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Engdahl KS, Brodbelt DC, Cameron C, Church DB, O'Neill DG. English Cocker Spaniels under primary veterinary care in the UK: disorder predispositions and protections. Canine Med Genet 2024; 11:1. [PMID: 38233914 PMCID: PMC10795400 DOI: 10.1186/s40575-023-00136-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2023] [Accepted: 11/24/2023] [Indexed: 01/19/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The English Cocker Spaniel (ECS) is one of the most popular dog breeds in the UK but information on disorder predisposition and protection is limited. Using anonymised veterinary clinical data from the VetCompass™ Programme, this study aimed to compare disorder predisposition and protection between the ECS and the remaining dogs under primary veterinary care in the UK during 2016. Electronic patient records for random samples of ECS and non-ECS were reviewed. The most common disorders diagnosed during 2016 were extracted and compared using multivariable logistic regression, controlling for confounders. RESULTS The analysis included random samples of 2510/10,313 (24.3%) ECS and 7813/326,552 (2.39%) non-ECS. After accounting for confounding by age, sex, bodyweight within breed-sex, insurance status and veterinary practice group, the ECS had increased odds of 21/43 (48.85%) disorders at fine-level precision, with highest odds for aural discharge (odds ratio (OR) 14.66, 95% confidence interval (CI): 7.73-30.90, P < 0.001) and keratoconjunctivitis sicca (OR 7.64, 95% CI: 4.33-14.14, P < 0.001) and lowest odds for atopic dermatitis (OR 0.14, 95% CI: 0.05-0.31, P < 0.001) and allergy (OR 0.14, 95% CI: 0.06-0.28, P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS This study provides evidence for strong predisposition to aural and ocular disorders and protection from hypersensitivity disorders in the ECS. These results can aid dog owners, breeders, and veterinarians to better monitor health in ECS, and promote earlier diagnosis with improved prognosis. Further, the results can help breeding organisations establish key priorities the health-based reforms of the ECS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karolina S Engdahl
- Department of Clinical Sciences, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, PO Box 7054, 750 07, Uppsala, Sweden.
| | - Dave C Brodbelt
- Pathobiology and Population Sciences, The Royal Veterinary College, Hawkshead Lane, North Mymms, Hatfield, Herts, AL9 7TA, UK
| | - Carla Cameron
- Pathobiology and Population Sciences, The Royal Veterinary College, Hawkshead Lane, North Mymms, Hatfield, Herts, AL9 7TA, UK
| | - David B Church
- Clinical Science and Services, The Royal Veterinary College, Hawkshead Lane, North Mymms, Hatfield, Herts, AL9 7TA, UK
| | - Dan G O'Neill
- Pathobiology and Population Sciences, The Royal Veterinary College, Hawkshead Lane, North Mymms, Hatfield, Herts, AL9 7TA, UK
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O'Neill DG, Edmunds GL, Urquhart-Gilmore J, Church DB, Rutherford L, Smalley MJ, Brodbelt DC. Dog breeds and conformations predisposed to osteosarcoma in the UK: a VetCompass study. Canine Med Genet 2023; 10:8. [PMID: 37365662 DOI: 10.1186/s40575-023-00131-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2023] [Accepted: 05/22/2023] [Indexed: 06/28/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Osteosarcoma is a malignant bone neoplasia that has high welfare consequences for affected dogs. Awareness of breed and canine conformational risk factors for osteosarcoma can assist with earlier diagnosis and improved clinical management. Study of osteosarcoma in dogs also offers translational value for humans. Anonymised clinical data within VetCompass on dogs under primary veterinary care in the UK were searched for osteosarcoma cases. Descriptive statistics reported overall and breed-specific prevalence. Risk factor analysis used multivariable logistic regression modelling. RESULTS From 905,552 study dogs, 331 osteosarcoma cases were confirmed yielding a one-year period prevalence of 