Abstract
BackgroundEvidence-based comparison of the disorder-specific welfare burdens of major canine conditions could better inform targeting of stakeholder resources, to maximise improvement of health-related welfare in UK dogs. Population-level disease related welfare impact offers a quantitative, welfare-centred framework for objective disorder prioritisation, but practical applications have been limited to date due to sparse reliable evidence on disorder-specific prevalence, severity and duration across the canine disease spectrum. The VetCompass™ Programme collects de-identified electronic health record data from dogs attending primary-care clinics UK-wide, and is well placed to fill these information gaps.ResultsThe eight common, breed-related conditions assessed were anal sac disorder, conjunctivitis, dental disease, dermatitis, overweight/obese, lipoma, osteoarthritis and otitis externa. Annual period prevalence estimates (based on confirming 250 cases from total potential cases identified from denominator population of 455, 557 dogs) were highest for dental disorder (9.6%), overweight/obese (5.7%) and anal sac disorder (4.5%). Dental disorder (76% of study year), osteoarthritis (82%), and overweight/obese (70%) had highest annual duration scores. Osteoarthritis (scoring 13/21), otitis externa (11/21) and dermatitis demonstrated (10/21) highest overall severity scores. Dental disorder (2.47/3.00 summative score), osteoarthritis (2.24/3.00) and overweight/obese (1.67/3.00) had highest VetCompass Welfare Impact scores overall.DiscussionOf the eight common, breed-related disorders assessed, dental disorder, osteoarthritis and overweight/obese demonstrated particular welfare impact, based on combinations of high prevalence, duration and severity. Future work could extend this methodology to cover a wider range of disorders.ConclusionsDental disorders, osteoarthritis and overweight/obese have emerged as priority areas for health-related welfare improvement in the UK dog population. This study demonstrated applicability of a standardised methodology to assess the relative health-related welfare impact across a range of canine disorders using VetCompass clinical data.
Highlights
Evidence-based comparison of the disorder-specific welfare burdens of major canine conditions could better inform targeting of stakeholder resources, to maximise improvement of health-related welfare in United Kingdom (UK) dogs
Eight of the most common breed-related conditions seen in dogs attending primary care veterinary practices were identified for assessment of disorder-specific health-related welfare impact
This study provides proof-of-concept for the applicability of standardised methods for population-level, health-related welfare impact assessment across a spectrum of canine conditions using electronic health record (EHR) data
Summary
Evidence-based comparison of the disorder-specific welfare burdens of major canine conditions could better inform targeting of stakeholder resources, to maximise improvement of health-related welfare in UK dogs. Rationally identifying which of reportedly hundreds of breedlinked disorders should be prioritised to achieve greatest overall improvement in pedigree dog welfare from available resources remains a challenge [14, 18, 19]. This issue is even more complex when broadening the definition of ‘breed-associated’ disorders beyond those with evidence for direct genetic inheritance – it may be that certain conditions which could and do occur in any breed are far more likely in particular canine breeds or types, for epigenetic or owner-related environmental and socioeconomic reasons. In practical welfare terms, such conditions could be considered ‘breed-associated’ to some degree, even if not strictly heritable or breedexclusive
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