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ObjectiveTo understand relative frequency of adverse health events, defined as injuries or infectious diseases, in dogs participating in agility and to determine health research priorities of agility dog owners.ProceduresAn internet-based questionnaire distributed to agility dog owners included items related to experiences with infectious diseases and injuries in agility dogs, reasons for retirement of dogs from competition, and ranking of health research priorities. Frequencies of infectious diseases in US geographic regions were compared with Chi-square tests. Research priority rankings were determined as median and interquartile range (IQR) for each topic. Rank-based tests (Kruskal Wallis and Mann-Whitney) compared rankings between participants in different agility organizations, between veterinarian and non-veterinarian competitors, and between respondents who had competed in national championship events and other respondents.ResultsThere were 1,322 respondents who had competed in canine agility in the previous 6 months, with those respondents reporting a median time competing in the sport of 13 years (IQR = 8-20 years); 50% of respondents had competed in at least one national championship agility event in the preceding 5 years. Overall, 1,015 respondents (77%) indicated that one or more of their dogs had been injured and approximately one-third (n = 477, 36%) indicated that one or more dogs had likely acquired one or more infectious diseases as a result of agility activities. Specific types of infectious diseases acquired varied by geographic region in the US. Research priority rankings were similar regardless of preferred agility organization or respondent experience. The highest-ranking research topics were identification of risk factors for specific types of injuries, improvements in equipment and understanding of safe course design, and physical conditioning programs to prevent injury.Conclusions and clinical relevanceAgility competitors prioritize research in areas that advance understanding of injury prevention in their dogs. Research priorities are nearly uniform among competitors regardless of their preferred agility organization or level of experience, providing a strong rationale for agility organizations to collaborate in research initiatives that improve safety and well-being for dogs competing in the sport. There has been little published research focusing on the high-priority research areas identified by competitors.

BackgroundCranial cruciate ligament rupture (CCLR) is one of the most common causes of pelvic limb lameness in dogs. Risk factors for CCLR include breed (especially large and giant breeds), body weight, gender and spay/neuter status, and age. Few studies have evaluated physical activity and fitness indicators, however, as risk factors for disease. This study used an online questionnaire distributed primarily via social media to assess risk factors for CCLR in dogs actively engaged in agility training or competition to determine demographic and physical activity factors associated with rupture.ResultsData from 260 dogs with CCLR were compared to similar data from 1006 dogs without CCLR. All dogs were actively training or competing in agility at the time of CCLR or the time of data submission, respectively. Physical characteristics associated with increased risk of CCLR included younger age, spayed female sex, greater body weight, and greater weight to height ratio. Agility activities associated with increased odds ratios included competition in events sponsored by the North American Dog Agility Council (NADAC), competing at novice and intermediate levels, and competing in fewer than 10 events/year. Odds ratios were lower in dogs that competed in events sponsored by United Kingdom Agility International (UKI). Other activities associated with increased odds ratio for CCLR included involvement in flyball activities and short walks or runs over hilly or flat terrain on a weekly basis. Activities associated with decreased odds ratio included involvement in dock diving, barn hunt, nosework, or lure coursing/racing activities and participation in core balance and strength exercises at least weekly.ConclusionsThese results are consistent with previous studies demonstrating that body weight and spay/neuter status are risk factors for CCLR in dogs. This is the first report to demonstrate that risk of CCLR in agility dogs is decreased in dogs that engage in regular core strengthening exercises, compete more frequently, compete at higher levels, and compete in more athletically challenging venues.

Summary: Background: Analgesic protocols related to orchiectomy or castration of young horses vary widely depending on geographic location, educational background of the veterinarian, and other demographic factors. Specific practices of equine veterinarians in the United States (US) have not been reported. Objectives: To determine perioperative pain management practices of equine veterinarians in the United States as they relate to castration of healthy yearling colts. Study design: Cross‐sectional survey. Methods: An internet‐based questionnaire included items related to analgesic drugs used in association with castration of healthy yearling colts. Demographic, educational, and experiential factors associated with routine recommendation of analgesic medications after castration were analysed with calculation of odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) and multivariable logistic regression. Results: Responses from 146 equine veterinarians in the United States revealed that 112/146 (76.7%) administered a nonsteroidal anti‐inflammatory drug (NSAID) at the time of castration, and 107/143 respondents (73.3%) recommended administration of NSAIDs for a median of 3 days (IQR = 3–5) after surgery. Veterinarians who recommended NSAID analgesia after castration provided a higher pain severity score for horses at 24 h after a routine castration. Routine recommendation of post‐castration NSAID analgesia was associated with veterinarians who were employed in a multi‐veterinarian practice (OR = 2.7, 95% CI = 1.2–6.1) and completed their veterinary education in the year 2000 or more recently (OR = 2.6, 95% CI = 1.1–5.9). Main limitations: Possible distribution, self‐selection, and response biases as a result of convenience sampling methodology and possible recall bias of respondents. Conclusions: Perioperative pain management practices vary widely among US veterinarians but the majority of veterinarians, especially more recent graduates and those in multi‐veterinarian practices, recommend administration of an NSAID at the time of castration and for a median of 3 days after surgery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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