Abstract
Purebred dog health is thought to be compromised by an increasing occurence of inherited diseases but inadequate prevalence data on common disorders have hampered efforts to prioritise health reforms. Analysis of primary veterinary practice clinical data has been proposed for reliable estimation of disorder prevalence in dogs. Electronic patient record (EPR) data were collected on 148,741 dogs attending 93 clinics across central and south-eastern England. Analysis in detail of a random sample of EPRs relating to 3,884 dogs from 89 clinics identified the most frequently recorded disorders as otitis externa (prevalence 10.2%, 95% CI: 9.1–11.3), periodontal disease (9.3%, 95% CI: 8.3–10.3) and anal sac impaction (7.1%, 95% CI: 6.1–8.1). Using syndromic classification, the most prevalent body location affected was the head-and-neck (32.8%, 95% CI: 30.7–34.9), the most prevalent organ system affected was the integument (36.3%, 95% CI: 33.9–38.6) and the most prevalent pathophysiologic process diagnosed was inflammation (32.1%, 95% CI: 29.8–34.3). Among the twenty most-frequently recorded disorders, purebred dogs had a significantly higher prevalence compared with crossbreds for three: otitis externa (P = 0.001), obesity (P = 0.006) and skin mass lesion (P = 0.033), and popular breeds differed significantly from each other in their prevalence for five: periodontal disease (P = 0.002), overgrown nails (P = 0.004), degenerative joint disease (P = 0.005), obesity (P = 0.001) and lipoma (P = 0.003). These results fill a crucial data gap in disorder prevalence information and assist with disorder prioritisation. The results suggest that, for maximal impact, breeding reforms should target commonly-diagnosed complex disorders that are amenable to genetic improvement and should place special focus on at-risk breeds. Future studies evaluating disorder severity and duration will augment the usefulness of the disorder prevalence information reported herein.
Highlights
The domestic dog (Canis lupus familiaris) has become integral to modern human family life, with the UK dog population estimated to be 8–10 million [1,2,3] and 24–31% of UK households estimated to own at least one dog [1,2]
This study reported the most prevalent disorders recorded in dogs attending primary-care veterinary practices in England as otitis externa, periodontal disease and anal sac impaction, while the most prevalent disorder groups were enteropathic, dermatological and musculoskeletal
The current study indicated that otitis externa (10.2%), periodontal disease (9.3%), anal sac impaction (7.1%) and overgrown nails (7.1%) were the most prevalent disorders recorded in dogs attending veterinary practices in England
Summary
The domestic dog (Canis lupus familiaris) has become integral to modern human family life, with the UK dog population estimated to be 8–10 million [1,2,3] and 24–31% of UK households estimated to own at least one dog [1,2]. Humans benefit from dog ownership both physically [4,5] and mentally [6,7], it is increasingly questioned whether modern breeding practices have allowed dog health and welfare to derive comparable benefits [8,9]. The dog is the most phenotypically diverse mammal at a species level [10], genetic diversity has been greatly reduced within modern breeds [11] because of breeding practices that include closed stud books [12], structured inbreeding [11] and reproductive dominance of popular sires [13]. Each of the 50 most popular breeds in the UK has at least one reported conformational predisposition to disease [15] and almost 400 non-conformational inherited disorders have been identified [16]. Implicit acceptance of the statement that purebred dogs are plagued with many inherited diseases [17] has contributed to a widespread belief that crossbred dogs are substantially healthier than purebreds [18]
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