VN September 2020

Vetnews | September 2020 29 In the article, the authors examined a study where 10 healthy Border collies were all fitted with 5 different types of harnesses and put on a pressure sensor walkway in order to test the timing of footfalls as well as the distance each limb travels with each step. It was found that, regardless of harness type, some of the dogs that had walked on harnesses since young still showed affected gaits. Interestingly, the harnesses that affected the dogs’ movement most were the Julius K9 harness (figure 4) and the Dog-Games original fleece-lined harness (figure 5) – the harnesses that covered the most body area. The harness that covered the least body area affected the gaits the least (the Balance Harness – figure 6). In another article Chris Zink discusses a study done in which nine dogs walked and trotted on a treadmill wearing either no harness or a non-restrictive (X-Back Mushing harness, Trixie Fusion harness) and restrictive harness (Easy Walk harness). Markers were placed on the sides of each dog’s legs and monitored using video cameras. These videos were then used to measure the angle of the shoulder when the front limb was in maximal extension – basically how far forward the dog’s limb was placed. The results showed that the dogs had the most extension when walked in a collar as opposed to either harness, and the dogs wearing non-restrictive harnesses had significantly less shoulder extension than the restrictive. Zink theorised that this may be due to the fit of the harness. He expressed that the non-restricted harnesses may have been too big (Figure 7) . When a non-restrictive harness is too big, the Y-shape that runs along the sternum fails to take the strain of the lead and pull forward, thus the pressure shifts onto the straps in front of the shoulders, reducing shoulder extension. A non-restricted harness must be tightly fitted around the neck to ensure correct placements of pressure (see figure 8). The same way a non-restrictive harness is worsened by fit, so are restrictive harnesses. A restrictive harness that is too small (figure 9) will even further press against the soft tissues and joint on the shoulder complex, hindering shoulder extension even more. A restrictive harness should preferably be loose (figure 9). Fig 4. Julius K9 Harness Fig 5. Dog–Games Original Fig 6. The Balance Harness Figure 7. Incorrectly fitted Non-restrictive harness . Is too loose around the neck, thus when a lead is attached and the dog pulls, the pressure will be diverted to the shoulder as the harness slips back. Regulars I Physical Rehab >>> 30