Translation of Activity Monitoring in Normal Dogs Towards Distance Travelled

Introduction: There is a need for an improved outcome measure for dogs with disease that affects activity at home to accurately assess interventions. The Actical accelerometer has been previously validated as an activity monitor for dogs but has several limitations. The objective of this study was to explore mathematical models that explain the relationship between independent (dog size and activity rigor) and dependent (activity monitor output) variables.

Materials and Methods: Ten Labrador Retrievers and 10 Beagles belonging to clients, staff, and students were prospectively enrolled to perform four activities in random order consisting of walking/trotting on a treadmill at 1 m/s, 1.5 m/s, and 2 m/s for a total distance of 1 kilometer at each speed and trotting up and down 2 flights of stairs twice (168 steps total). Dogs wore both activity monitors (Actical, Omron) simultaneously, and data were collected from both devices.

Results: There was no clinically relevant relationship between pedometer steps and activity counts (R2 = 0.02). Dog size and treadmill velocity were significantly associated with pedometer steps and activity counts. The strongest statistical relationships identified was when mean dog stance length, treadmill velocity and mean pedometer steps (R2 = 0.70) or mean activity counts (R2 = 0.78) were evaluated.

Discussion: Dog size and activity rigor significantly influence data reported by the pedometer and accelerometer tested. A mathematical model to estimate distance travelled in the individual looks promising and would be helpful translating statistical differences to clinical differences.

Acknowledgement: There was no proprietary interest or funding provided for this project.