Summary
Objectives: To develop a platform that used standard size force plates for large breed dogs to
capture ground reaction force data from any size dog.
Methods: A walkway platform was constructed to accommodate two force plates (60 cm x 40 cm)
positioned in series to a variety of smaller sizes. It was constructed from a custom
wood frame with thick aluminium sheet force plate covers that prevented transfer of
load to the force plate, except for rectangular windows of three different dimensions.
A friction study was performed to ensure plates did not translate relative to one
another during gait trials. A prospective, observational, single crossover study design
was used to compare the effect of force platform configuration (full plate size [original
plate], half plate size [modified plate]) on ground reaction forces using eight adult
healthy Labrador Retriever dogs.
Results: Slippage of the steel plate on the force plate did not occur. Peak propulsion force
was the only kinetic variable statistically different between the full size and half
sized platforms. There were no clinically significant differences between the full
and half force platforms for the variables and dogs studied.
Discussion and conclusion: The modified force platform allows the original 60 x 40 cm force plate to be adjusted
effectively to a 30 x 40 cm, 20 x 40 cm and 15 x 40 cm sized plate with no clinically
significant change in kinetic variables. This modification that worked for large breed
dogs will potentially allow kinetic analysis of a large variety of dogs with different
stride lengths.
Keywords
Force platform - kinetics - gait analysis - ground reaction forces - dogs