Kinetic and kinematic gait analysis in the pelvic limbs of normal and post-hemilaminectomy Dachshunds

Objective: To compare pelvic limb kinetic and kinematic gait parameters between Dachshunds six months following hemilaminectomy for treatment of thoracolumbar disc extrusion (post-hemilaminectomy; PHL) and Dachshunds without history and clinical evidence of spinal cord disease (control; CON). Methods: The CON (n = 8) and PHL (n = 6) Dachshunds were recruited for objective gait evaluation. Kinetic data collected included peak vertical force (PVF), stance phase duration and swing phase duration. Kinematic data collected included tarsal, stifle and hip range of motion (ROM) during stance and swing phases of the trot, tail ROM, and horizontal and vertical components of pelvis ROM. Results: No significant differences were identified between tarsal, stifle, hip, and tail ROM between CON and PHL Dachshunds. Although PVF was not significantly different between CON and PHL Dachshunds, PVF varied on average by 14% between the pelvic limbs in PHL Dachshunds (p