Abstract
The purpose of this study was to quantitatively assess gait characteristics and weight-bearing forces during ambulation in goats free of lameness using a pressure-sensing walkway as a biometric tool for stride, gait, and force analysis. Forty-six non-lame adult goats ranging in age from 5 to 6 years, mixed-breeds, and with a mean body weight of 52 ± 7.1 kgs were used. Goats were trained to walk over a pressure-sensing walkway. Data for analysis was collected on 2 different days, 3 days apart. On each day, 2 to 5 walking passes, in the same direction, were captured for each goat. Data from 2 valid passes meeting the criteria for consistent walking gait on each day were averaged then used for analysis. Analysis was performed, including the day-effect, for stride, gait, and force characteristics. Of the 46 goats enrolled in the study, complete data sets were achieved in 33 (72%) goats. Gait biometrics were similar among the assessment days; therefore, all data was pooled for the purpose of characterizing data for individual limb and biometric parameter comparisons at the individual goat level. Statistical analysis revealed that no difference within the paired limbs, and that there were significant differences between the front limbs and hind limbs. Maximum force and maximum peak pressure were significantly greater for the front limbs as compared with the hind limbs (p < 0.001). Based on the results, gait and force characteristics can be consistently measured in goats using a pressure-sensing walkway during a consistent walking gait. Goats apply greater force to the forelimbs during the weight-bearing phase of stride as compared with the hind limbs. The use of objective assessment tools is expected to improve the ability of researchers and clinicians to monitor changes in weight bearing and gait and will contribute to improved animal welfare.
Highlights
Goats are often chosen as a model for orthopedic research [1,2,3,4]
Limitations associated with subjective gait analysis are numerous and include inter-observer variability, lack of a validated standard scoring system, and limitations associated with analysis of categorical data [8,9,10,11,12]
The objectives were to describe the characteristics associated with stride and weight-bearing force in goats free of lameness, thereby providing a baseline for future studies using a pressure-sensing mat investigating lameness
Summary
Goats are often chosen as a model for orthopedic research [1,2,3,4]. Advantages in the use of goats in research include ease of handling, ease of training, size, weight, and ambulatory characteristics relevant to translational research in humans [3, 4]. Subjective visual assessment of gait (Visual Lameness Score; VLS) is the standard of care in practice to assess lameness [5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12]. It is limited to use of a visual analog scoring, or numeric rating, with the gait of each animal being assigned a score [7]. There appears to be no validated standards for objective gait analysis in goats. Limitations associated with subjective gait analysis are numerous and include inter-observer variability, lack of a validated standard scoring system, and limitations associated with analysis of categorical data [8,9,10,11,12]. In other livestock species, such as cattle and horses, subjective visual assessment is shifting to objective assessment [13,14,15,16]
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