Epidemiology and clinical management of elbow joint disease in dogs under primary veterinary care in the UK

excepts from the study...

This study was conducted in the UK; it "shows that elbow joint disease is a relatively common diagnosis in dogs and has a high welfare impact. There are strong breed predispositions, in particular for large breed dogs."

"The current study substantiated some previously reported breed-related variation in prevalence of elbow disease. The breeds with the highest prevalence were mainly large breeds and included Labrador Retriever, Rottweiler, Golden Retriever, German Shepherd Dogs, and English Springer Spaniels."

"The current study aimed to fill the information gap on the epidemiology of elbow joint disease by estimating the prevalence and incidence of elbow joint disease in dogs attending primary-care veterinary practice in the UK and evaluating breed as a risk factor for incident elbow joint disease. The study also aimed to report summary statistics on diagnostics, management and outcomes that can contribute to bench-marking for clinical audit and governance [34, 35]."

For prospective buyers and owners: recognition that a "high proportion of cases recorded with pain, lameness and analgesic therapy. "

Weight management and environmental factors as well as the genetic/heritable nature of orthopedic conditions should be considered.

For Breeders: "These findings present a clear case for improved breeding programmes to reduce the burden of elbow joint disease in dogs." (See research below*)

O’Neill, D.G., Brodbelt, D.C., Hodge, R. et al. Epidemiology and clinical management of elbow joint disease in dogs under primary veterinary care in the UK. Canine Genet Epidemiol 7, 1 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40575-020-0080-5

* Frontiers | Effectiveness of Canine Hip Dysplasia and Elbow Dysplasia Improvement Programs in Six UK Pedigree Breeds | Veterinary Science

excerpts from the study...

"This analysis of data from canine hip and elbow dysplasia screening schemes in the UK has demonstrated improvements in participation, phenotypic parameters and/or genetic trends for all breeds considered. Generally, greater progress was observed with respect to hip scores than elbow grades. The largest improvements in hip score data were observed in NEWF, which initially had the highest (poorest) scores. For some of the very popular breeds, for which hip dysplasia is a recognized problem (LR, GR, GSD), steady improvement was observed. In general, the changes observed in elbow grade parameters were less consistent and smaller although there were general increases detected in participation across breeds and an improving genetic trend was detected in five of the six breeds included. However, the genetic trend as determined by elbow grade EBVs was comparable with that for hip score in ROTT and exceeded it in BMD, perhaps revealing selection priorities of breeders."

Citation: James HK, McDonnell F and Lewis TW (2020) Effectiveness of Canine Hip Dysplasia and Elbow Dysplasia Improvement Programs in Six UK Pedigree Breeds. Front. Vet. Sci. 6:490. doi: 10.3389/fvets.2019.00490

Received: 02 October 2019; Accepted: 10 December 2019;
Published: 15 January 2020.