Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
How common is joint osteoarthritis in UK dogs and what are the risks
By K. Anderson et al.·Published in Scientific Reports·2018·View original on Semantic Scholar →
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Original publication title: Prevalence, duration and risk factors for appendicular osteoarthritis in a UK dog population under primary veterinary care
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A study found that about 200,000 dogs in the UK are diagnosed with osteoarthritis (a common joint disease) each year, with breeds like Labrador Retrievers and Golden Retrievers being more at risk. Symptoms owners might notice include limping, stiffness, or difficulty getting up. The research showed that older dogs, especially those over eight years old, and those with higher body weight are more likely to develop this condition. Managing osteoarthritis can be challenging, but early diagnosis and treatment can help improve a dog's quality of life.
People also search for: dog limping treatment · osteoarthritis in older dogs · Labrador Retriever joint pain · managing dog arthritis · signs of arthritis in dogs
Abstract
Osteoarthritis is the most common joint disease diagnosed in veterinary medicine and poses considerable challenges to canine welfare. This study aimed to investigate prevalence, duration and risk factors of appendicular osteoarthritis in dogs under primary veterinary care in the UK. The VetCompassTM programme collects clinical data on dogs attending UK primary-care veterinary practices. The study included all VetCompassTM dogs under veterinary care during 2013. Candidate osteoarthritis cases were identified using multiple search strategies. A random subset was manually evaluated against a case definition. Of 455,557 study dogs, 16,437 candidate osteoarthritis cases were identified; 6104 (37%) were manually checked and 4196 (69% of sample) were confirmed as cases. Additional data on demography, clinical signs, duration and management were extracted for confirmed cases. Estimated annual period prevalence (accounting for subsampling) of appendicular osteoarthritis was 2.5% (CI95: 2.4–2.5%) equating to around 200,000 UK affected dogs annually. Risk factors associated with osteoarthritis diagnosis included breed (e.g. Labrador, Golden Retriever), being insured, being neutered, of higher bodyweight and being older than eight years. Duration calculation trials suggest osteoarthritis affects 11.4% of affected individuals’ lifespan, providing further evidence for substantial impact of osteoarthritis on canine welfare at the individual and population level.
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Search related cases →Original publication on Semantic Scholar: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/29618832