Abstract
The purpose of this study was to quantitatively assess the vertical force distribution (VFD) of subject-specific healthy blue sheep while walking on different slopes using a pressure-sensing walkway. The blue sheep was trained to walk over the pressure-sensing walkway by choosing a comfortable walking speed, and the slope angle increased from 0° to 25°. The sheep's hooves were divided into four quadrants, namely, the cranio-lateral, cranio-medial, caudo-lateral, and caudo-medial quadrants, to investigate the VFD of the peak vertical force (PVF), vertical impulse (VI) and occurrence time of the PVF during the stance phase (TPVF). This study demonstrates that the main stressed quadrant of the front hoof changes from the caudo-medial quadrant to the cranio-medial quadrant with increasing slope. The main stressed quadrant of the rear hoof is the cranio-medial quadrant and does not change with the increasing slope. For all the slopes, the vertical force shifted from the lateral quadrant to the medial quadrant and from the caudal quadrant to the cranial quadrant. All the results obtained in the study suggest the feasibility of detecting gait changes in blue sheep, which has potential for the diagnosis of lower limb musculoskeletal diseases in quadrupeds.
Highlights
The effective diagnosis of skeletal and musculoskeletal diseases of terrestrial animals is of great importance, potentially benefiting the health of various animals [1,2,3]
Romans et al used a pressure plate to analyze the effect of bilateral onychectomy on the vertical force distribution (VFD) of cat claws, and the results showed no significant difference in the peak vertical force (PVF) between cats that had and had not undergone bilateral onychectomy [18]
Schwarz et al divided paw prints into four quadrants to study the VFD in dogs, and the results showed that the PVF in the cranial quadrants was higher than that in the caudal quadrants [16]
Summary
The effective diagnosis of skeletal and musculoskeletal diseases of terrestrial animals is of great importance, potentially benefiting the health of various animals [1,2,3]. Radiography is a widely used method for the diagnosis of animal bone diseases. This method has the potential to cause harm to animals, cannot identify early disease and is not sensitive to pathological changes [4]. Gait analysis of animal models can be an objective method by which to document limb function or to analyze changes that are related to limb musculoskeletal disease. Since this method is non-invasive and does not influence experimental conditions, gait measurement has been used clinically as an indicator to guide the course of treatment and evaluate efficacy [7, 8]
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