0.037% (95% CI: 0.033-0.041). Breeds with the highest annual prevalence were the Scottish Deerhound (3.28%, 95% CI 0.90-8.18), Leonberger (1.48%, 95% CI 0.41- 3.75), Great Dane (0.87%, 95% CI 0.43- 1.55) and Rottweiler (0.84%, 95% CI 0.64-1.07). The median age at diagnosis was 9.64 years (IQR: 7.97-11.41). Following multivariable modelling, 11 breeds showed increased odds of osteosarcoma compared with crossbred dogs. Breeds with the highest odds included Scottish Deerhound (OR 118.40, 95% CI 41.12-340.95), Leonberger (OR 55.79, 95% CI 19.68-158.15), Great Dane (OR 34.24, 95% CI 17.81-65.83) and Rottweiler (OR 26.67, 95% CI 18.57-38.29). Compared with breeds with mesocephalic skull conformation, breeds with dolichocephalic skull conformation (OR 2.72, 95% CI 2.06-3.58) had increased odds while breeds with brachycephalic skull conformation showed reduced odds (OR 0.50, 95% CI 0.32-0.80). Chondrodystrophic breeds had 0.10 times the odds (95% CI 0.06-0.15) compared with non-chondrodystrophic breeds. Increasing adult bodyweight was associated with increasing odds of osteosarcoma. CONCLUSIONS The current study cements the concept that breed, bodyweight and longer leg or longer skull length are all strong risk factors for osteosarcoma in dogs. With this awareness, veterinarians can update their clinical suspicion and judgement, breeders can select towards lower-risk animals, and researchers can robustly define more useful study populations for fundamental and translational bioscience.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dan G O'Neill
- Pathobiology and Population Sciences, The Royal Veterinary College, Hawkshead Lane, North Mymms, Hatfield, AL9 7TA, Herts, UK.
| | - Grace L Edmunds
- School of Veterinary Sciences, University of Bristol and Langford Vets, Stock Lane, Langford, BS40 5DU, UK
| | - Jade Urquhart-Gilmore
- Pathobiology and Population Sciences, The Royal Veterinary College, Hawkshead Lane, North Mymms, Hatfield, AL9 7TA, Herts, UK
| | - David B Church
- Clinical Science and Services, The Royal Veterinary College, Hawkshead Lane, North Mymms, Hatfield, Herts, AL9 7TA, UK
| | - Lynda Rutherford
- Clinical Science and Services, The Royal Veterinary College, Hawkshead Lane, North Mymms, Hatfield, Herts, AL9 7TA, UK
| | - Matthew J Smalley
- European Cancer Stem Cell Research Institute, School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, Hadyn Ellis Building, Maindy Road, Cardiff, CF24 4HQ, UK
| | - Dave C Brodbelt
- Pathobiology and Population Sciences, The Royal Veterinary College, Hawkshead Lane, North Mymms, Hatfield, AL9 7TA, Herts, UK
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Andrews ALMM, Youngman KL, Packer RMA, O'Neill DG, Kafarnik C. A Review of Clinical Outcomes, Owner Understanding and Satisfaction following Medial Canthoplasty in Brachycephalic Dogs in a UK Referral Setting (2016-2021). Animals (Basel) 2023; 13:2032. [PMID: 37370542 DOI: 10.3390/ani13122032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2023] [Revised: 06/13/2023] [Accepted: 06/17/2023] [Indexed: 06/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Brachycephalic breeds have increased in popularity despite growing awareness of their predisposition to a wide range of conformation-related diseases. The extreme facial conformation of many popular brachycephalic breeds compromises their ocular surface health, increasing the risk of painful corneal ulceration. Medial canthoplasty (MC) is a surgical procedure to address ocular abnormalities in brachycephalic dogs, which are collectively referred to as brachycephalic ocular syndrome (BOS). This study retrospectively reviewed the records of dogs recommended MC at a referral hospital between 2016 and 2021. A questionnaire was designed to identify owners' perceptions pre- and post-operatively. From 271 brachycephalic dogs recommended MC, 43.5% (118/271) underwent surgery and 72.0% (85/118) were Pugs. The majority of dogs (73.7%, 87/118) that underwent surgery had current or historical corneal ulceration. Follow-up was available in 104 dogs, of which 5.7% (6/104) had