LupoGait · Add-on
LupoGait Puppy: gait analysis in puppies and young dogs
Gait analysis in puppies and young dogs makes it possible to objectively document how the gait develops during growth. LupoGait Puppy records selected movement parameters and supports the observation of individual changes across repeated measurements.
Why measure early
By the time of the HD X-ray, the joint has already taken shape
Officially, the hip is assessed at twelve months at the earliest. By then, the growth plates have largely closed and the joint has taken its shape. In the first months of life, by contrast, the acetabulum and femoral head still adapt to how they are loaded.
The heritability of hip dysplasia (HD) is usually below 0.5. A large part therefore depends on feeding, exercise and weight during growth, and this is exactly where early measurement comes in.
The window of opportunity
Why is gait analysis useful in puppies?
During growth, body proportions, movement coordination and the biomechanical characteristics of the gait change. Repeated gait analyses make it possible to follow this development using quantitative movement parameters.
STRONGLY MODIFIABLE
Weeks 8 to 12
Start of the measurement series: at the breeder from week 8, with the owner from weeks 10 to 12
Weeks 16 to 17
End of the recommended series of five to six measurements
Week 20
Latest point for a juvenile pubic symphysiodesis (JPS)
Month 12
Only now the official HD X-ray
THE WINDOW NARROWS
How a measurement works
Quick, gentle, in a natural gait
The result
Report with nine gait parameters and a hip score
- Detailed PDF report with nine gait parameters that objectively show the puppy’s development
- A hip score for the left and right sides as a percentage: the higher it is, the more likely the hip is to develop healthily
- Five to six measurements are recommended up to week 16 or 17 of life
- The measurements remain useful later on to identify other gait abnormalities
Important: the hip score replaces neither the examination in the practice nor the official HD X-ray assessment. It shows whether a closer look is worthwhile while there is still time to make a difference. We are happy to discuss in person how to interpret the values in individual cases.
If the score is abnormal
- an adapted exercise and feeding plan
- an orthopaedic work-up in the practice
- physiotherapy support
- depending on the findings, juvenile pubic symphysiodesis, possible up to approx. week 20 of life
Who it is for
Who uses LupoGait Puppy
Scientific basis
Peer-reviewed: our puppy study
Puppies were followed and measured serially from week 12 to month 15 of life. The HD assessment was carried out by the Dysplasia Commission in Zurich. 13 movement parameters showed an association with hip dysplasia.
Blättler P. et al. (2024): Serial kinematic analysis using inertial measurement units in growing dogs at risk of hip dysplasia. Veterinary and Animal Science 25, 100385.