Disorder predispositions and protections of Labrador Retrievers in the UK

Pegram, Camilla; Woolley, Charlotte; Brodbelt, David; Church, David; O’Neill, Dan G.

doi:10.1038/s41598-021-93379-2

Cited by 9 publications

(16 citation statements)

References 92 publications

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“…The data extraction, collation and analytic methods used in this study are deliberately similar to other VetCompass studies in order to promote comparability across the study outputs [ 29 , 30 , 32 ]. The study population included all available dogs under primary veterinary care at 886 clinics participating in the VetCompass Programme during 2016.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Much of the previous research in canine health has focused on identifying disorder predispositions (i.e., increased susceptibility to certain disorders) [ 4 ]. However, it is becoming increasingly apparent that greater exploration of disorder protections (i.e., resistance to developing certain disorders) is needed because understanding why breeds do not develop certain disorders may be as, or even more, important as understanding why they do develop these disorders [ 29 , 30 ]. With this background in mind, the current study aimed to explore anonymised veterinary clinical data from the VetCompass Programme [ 31 ] to compare the odds of common disorders between Pugs and all remaining dogs under primary veterinary care in the UK during 2016 after accounting for major confounding variables.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Health of Pug dogs in the UK: disorder predispositions and protections

et al. 2022

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Background Pugs are a brachycephalic dog breed that has become phenomenally popular over recent decades. However, there is growing concern about serious health and welfare issues in the breed. To augment the evidence-base on the comparative health of Pugs, this study aimed to compare the odds of common disorders between Pugs and all remaining dogs under primary veterinary care in the UK during 2016. A cross-sectional study design of VetCompass clinical records was used to estimate the one-year (2016) period prevalence for the disorders most commonly diagnosed in Pugs and non-Pugs. Risk factor analysis applied multivariable logistic regression modelling methods to compare the odds of 40 common disorders between Pugs and non-Pugs. Results From a study population of 905,544 dogs, the analysis included random samples of 4308 Pugs and 21,835 non-Pugs. Pugs were younger (2.36 years, range 0.07–16.24 vs 4.44 years, range 0.01–20.46, p < 0.001) and lighter (8.95 kg, range 5.00–13.60 vs. 14.07 kg, range 1.41–85.00, p < 0.001) than non-Pugs. Pugs had 1.86 (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.72 to 2.01) times the adjusted odds of diagnosis with ≥1 disorder than non-Pugs. Pugs had significantly increased adjusted odds for 23/40 (57.5%) common disorders. These included: brachycephalic obstructive airway syndrome (odds ratio [OR] 53.92; 95% CI 36.22 to 80.28), stenotic nares (OR 51.25; 95% CI 24.93 to 105.37) and corneal ulceration (OR 13.01; 95% CI 10.50 to 16.11). Conversely, Pugs had significantly reduced adjusted odds of 7/40 (17.5%) common disorders compared to non-Pugs. These included: heart murmur (OR 0.23; 95% 0.13 to 0.14), lipoma (OR 0.24; 95% CI 0.11 to 0.55) and aggression (OR 0.31; 95% CI 0.21 to 0.47). Conclusions The current study highlights that predispositions outnumber protections between Pugs and non-Pugs for common disorders, suggesting some critical health welfare challenges to overcome for Pugs. Highly differing heath profiles between Pugs and other dogs in the UK suggest that the Pug has diverged substantially from mainstream dog breeds and can no longer be considered as a typical dog from a health perspective.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Health of Pug dogs in the UK: disorder predispositions and protections

et al. 2022

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“…Consequently, the study combined inference based on a series of metrics. One such metric was the proportion of disorders that differed between the two breed groups, followed by a deeper comparison of the counts of predispositions vs. protections [ 10 , 27 ]. The extent of the differences in odds ratios for these predispositions and protections was also considered.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For breeds where many of these health deviations are related to conformational features, this would provide some evidence that these health deviations are unfortunately associated with extremes of conformation. A previous exploration of predispositions and protections in dogs reported that Labrador Retrievers differed to other dogs in 19/35 (54.3 %) of common disorders, showing predispositions in 12/35 (34.3 %) and protections in 7/35 (20.0 %) [ 10 ]. A study using a similar design reported that Staffordshire Bull Terriers differed to other dogs in 9/36 (25.0 %) of common disorders, showing predispositions in 4/36 (11.1 %) and protections in 5/36 (13.9 %) [ 27 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Disorder predisposition describes increased susceptibility and can result from genetic (hereditary) or other risk factors (e.g., breed, age, environment) [ 8 ]. Conversely, disorder protection describes an affinity to evade a specific condition [ 9 , 10 ]. Predispositions have been previously reported in French Bulldogs for 17 disorders affecting a range of body systems [ 11 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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French Bulldogs differ to other dogs in the UK in propensity for many common disorders: a VetCompass study