corneal ulceration post-operatively. Sixty-four owners completed the questionnaire and reported post-operative corneal ulceration in 12.5% of dogs (8/64), reduced ocular discharge (70.8%, 34/48), reduced ocular irritation (67.7%, 21/31) and less periocular cleaning (52.5%, 32/61). Owners were satisfied with the clinical (85.9%, 55/64) and cosmetic (87.5%, 56/64) outcome. In conclusion, MC has high clinical relevance for the surgical management of BOS, restoring functional conformation and improving the quality of life of affected dogs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amy L M M Andrews
- Queen Mother Hospital for Animals, The Royal Veterinary College, Hawkshead Lane, Hatfield AL9 7TA, Hertfordshire, UK
| | - Katie L Youngman
- Queen Mother Hospital for Animals, The Royal Veterinary College, Hawkshead Lane, Hatfield AL9 7TA, Hertfordshire, UK
| | - Rowena M A Packer
- Department of Clinical Science and Services, The Royal Veterinary College, Hawkshead Lane, Hatfield AL9 7TA, Hertfordshire, UK
| | - Dan G O'Neill
- Department of Pathobiology and Population Sciences, The Royal Veterinary College, Hawkshead Lane, Hatfield AL9 7TA, Hertfordshire, UK
| | - Christiane Kafarnik
- Queen Mother Hospital for Animals, The Royal Veterinary College, Hawkshead Lane, Hatfield AL9 7TA, Hertfordshire, UK
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O'Neill DG, Skipper AM, Barrett K, Church DB, Packer RMA, Brodbelt DC. Demography, common disorders and mortality of Boxer dogs under primary veterinary care in the UK. Canine Med Genet 2023; 10:6. [PMID: 37259166 DOI: 10.1186/s40575-023-00129-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2023] [Accepted: 04/19/2023] [Indexed: 06/02/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The Boxer is a popular dog breed with a distinctive appearance. However, the breed has been linked with several health conditions, some of which have been associated with its moderately brachycephalic conformation and its white colouration. Anonymised primary-care veterinary clinical records were explored to extract data on the demography, common disorders and mortality of Boxers in the UK in 2016. RESULTS The study population of 336,865 dogs included 3,219 (0.96%) Boxers, of which 10.71% were recorded as white. The mean adult bodyweight was 30.43 kg (SD 5.73 kg). Annual disorder counts did not differ statistically between the sexes or between white and non-white Boxers. The most prevalent fine-level precision disorders were otitis externa (n = 230, 7.15%), epulis (188, 5.84%), corneal ulceration (161, 5.00%) and periodontal disease (149, 4.63%). Of the 34 most common fine-level disorders, none differed in prevalence between white and non-white dogs. The most prevalent disorder groups were skin disorder (n = 571, 17.74%), neoplasia (457, 14.20%) and ear disorder (335, 10.41%). White Boxers had higher prevalence than non-white Boxers for two disorder groups: dental disorder and brain disorder. The median longevity of 346 Boxers that died during the study was 10.46 years (IQR 9.00-11.98, range 2.76-18.00). Median longevity did not differ statistically between the sexes or between white and non-white Boxers. The most common grouped causes of death were death - unrecorded cause (n = 73, 21.10%), neoplasia (43, 12.43%) and brain disorder (33, 9.54%). CONCLUSIONS There was minimal evidence of substantial health differences between white and non-white Boxers. Among the four most common disorders recorded in Boxers, two were typically common across all types of dogs (otitis externa and periodontal disease) while two suggested strong predispositions for the Boxer breed (epulis and corneal ulceration), showing the value of eliciting breed-specific disorder patterns for insights for potential health reforms. The overall longevity of Boxer dogs was consistent with other breeds of similar body size.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dan G O'Neill
- Pathobiology and Population Sciences, The Royal Veterinary College, Hawkshead Lane, North Mymms, Hatfield, AL9 7TA, Herts, UK.
