Body composition of medium to giant breed dogs with or without cranial cruciate ligament disease.

Abstract

To describe the body composition of dogs with or without cranial cruciate ligament (CCL) disease. Cross-sectional. Adult dogs in which CCL disease was diagnosed (n = 30) and adult dogs without clinical signs of orthopedic disease (n = 30). Body weight, body condition score, and muscle condition score (MCS) were recorded. Body composition of the whole body and pelvic limbs were assessed by dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry. Body condition score, whole body, and pelvic limb body composition measurements were compared by using general linear mixed-model analysis of variance. Muscle condition score between groups was assessed by using a Mann-Whitney U test, while paired data were analyzed by using a Wilcoxon signed-rank test. Body fat percentage (P < .0001) was higher in affected dogs (38.78% ± 1.40) than in control dogs (27.49% ± 1.24). Affected dogs had lower MCS (1.90 ± 0.13, P < .0001) compared with control dogs (2.77 ± 0.08). The affected pelvic limb of affected dogs contained less lean soft tissues (P < .0001) but more fat (P = .0451) compared with the contralateral pelvic limb. Dogs with CCL disease were overweight compared with the control group. Dogs that are overweight may be predisposed to developing CCL disease. Body composition changes in the pelvic limbs should be considered when managing the care of these dogs.