Abstract
BackgroundOtitis externa is a commonly diagnosed disorder in dogs and can carry a high welfare impact on affected animals. This study aimed to report the prevalence and explore the role of breed and aural conformation as predisposing factors for canine otitis externa in the UK. The study used a cohort design of dogs under UK primary veterinary care at clinics participating in the VetCompass Programme during 2016. Risk factor analysis used multivariable logistic regression modelling.ResultsThe study included a random sample of 22,333 dogs from an overall population of 905,554 dogs under veterinary care in 2016. The one-year period prevalence of otitis externa was 7.30% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 6.97 to 7.65). Breed and ear carriage were the highest ranked risk factors. Compared with crossbred dogs, sixteen breed types showed increased odds, including: Basset Hound (odds ratio [OR] 5.87), Chinese Shar Pei (OR 3.44), Labradoodle (OR 2.95), Beagle (OR 2.54) and Golden Retriever (OR 2.23). Four breeds showed protection (i.e. reduced odds) of otitis externa: Chihuahua (OR 0.20), Border Collie (OR 0.34), Yorkshire Terrier (OR 0.49) and Jack Russell Terrier (OR 0.52). Designer breed types overall had 1.63 times the odds (95% CI 1.31 to 2.03) compared with crossbred dogs. Compared with breeds with erect ear carriage, breeds with pendulous ear carriage had 1.76 times the odds (95% CI 1.48 to 2.10) and breeds with V-shaped drop ear carriage had 1.84 times the odds (95% CI 1.53 to 2.21) of otitis externa.ConclusionsBreed itself and breed-associated ear carriage conformation are important predisposing factors for canine otitis externa. Greater awareness of these associations for both predisposed and protected breeds could support veterinary practitioners to promote cautious and low-harm approaches in their clinical advice on preventive care for otitis externa, especially in predisposed breeds.
Highlights
Otitis externa is a commonly diagnosed disorder in dogs and can carry a high welfare impact on affected animals
The breed, age, bodyweight and other information available on these dogs were used to explore why certain dog types were predisposed to otitis externa
Breeds with pendulous ear carriage (× 1.76) and V-shaped drop ear carriage (× 1.84) had higher risk of otitis externa compared with breeds with erect ear carriage
Summary
Otitis externa is a commonly diagnosed disorder in dogs and can carry a high welfare impact on affected animals. The external ear canal is lined with epithelial cells, comparable to the ubiquitous epidermis, with variable hair follicles [2, 3], sebaceous and ceruminous glands [4], and is populated with a microflora [5] All these anatomical generalities vary widely between breeds, suggesting that breed should be considered as an important predisposing factor for otitis externa in dogs [2, 6]. The aetiology of otitis externa cases is generally multifactorial and has been classified according to the PSPP-system: primary, secondary, predisposing and perpetuating factors Primary factors, such as allergic skin disease, endocrinopathies, and keratinisation and immune-mediated disorders, initiate inflammation/ infection of the skin and the ear canal, while other primary factors such as foreign bodies can affect just the ear canal itself. Specific focus on predisposing factors to identify both predispositions (i.e., higher odds) and protections (i.e. reduced odds) would be of major interest for breeders and animal welfare scientists and could lead to applications in breeding programs to lower the risk for dogs acquiring otitis externa [10, 11]
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