FURI | Summer 2023

Using Measurements from Canine Gait, Heart Rate Variability, and Posture as a Predictive Model for Postoperative Spay or Neuter Surgical Outcomes

The study will use three objective measurements (speed, posture, and heart rate variability) to make a model that allows for a short-term prediction of the consequences following a canine spay or neuter surgery. These consequences will be called negative post-surgical outcomes, which include death and illness. The researchers posit that change in these movement variability parameters will be closely related to frailty and instability and these measures will be quantifiable using nonlinear dynamics and the theory of chaos. The study will use a controlled designated pathway in which measurements, from eligible shelter dogs at an animal shelter, will be collected.