New questionnaire aims to help identify equine osteoarthritis

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Degenerative joint disease, or osteoarthritis (OA), is the primary cause of equine lameness.^1,2 With OA affecting so many horses, giving their owners tools to help recognize this disease is crucial to equine welfare. Investigators have developed the Equine Brief Pain Inventory (EBPI) questionnaire to expedite OA treatment for horses and optimize efficacy.

OA is a chronic, degenerative disease leading to inflammation of the synovial membrane and fibrous joint capsule that allow for smooth joint movement and shock absorption. As a result, the cartilage in the joints begins to lack its own blood or nerve supply, preventing self-repair once it is damaged. Because of this joint deterioration, friction and inflammation in a horse’s joints increase, resulting in pain, stiffness, and lameness.^2,3

“Many horses may deal with pain that is not recognized, particularly in its early stages,” Janet Patterson-Kane, PhD, BVSc, Morris Animal Foundation’s chief scientific officer, said in a news release.⁴ “Giving their caregivers effective tools for detection, monitoring, and decision-making has the potential for significant animal welfare impact.

How the EBPI works

The EBPI is designed to help owners recognize signs of OA-related pain in their horses and offers the potential to help them monitor treatment success and pain progression.

Modeled after the Brief Pain Inventory, which is used to assess clinical pain in humans and the extent to which it interferes with functioning,¹ the EBPI includes questions that address equine movement, facial expressions, posture, and changes in behavior. It is based on input from owners of horses diagnosed with OA and scientific literature on equine pain expression and behavior.³

“As veterinarians, we want to treat horses with painful and debilitating conditions like OA as effectively as possible,” Janny de Grauw, DVM, PhD, MRCVS, DECVAA, senior lecturer at Royal Veterinary College London, United Kingdom, and a distance researcher with Utrecht University Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Netherlands, said in a news release.^1,4 “How well we can manage their condition critically relies on recognition of subtle signs of [worsening] pain by owners and caregivers, who can then seek help.”

In the preliminary trial, investigators tested the tool for ease of use and interpretation in 25 owners or caretakers of horses diagnosed with OA. They determined that 84% of participants found the questionnaire easy to complete, with 88% noting its usefulness. Moreover, the EBPI took less than 5 minutes to complete, and assessments indicated that individuals with English reading abilities equivalent to a sixth- or seventh-grade education could reliably complete the questionnaire.⁵ As of June 10, 2024, the tool was undergoing additional reliability testing in a broader population of 60 owners or caretakers of horses with OA and 20 of healthy horses before it could be implemented.⁵

The project received funding from the Morris Animal Foundation Donor-Inspired Study. It was developed by de Grauw and Diane Howard, PhD, MSC, equine science graduate from the University of Edinburgh in the United Kingdom.

According to research, OA occurs in more than 50% of horses older than 15 years and is found in 80% to 90% of horses older than 30 years.^1,3 Howard discovered that many horse owners hold themselves responsible for their equine’s OA diagnosis or perceive it as an inevitable condition without remedy, according to the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA).¹

“In general, it’s not the owner or trainer’s fault, and once they realize that, they could be more willing to think, ‘Maybe my horse is hurting a bit, and maybe it’s arthritis,’” Howard said in a news release.⁶ “There are currently no ways of curing it, but there are certainly ways of controlling the pain and slowing the progress of the disease.”

The EBPI can assist equine owners in identifying signs of pain in their horses and seeking veterinary care for suitable treatment. By providing owners with a valuable resource for detection, tracking, and decision-making, the EBPI could profoundly influence animal welfare, according to the AVMA

References

1. Pain questionnaire adapted to identify osteoarthritis in horses. American Veterinary Medical Association. June 10, 2024. Accessed June 11, 2024. https://www.avma.org/news/pain-questionnaire-adapted-identify-osteoarthritis-horses?utm_source=delivra&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=todays-headlines-news
2. Managing and treating equine osteoarthritis. Boehringer Ingelheim. Accessed June 11, 2024. https://www.boehringer-ingelheim.com/ca/animal-health/companion-animals-equine/equine/managing-and-treating-equine-osteoarthritis
3. Morris Animal Foundation awards grant to test equine osteoarthritis questionnaire. News release. Morris Animal Foundation. April 22, 2024. Accessed June 13, 2024. https://www.morrisanimalfoundation.org/article/osteoarthritis-pain-in-horses-questionnaire
4. Baccarin RY, Seidel SR, Michelacci YM, Tokawa PK, Oliveira TM. Osteoarthritis: A common disease that should be avoided in the athletic horse’s life. Animal Frontiers. 2022;12(3):25-36. doi: 10.1093/af/vfac026
5. Howard DL, Lancaster B, de Grauw J. Development and preliminary validation of an equine brief pain inventory for owner assessment of chronic pain due to osteoarthritis in horses. Animals. 2024;14(2):181. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani14020181
6. Morris Animal Foundation-funded researchers develop early osteoarthritis detection tool. News release. Morris Animal Foundation. April 2, 2024. Accessed June 13, 2024. https://www.morrisanimalfoundation.org/article/Morris-Animal-Foundation-horses-osteoarthritis-detection-tool