O'Neill

Packer

Francis

et al. 2021

Canine Genet Epidemiol

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Background The French Bulldog is a highly popular dog breed but is linked with many serious health issues. A holistic view of breed health in French Bulldogs would assist efforts to appreciate the overall health strengths and weaknesses in the French Bulldog and to take appropriate steps to mitigate these. Based on random sampling of French Bulldogs and non-French Bulldogs under primary veterinary care during 2016 within the VetCompass Programme, a cohort study design was used to estimate the one-year (2016) period prevalence of the most commonly diagnosed disorders in each group. Risk factor analysis used multivariable logistic regression modelling methods. Results The analysis included 2,781 French Bulldogs and 21,850 non-French Bulldogs. French Bulldogs were younger (1.51 years, IQR 0.86 – 2.77 vs. 4.48 years, IQR 1.94 – 8.14) (p < 0.001) and lighter (12.45 kg, IQR 11.00 – 14.03 versus 13.80 kg, IQR 8.10 – 25.12) (p < 0.001) than non-French Bulldogs. Of 43 common specific-level disorders across both groups, French Bulldogs had significantly increased adjusted odds of 20/43 (46.5 %) disorders and significantly reduced adjusted odds of 11/43 (25.6 %) disorders compared to non-French Bulldogs. Highly predisposed disorders in French Bulldogs included stenotic nares (OR 42.14; 95 % CI 18.50 to 95.99; p < 0.001), Brachycephalic Obstructive Airway Syndrome (OR 30.89; 95 % CI 20.91 to 45.64; p < 0.001), aural discharge (OR 14.40; 95 % CI 9.08 to 22.86; p < 0.001), skin fold dermatitis (OR 11.18; 95 % CI 7.19 to 17.40; p < 0.001) and dystocia (OR 9.13; 95 % CI 5.17 to 16.13; p < 0.001). At a grouped-level of diagnostic precision, French Bulldogs had increased adjusted odds of 12/32 (37.5 %) disorders and reduced adjusted odds of 6/32 (18.8 %) disorders compared to non-French Bulldogs. Conclusions These results identified ultra-predispositions with worryingly higher odds in French Bulldogs for several disorders, suggesting that the health of French Bulldogs has diverged substantially from, and may be lower than, the health of the wider non-French Bulldog population. Many of these predispositions are closely associated with the conformational extremes that define the French Bulldog breed. Shifting the typical conformation of the French Bulldog population towards a more moderate phenotype is proposed as a logical opportunity to reduce the serious health issues endemic in the French Bulldog breed.

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English Bulldogs in the UK: a VetCompass study of their disorder predispositions and protections

et al. 2022

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Background The English Bulldog has risen sharply in popularity over the past decade but its distinctive and extreme conformation is linked to several serious health conditions. Using multivariable analysis of anonymised veterinary clinical data from the VetCompass Programme, this study compared the odds of common disorders between English Bulldogs and all remaining dogs in the UK during 2016. Results From 905,544 dogs under veterinary care during 2016, the analysis included a random sample of 2,662 English Bulldogs and 22,039 dogs that are not English Bulldogs. English Bulldogs had 2.04 times the odds of diagnosis with ≥ 1 disorder than dogs that are not English Bulldogs (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.85 to 2.25). At a specific-level of diagnostic precision, English Bulldogs had increased odds of 24/43 (55.8%) disorders. These included: skin fold dermatitis (odds ratio [OR] 38.12; 95% CI 26.86 to 54.10), prolapsed nictitating membrane gland (OR 26.79; 95% CI 18.61 to 38.58) and mandibular prognathism (OR 24.32; 95% CI 13.59 to 43.53). Conversely, English Bulldogs had significantly reduced odds of 6/43 (14.0%) disorders. These included: retained deciduous tooth (OR 0.02; 95% CI 0.01 to 0.17), lipoma (OR 0.06; 95% CI 0.01 to 0.40) and periodontal disease (OR 0.23; 95% CI 0.18 to 0.30). At a grouped-level of diagnostic precision, English Bulldogs had significantly increased odds of 17/34 (50.0%) disorders. These included: congenital disorder (OR 7.55; 95% CI 5.29 to 10.76), tail disorder (OR 6.01; 95% CI 3.91 to 9.24) and lower respiratory tract disorder (OR 5.50; 95% CI 4.11 to 7.35). Conversely, English Bulldogs had significantly reduced odds of 3/34 (8.8%) disorders. These were: dental disorder (OR 0.25; 95% CI 0.20 to 0.31), spinal cord disorder (OR 0.31; 95% CI 0.14 to 0.71) and appetite disorder (OR 0.43; 95% CI 0.20 to 0.91). Conclusions These results suggest that the health of English Bulldogs is substantially lower than dogs that are not English Bulldogs and that many predispositions in the breed are driven by the extreme conformation of these dogs. Consequently, immediate redefinition of the breed towards a moderate conformation is strongly advocated to avoid the UK joining the growing list of countries where breeding of English Bulldogs is banned.

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Disorder predispositions and protections of Labrador Retrievers in the UK

Cited by 9 publications

References 92 publications

Health of Pug dogs in the UK: disorder predispositions and protections

Health of Pug dogs in the UK: disorder predispositions and protections

French Bulldogs differ to other dogs in the UK in propensity for many common disorders: a VetCompass study

English Bulldogs in the UK: a VetCompass study of their disorder predispositions and protections

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