Effect of Swimming on Clinical Functional Parameters and Serum Biomarkers in Healthy and Osteoarthritic Dogs

Table 2

Clinical scoring system for assessing dogs with osteoarthritis.

Criterion	Grade	Clinical evaluation
Lameness	1	Walks normally
	2	Slightly lame when walking
	3	Moderately lame when walking
	4	Severely lame when walking
	5	Reluctant to rise and will not walk more than five paces
Joint mobility	1	Full range of motion
	2	Mild limitation (10–20%) in range of motion; no crepitus
	3	Mild limitation (10–20%) in range of motion; crepitus
	4	Moderate limitation (20–50%) in range of motion; ±crepitus
	5	Severe limitation (>50%) in range of motion; ±crepitus
Pain on palpation	1	None
	2	Mild signs; dog turns head in recognition
	3	Moderate signs; dog pulls limb away
	4	Severe signs; dog vocalizes or becomes aggressive
	5	Dog will not allow palpation
Weight bearing	1	Equal on all limbs standing and walking
	2	Normal standing; favors affected limb when walking
	3	Partial weight-bearing standing and walking
	4	Partial weight-bearing standing; non-weight-bearing walking
	5	Non-weight-bearing standing and walking
Overall score of clinical condition	1	Not affected
	2	Mildly affected
	3	Moderately affected
	4	Severely affected
	5	Very severely affected