weight bearing on the FHO limb (p = 0.003) were observed. No consistent pattern regarding tilt or position of the pelvis was noted when measuring height of the tuber ischii (p = 0.39). Five of the dogs tilted away from, and five towards the FHO side when measured from the tuber sacrale with a Myrin goniometer. No differences regarding stance time, swing time, or peak pressure between the FHO and non-FHO limb were seen in trot (p = 0.70, p = 0.26, and p = 0.91, respectively). Over the long term, the FHO limb has muscle atrophy, decreased coxofemoral extension, and decreased static weight bearing. However, this does not seem to affect the trot of the dogs. Dog owners considered the outcome of surgery to be good or excellent.

Knowledge regarding training, competition, and management routines of agility dogs is lacking. Through a retrospective online questionnaire, Finnish owners and handlers of 745 competition-level agility dogs provided information on training routines and management of these dogs during one year free of agility-related injuries. Competition routines were collected from the national competition results database. Most dogs trained agility 1–2 times a week, with a median active training time of 18 min a week. Dogs competed in a median of 2.1 runs per month at a speed of 4.3 m/s. Common field surfaces were different types of artificial turfs and dirt surface. Warm-up and cool-down were established routines, and 62% of dogs received regular musculoskeletal care. Moreover, 77% of dogs underwent conditioning exercises, but their frequency was often low. Additionally, dogs were walked for a median of 1.5 h daily. Pearson’s chi-squared and Kruskal–Wallis tests were used to evaluate the association between a dog’s competition level and training and competition variables. A dog’s competition level was associated with competition (p < 0.001) and training frequency (p < 0.001); dogs at higher levels compete more but train less than dogs at lower levels. This study provides information on training, competition, and management routines of competing agility dogs.

Dog agility is associated with a risk for sport-related injuries, but few risk factors for injury are known. A retrospective online questionnaire was used to collect data on 864 Finnish competition-level agility dogs—including 119 dogs (14%) with agility-related injury during 2019. Data included injury details, health background, experience in agility, and sport and management routines prior to the injury. Risk factors for injury were evaluated with multivariate logistic regression. The rate of competition-related injuries was 1.44 injuries/1000 competition runs. The front limb was injured in 61% of dogs. In 65% of dogs, the injury presented as lameness. The main risk factors for agility-related injury during 2019 were multiple previous agility-related injuries (OR 11.36; 95% CI 6.10–21.13), older age when starting course-like training (OR 2.04 per one year increase; 95% CI 1.36–3.05), high training frequency, diagnosis of lumbosacral transitional vertebra, and physiotherapy every two to three months compared with never. The most important protective factors were moderate competition frequency and A-frame performance technique. These associations do not confirm causality. We identified new risk factors for injury in agility. This information can be used to improve the welfare of agility dogs.

Information on the biomechanics of police dogs’ tasks is important in understanding their work-related injuries and dysfunctions. This study aimed to develop and test a measurement tool for dogs’ functional bite force and to report modified long attack-related kinetic and kinematic values. Twenty Finnish male police dogs, 7 German Shepherd Dogs (GSDs) and 13 Belgian Shepherd Dogs, Malinois (BSDMs), were included. Dogs accelerated 25 m and bit the helper’s sleeve, fitted with three force sensors. Dogs were wearing a 3D accelerometer and were videotaped with a high-speed camera. The sleeve’s reliability for measuring the dog’s bite force was evaluated via intraclass correlation and Cronbach’s alpha. Otherwise, a Mann–Whitney U-test was used, with significance set at p = 0.05. The sleeve’s test-retest reliability was moderate to good (intraclass correlation of 0.75), and internal consistency was high (Cronbach’s alpha 0.75). The GSDs’ median bite force was 360.4 N (interquartile range (IQR) 628.6 N) and BSDMs’ 247.0 N (IQR 289.8 N). Median acceleration maximum was 7.1 gravitational force equivalent (g) and median deceleration maximum was 11.6 g, with highest recorded forces being 9.2 g and 13.1 g, respectively. The measurement sleeve was a reliable tool for measuring functional bite force in GSDs and BSDMs. Forces related to bite, approach and impact in the two breeds were reported.