Results from an explorative screening program for elbow dysplasia in some breeds of dogs in Italy

Abstract

This paper aimed to present the first results of an explorative screening program currently running in Italy and focussing  on the prevalence of a specific orthopaedic disorder, elbow dysplasia (ED), in some breeds of dogs commonly reared in  Italy. Data consisted of radiographic findings taken on 1370 dogs (758 females and 612 males) of 6 breeds (Bernese  Mountain dog, Cane Corso, German Shepherd , Golden Retriever, Labrador Retriever and Rottweiler) screened at an age  of 20.6 ± 11.6 months. Radiographs were graded for both ED and hip dysplasia (HD) according to a four- (0 to 3) or a  five-grade (A to E) linear system, respectively. Logistic regression analysis was used for studying the relationships  between breed, sex, age of dogs at screening and HD diagnosis with the outcome of the diagnosis for ED. Prevalence of  ED (ED score ≥ 1) for the pool of breeds involved was 25%, and Labrador Retriever (17%) and Rottweiler (40%) showed,  respectively, the lowest and the highest prevalence of ED among breeds in the study. Prevalence of HD (grades C or high-  er) approached 15%. When compared to other breeds, Rottweiler and Bernese Mountain dogs showed significantly high-  er risk to be affected by ED (odds ratio 3.2 and 3.0, respectively). Conversely, sex did not significantly affect the onset  of ED. When compared to the youngest group of dogs at screening (average: 14 months), the oldest group of screened  dogs (average: 40 months) exhibited a significantly higher risk of being diagnosed as affected by ED (odds ratio: 1.9).  A negative status of hip joints appeared positively associated with a negative status of elbow joints, and dogs diagnosed  as affected by HD had a 40% increased risk of being diagnosed as affected by ED. In conclusion, results from this study  demonstrated that ED has a noticeable prevalence in some Italian dog populations, particularly in heavy breeds.  Screening of dogs for ED appeared feasible and should be performed at a standard age. Phenotypic association between  hip and elbow dysplasia observed in this study suggests that the genetic relationships between these skeletal disorders  should be investigated. 

Keywords

• Dogs
• Elbow dysplasia
• Hip dysplasia