title: Caregiver placebo effect for dogs with lameness from osteoarthritis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To document the caregiver placebo effect in owners and veterinarians of dogs with lameness from osteoarthritis.
  
  
  METHODS
  Prospective, randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled, multicenter clinical trial.
  
  
  METHODS
  58 dogs with lameness secondary to osteoarthritis.
  
  
  METHODS
  Dogs enrolled in the placebo arm of an FDA-approved study were evaluated to determine the relationship between subjective (caregiver responses) and objective (force platform gait analysis) patient outcome measures.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A caregiver placebo effect for owners evaluating their dog's lameness occurred 39.7% of the time. A caregiver placebo effect occurred 44.8% of the time when veterinarians examined dogs for lameness at a walk, 44.8% of the time when veterinarians examined dogs for lameness at a trot, and 43.1% of the time when veterinarians evaluated dogs for signs of pain on palpation of the joint. This effect was significantly enhanced with time. Mean ground reaction forces (GRFs) remained unchanged for dogs during treatment with the placebo. Individually, of 58 dogs, 5 had GRFs that worsened by ≥ 5% over 42 days, 7 had GRFs that improved by ≥ 5% over 42 days, and 46 had GRFs that remained unchanged.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A caregiver placebo effect was common in the evaluation of patient response to treatment for osteoarthritis by both pet owners and veterinarians. Force platform gait analysis was an unbiased outcome measure for dogs with lameness from osteoarthritis. A caregiver placebo effect should be considered when interpreting owner and veterinary reports of patient response to treatment.
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Minnesota, Saint Paul, MN 55108, USA. conze012@umn.edu
authors.forename: Michael G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Conzemius
authors.forename: Richard B
authors.initials: RB
authors.lastname: Evans
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena; D017028:Caregivers; D004283:Dog Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis*; D004285:Dogs; D007794:Lameness, Animal / Q000175:diagnosis*; D015588:Observer Variation; D010003:Osteoarthritis / Q000473:pathology / Q000662:veterinary*; D015990:Placebo Effect; D018634:Veterinarians