A survey on the orthopedic and functional assessment in a Portuguese population of police working dogs

Working dogs are at an increased risk of developing an orthopedic disease compared to companion dogs. This study aimed to evaluate functional and orthopedic index fitness in a Portuguese population of police working dogs. In an observational, prospective study, information on 165 dogs was collected. The age, sex, breed, specific work, and history of previous diagnosis of orthopedic disease were recorded for each patient. A copy of the Canine Orthopedic Index (COI), Hudson Visual Analogue Scale (HVAS), and Functional Assessment (FA) was collected for all dogs. COI, HVAS, and FA scores between breeds, work, age, sex, and history of a previous diagnosis of orthopedic disease were compared. Multiple regression was run to predict COI, HVAS, and FA scores from breeds, work, age, sex, and history of orthopedic disease. Correlations between items were determined with Pearson's correlation. A p