Prevalence of Canine Hip Dysplasia in Switzerland Between 1995 and 2016-A Retrospective Study in 5 Common Large Breeds.

Stefanie Ohlerth,Mark Flückiger,Urs Geissbühler,Britta Geiser

doi:10.3389/fvets.2019.00378

Stefanie Ohlerth, Mark Flückiger + Show 2 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3389/fvets.2019.00378

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Abstract

Canine hip dysplasia (CHD) is a genetic disease, modulated by epigenetic and environmental factors. To decrease the prevalence of CHD, the hip joints of many pure breed dogs are radiographed to identify dysplastic dogs not qualified for breeding. It has been shown that both, prevalence and severity of CHD may be reduced on the basis of phenotypic i.e., radiographic selection of breeding animals. The method has been used in many countries for over 50 years. In the present study, severity and prevalence of CHD in five common large breeds in Switzerland were evaluated since 1995. Both, prevalence and severity of CHD dropped in each breed between the periods 1995–1999 and 2010–2016. The prevalence decreased in Golden Retrievers from 25 to 9% and in Labrador Retrievers from 16 to 3%, respectively. In the Flat-Coated Retriever, prevalence in general was low, decreasing from 6 to 3%. In the Bernese mountain dog and the German shepherd dog, a decrease from 21 to 12% and from 46 to 18%, respectively, was observed. However, the rather low overall rate of radiographed dogs (Retrievers: 11 to 18%, Bernese Mountain dogs: 23% and German Shepherd dogs: 31%) does not allow to draw reliable conclusions regarding the true prevalence of CHD for the entire population of these breeds in Switzerland.

Highlights

Canine hip dysplasia (CHD) is defined as a developmental disease of the coxofemoral joint [1] and occurs in most canine breeds
Grades D and E occurred mainly in the Bernese mountain dog and the German shepherd dog during the first decade of the investigated period of the present study, these scores were very rare in the Retriever breeds
It is interesting to note that in the German shepherd dog a continuous mild improvement of the hip joint quality was observed whereas the CHD-prevalence was already on a constant low level in the other investigated breeds

Summary

Introduction

Canine hip dysplasia (CHD) is defined as a developmental disease of the coxofemoral joint [1] and occurs in most canine breeds. Excessive laxity is assumed to be the key factor leading to subluxation of the femoral head, incongruity of the joint and subsequent flattening of the acetabulum [2]. Presence and degree of CHD may be assessed on the basis of radiographic changes, i.e., subluxation, joint deformation, and osteoarthritis [4]. Canine hip dysplasia is a multifactorial disease triggered by genetic, environmental and probably epigenetic factors [5, 6]. The genetic basis of CHD is not fully understood; it is assumed to be a complex genetic trait with a polygenic inheritance pattern.

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