Breed Predisposition to Osteochondrosis of the Elbow
Elbow dysplasia is an abnormal development of the elbow joint in young, large rapidly growing dogs. it involves abnormal bone growth, cartilage development or joint stresses. It is considered to be one of the most common causes of osteoarthritis of the canine elbow. The most common sign is lameness which usually develops between 4 and 8 months of age. Surgery is permoed before the degenerative changes of osteoarthritis develop. The outlook for recovery after surgery is good if degenerative joint disease has not developed in the joint.
The advantages of knowing which breeds of dogs are at increased risk for osteochondrosis of the elbow are evident. It can heighten awareness among breed club members, helping them make decisions about how to spend their foundation dollars, and it can lead to more emphasis being placed on methods to diagnose and genetically screen for the disease in that breed before animals are bred and genes are recycled to the gene pool.
Breeds at Risk for Osteochondrosis of the Elbow
| Risk Factor |
Breed |
No. of Cases |
Controls |
Odds Ratio* |
95% Confidence Interval |
|
| Osteochondrosis of the Elbow |
|
Total |
210 |
1,050 |
|
|
|
Chow chow |
5 |
4 |
108.8 |
41.3–286.1 |
|
German shepherd dog |
7 |
41 |
14.9 |
5.0–44.1 |
|
Golden retriever |
32 |
66 |
42.2 |
18.7–95.3 |
|
Great Dane |
5 |
5 |
87.0 |
32.9–230.3 |
|
Labrador retriever |
88 |
70 |
109.4 |
54.4–219.9 |
|
Newfoundland |
9 |
3 |
261 |
107.1–635.8 |
|
Rottweiler |
20 |
10 |
174 |
78.2–387.1 |
|
Mixed-breed dog |
3 |
261 |
1.0
|
| * Only statistically significant ORs are
included in the Table. |
| † Because only statistically significant ORs are included in the
Table, the sum of cases for each disease is not necessarily equal to the
total. |
|
Adapted from:
1. Breed Susceptibility for Developmental Orthopedic Diseases in Dogs
Elizabeth LaFond, DVM, Diplomate ACVS, Gert J. Breur, DVM, PhD, Diplomate ACVS and Connie C. Austin, MPH, PhD
|