Objective gait analysis in humboldt penguins (spheniscus humboldti) and domestic ducks (cairina moschata domestica) using a pressure sensitive walkway
Lameness due to osteoarthritis and/or pododermatitis is one of the most common problems encountered with aquatic birds such as ducks and penguins under professional care. Successful treatment and management is variable and often incomplete or transient. There is a lack of a validated objective tool for identification of gait abnormalities and for monitoring progress during or after treatment. This project objectively characterized the gait of Humboldt penguins (Spheniscus humboldti) and domestic ducks (Cairina moschata domestica) using a pressure sensitive walkway (PSW), and developed an experimental lameness induction model in ducks that will facilitate analgesic efficacy studies for lameness therapy in these species. Among normal penguins (n=16), there were no significant differences between feet or sex in any temporospatial gait parameter measured. Abnormal penguins (n=5) with historical right-sided (n=3) or bilateral lameness (n=2) had significantly shorter left step width compared to normal penguins. While the abnormal penguin data set was not controlled or of adequate sample size in this study to stand alone, these preliminary findings indicate that contralateral step width may be a sensitive marker of lameness, that there is partial to adequate pain management in this group, and/or that lesions were not significant enough to cause more statistically significant gait changes at the time of the study. Normal ducks (n=18) also had no difference between right and left feet in any parameter as measured by the PSW. Transient unilateral tarsal arthritis was induced in 6 randomly selected, anesthetized ducks using a monosodium urate solution injection. Serial PSW trials up to 24 hours post injection identified that maximum force and impulse were significantly lower for the affected limb at the 3- and 4-hour time points. This model allowed for repeatable objective assessment of lameness in domestic ducks with maximum force and impulse serving as the most sensitive gait parameters for lameness detection. This method has potential to assess analgesic efficacy for other avian species. Normal values will be used to objectively monitor progression and response to therapy of current and future cases of lameness in penguins and ducks under human care and set the groundwork for investigating this methodology in other species.
Muscovy duck, Cairina moschata domestica, Humboldt penguin, Spheniscus humboldti, lameness, objective gait analysis, pressure sensitive walkway, Tekscan, arthritis, pododermatitis
University of Illinois - Urbana-Champaign
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University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign