Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Puppy weight gain linked to hip joint looseness at 16 weeks
By Lopez, Mandi J et al.·Published in Veterinary surgery : VS·2006·School of Veterinary Medicine, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Associations between canine juvenile weight gain and coxofemoral joint laxity at 16 weeks of age.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of hound puppies was studied to see if their weight gain from 6 to 15 weeks of age affected their hip joint stability at 16 weeks. The researchers found that the amount of weight the puppies gained during that time did not significantly impact their hip joint laxity, which was measured using a specific test. This suggests that allowing puppies to eat freely during this growth period does not harm their hip joints.
People also search for: puppy weight gain hip problems · hound puppy joint laxity · feeding puppies growth and health
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: Evaluation of the relationship between canine weight gain from 6 to 15 weeks of age and passive coxofemoral joint (CFJ) laxity at 16 weeks of age. STUDY DESIGN: Longitudinal cohort study. ANIMALS: Full- or half-sibling hounds (n = 56). METHODS: Hounds were weighed weekly from 6 to 15 weeks of age. Individual average daily gain (ADG) was calculated for each week (weekly) and for the study (overall). PennHIP distraction index (DI) was determined for each CFJ at 16 weeks. Mixed effects linear models were evaluated for associations of DI (highest and mean) with 15-week weight and ADGs (actual or normalized). Left and right DIs were compared with a Student's paired t-test. Significance was set at P<.05. Trends were considered at P<.10. RESULTS: Mean (+/-SD) 16-week DI score and 15-week weight was 0.67 +/- 0.16 and 12.5 +/- 1.8 kg, respectively. Within animal left and right DIs were not significantly different. There were no significant associations between DI and any of the weight gains evaluated. There was a trend for a negative relationship between normalized 14-week ADG and DI in one statistical model. CONCLUSIONS: Weight gain from 6 to 15 weeks of age was unrelated to 16-week PennHIP DI in a homogenous canine population with moderate-to-severe CFJ joint laxity. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Based on our results, ad libitum feeding between 6 and 15 weeks of age does not appear to have an adverse impact on joint laxity at 16 weeks of age as measured by the PennHIP DI.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16634999/