Staff Veterinarian The Ohio State University Veterinary Medical Center Columbus, Ohio
Risk Factors Associated with Lumbosacral Injury in Dogs Competing in Agility Competitions. Pechette Markley A1, Shoben A2, Kieves N3. 1The Ohio State University, Veterinary Medical Center, Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation, Columbus, OH; 2The Ohio State University, College of Public Health, Division of Biostatistics, Columbus, OH; 3The Ohio State University, College of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Clinical Sciences, Columbus, OH.
In a recent survey of agility dogs, lumbosacral injuries were reported in 7.1% of dogs. No previous studies have investigated lumbosacral injury in agility dogs. Our aim was to determine potential risk factors for development of lumbosacral injuries in canine agility athletes. We hypothesized that competing more frequently and doing more runs per day would increase risk, as would earlier full height jump and A-frame training, and routinely jumping higher jump heights. An internet-based survey was utilized. Dogs that had a lumbosacral injury that kept them from participating in agility for over a week were classified as having a history of lumbosacral injury. Logistic regression was used to estimate associations between variables of interest. The United States and Canada had lower rates of injury history than other regions. Handler age was associated with injury risk, with the youngest (18–24) and oldest (65+) reporting fewer injuries. Dogs of handlers who were veterinarians or licensed technicians were at lower risk, while those of veterinary assistants were at higher risk. The age of the dog when it joined the current handler’s household was also associated with injury; dogs acquired > 12 months were at lowest risk and those acquired between seven and 12 months were at highest risk. Limitations include potential inaccuracies due to participant recall and handler-reported data. These data do not provide any clear indication of risk factors. Further studies are needed to evaluate pathophysiology of lumbosacral injuries and to prospectively evaluate associations between definitively diagnosed lumbosacral injuries and training and competition variables.