| | - Alison M Skipper
- Pathobiology and Population Sciences, The Royal Veterinary College, Hawkshead Lane, North Mymms, Hatfield, AL9 7TA, Herts, UK
| | - Kate Barrett
- Pathobiology and Population Sciences, The Royal Veterinary College, Hawkshead Lane, North Mymms, Hatfield, AL9 7TA, Herts, UK
| | - David B Church
- Clinical Science and Services, The Royal Veterinary College, Hawkshead Lane, North Mymms, Hatfield, AL9 7TA, Herts, UK
| | - Rowena M A Packer
- Clinical Science and Services, The Royal Veterinary College, Hawkshead Lane, North Mymms, Hatfield, AL9 7TA, Herts, UK
| | - Dave C Brodbelt
- Pathobiology and Population Sciences, The Royal Veterinary College, Hawkshead Lane, North Mymms, Hatfield, AL9 7TA, Herts, UK
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Engdahl KS, Brodbelt DC, Cameron C, Church DB, Hedhammar Å, O'Neill DG. Demography and disorders of English Cocker Spaniels under primary veterinary care in the UK. Canine Med Genet 2023; 10:4. [PMID: 37202773 DOI: 10.1186/s40575-023-00128-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2023] [Accepted: 04/11/2023] [Indexed: 05/20/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The English Cocker Spaniel (ECS) is a common family dog in the UK. This study aimed to describe demography, morbidity, and mortality in ECS under primary veterinary care in the UK during 2016 using data from the VetCompass™ Programme. This study hypothesised that the prevalence of aggression is higher in male than female ECS, and higher in solid-coloured than bi-coloured ECS. RESULTS English Cocker Spaniels comprised 10,313/336,865 (3.06%) of dogs under primary veterinary care during 2016. The median age was 4.57 years (inter-quartile range (IQR) 2.25-8.01) and the median adult bodyweight was 15.05 kg (IQR 13.12-17.35). The annual proportional birth rate was relatively stable between 2.97-3.51% from 2005-2016. The most common specific diagnoses were periodontal disease (n = 486, prevalence 20.97%, 95% confidence interval (CI): 19.31-22.62), otitis externa (n = 234, 10.09%, 95% CI: 8.87-11.32), obesity (n = 229, 9.88%, 95% CI: 8.66-11.09), anal sac impaction (n = 187, 8.07%, 95% CI: 6.96-9.18), diarrhoea (n = 113, 4.87%, 95% CI: 4.00-5.75), and aggression (n = 93, 4.01%, 95% CI: 3.21-4.81). The prevalence of aggression was higher in males (4.95%) than in females (2.87%) (P = 0.015) and in solid-coloured (7.00%) than in bi-coloured dogs (3.66%) (P = 0.010). The median age at death was 11.44 years (IQR 9.46-13.47) and the most common grouped causes of death were neoplasia (n = 10, 9.26%, 95% CI: 3.79-14.73), mass-associated disorders (n = 9, 8.33%, 95% CI: 4.45-15.08), and collapse (n = 8, 7.41%, 95% CI: 3.80-13.94). CONCLUSIONS Periodontal disease, otitis externa, and obesity are identified as the most common health issues for ECS, and neoplasia and mass-associated disorders as the most common reasons for death. The prevalence of aggression was higher in males and solid-coloured dogs. The results can aid veterinarians in giving evidence-based health and breed choice information to dog owners and highlights the importance of thorough oral examination and body condition score evaluation during routine veterinary examination of ECS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karolina S Engdahl
- Department of Clinical Sciences, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, PO Box 7054, 750 07, Uppsala, Sweden.
| | - Dave C Brodbelt
- Pathobiology and Population Science, The Royal Veterinary College, North Mymms, Hawkshead Lane, Hatfield, AL9 7TA, Herts, UK
| | - Carla Cameron
- Pathobiology and Population Science, The Royal Veterinary College, North Mymms, Hawkshead Lane, Hatfield, AL9 7TA, Herts, UK
| | - David B Church
- Clinical Science and Services, The Royal Veterinary College, North Mymms, Hawkshead Lane, Hatfield, AL9 7TA, Herts, UK
| | - Åke Hedhammar
- Department of Clinical Sciences, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, PO Box 7054, 750 07, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Dan G O'Neill
- Pathobiology and Population Science, The Royal Veterinary College, North Mymms, Hawkshead Lane, Hatfield, AL9 7TA, Herts, UK
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