Effect of weight reduction on clinical signs of lameness in dogs with hip osteoarthritis

Objective-To determine the effect of weight reduction on clinical signs of lameness among overweight dogs with clinical and radiographic signs of hip osteoarthritis. Design-Nonblinded prospective clinical trial. Animals-9 client-owned dogs with radiographic signs of hip osteoarthritis that weighed 11 to 12% greater than their ideal body weight and were examined because of hind limb lameness. Procedure-Dogs were weighed, and baseline body condition, hind limb lameness, and hip function scores were assigned. Severity of lameness was scored using a numerical rating scale and a visual analogue scale. Dogs were fed a restricted-calorie diet, with amount of diet fed calculated to provide 60% of the calories needed to maintain the dogs' current weights. Evaluations were repeated midway through and at the end of the weight-loss period. Results-Dogs lost between 11 and 18% of initial body weight. Body weight, body condition score, and severity of hind limb lameness were all significantly decreased at the end of the weight-loss period. Conclusions and Clinical Relevance-Results suggest that in overweight dogs with hind limb lameness secondary to hip osteoarthritis, weight reduction alone may result in a substantial improvement in clinical lameness.