Abstract
The vertebral column of 124 randomly selected miniature dachshunds, representing 4.5% of the population registered by the Finnish Kennel Club during the years 1988 to 1996, were radiographed. The front legs were also radiographed in order to evaluate the curvature of the radius and ulna. Calcified discs were found in 75.9% of the longhaired miniature dachshunds and in 86.7% of the wirehaired ones. The occurrence of signs associated with IDD was 16.5% in longhaired and 15.6% in wirehaired miniature dachshunds. The occurrence of signs of IDD in dogs with calcified discs was 20.0% and 17.9% in long-haired and wirehaired miniature dachshunds, respectively. In dogs without calcifications only one dog showed signs of IDD. The curvature of the radius and the ulna did not differ between the dogs with signs of IDD and the healthy ones, or between the dogs with and without intervertebral calcifications. Our results indicate that radiographic eradication based on the presence of intervertebral calcifications is not suitable for breeding purposes for the Finnish miniature dachshund population because the percentage of dogs without calcifications is small.
Highlights
Intervertebral disc disease (IDD) is a common cause of back pain and neurological deficits in the dog
It has been shown that IDD (Havranek-Balzaretti 1980, Ball 1982) and intervertebral calcifications (Havranek-Balzaretti 1980) are hereditary in dachshunds and dogs with calcified discs are at greater risk to develop clinical signs of IDD than dogs without calcifications (HavranekBalzaretti 1980, Stigen 1996)
Radiographs were taken of 124 dachshunds (79 longhaired and 45 wirehaired) representing 4.5% of the miniature dachshund population registered by the Finnish Kennel Club during the years 1988 to 1996
Summary
Intervertebral disc disease (IDD) is a common cause of back pain and neurological deficits in the dog It most commonly affects dachshunds and other chondrodystrophic breeds with an occurrence of 19% in dachshunds (Ball 1982). There are, no studies to confirm this hypothesis If this was the case, radiographic screening of the radius and ulna might be of value in reducing the occurrence of IDD in dachshunds. Previous radiographic studies have focused on standard size dachshunds (Havranek-Balzaretti 1980, Stigen 1991, 1993, 1996) It seems that IDD is common in Finnish miniature dachshunds. The objective of this radiographic study was to evaluate the occurrence of calcified intervertebral discs in Finnish miniature dachshunds and to compare the relationship between the curvature of the radius and ulna with the degree of disc calcification
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