Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Hip dysplasia and spine changes in German shepherd police dogs
By Komsta, Renata et al.·Published in Topics in companion animal medicine·2015·Department and Clinic of Animal Surgery·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Lumbosacral transitional vertebrae, canine hip dysplasia, and sacroiliac joint degenerative changes on ventrodorsal radiographs of the pelvis in police working German shepherd dogs.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of German shepherds, both working and companion dogs, were examined for back and hip problems using X-rays. The study found that 12% of working dogs had lumbosacral transitional vertebrae (a spinal condition), which was more common in companion dogs at 33%. Dogs with this spinal issue were more likely to have severe hip dysplasia (a common hip problem). The findings suggest that while both groups had similar rates of hip dysplasia, working dogs showed more degenerative changes in their sacroiliac joints, which connect the spine to the pelvis.
People also search for: German shepherd hip dysplasia symptoms · lumbosacral transitional vertebrae in dogs · sacroiliac joint problems in dogs
Abstract
Lumbosacral transitional vertebrae (LTV) frequently occur in German shepherd dogs. The aim of the study was to evaluate the prevalence and interdependence between LTV and canine hip dysplasia (CHD) as well as sacroiliac joint degenerative changes visualized on ventrodorsal radiographs of the pelvis in both working and companion German shepherd dogs. The presence of LTV was found in 12% of working dogs and in 33% of companion dogs. Similar incidence of hip dysplasia in both the groups was found. It has been shown that dogs with LTV have a higher frequency of severe CHD. A higher percentage of sacroiliac joint degenerative changes was observed in dogs with no signs of LTV and in working dogs.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26041591/