Labrador retrievers under primary veterinary care in the UK: demography, mortality and disorders

Abstract

BackgroundLabrador retrievers are reportedly predisposed to many disorders but accurate prevalence information relating to the general population are lacking. This study aimed to describe demography, mortality and commonly recorded diseases in Labrador retrievers under UK veterinary care.MethodsThe VetCompass™ programme collects electronic patient record data on dogs attending UK primary-care veterinary practices. Demographic analysis covered all33,320 Labrador retrievers in the VetCompass™ database under veterinary care during 2013 while disorder and mortality data were extracted from a random sample of 2074 (6.2%) of these dogs.ResultsOf the Labrador retrievers with information available, 15,427 (46.4%) were female and 15,252 (53.6%) were male. Females were more likely to be neutered than males (59.7% versus 54.8%, P < 0.001). The overall mean adult bodyweight was 33.0 kg (SD 6.1). Adult males were heavier (35.2 kg, SD 5.9 kg) than adult females (30.4 kg, SD 5.2 kg) (P < 0.001). The median longevity of Labrador retrievers overall was 12.0 years (IQR 9.9–13.8, range 0.0–16.0). The most common recorded colours were black (44.6%), yellow (27.8%) and liver/chocolate (reported from hereon as chocolate) (23.8%). The median longevity of non-chocolate coloured dogs (n = 139, 12.1 years, IQR 10.2–13.9, range 0.0–16.0) was longer than for chocolate coloured animals (n = 34, 10.7 years, IQR 9.0–12.4, range 3.8–15.5) (P = 0.028).Of a random sample of 2074 (6.2%) Labrador retrievers under care in 2013 that had full disorder data extracted, 1277 (61.6%) had at least one disorder recorded. The total number of dogs who died at any date during the study was 176. The most prevalent disorders recorded were otitis externa (n = 215, prevalence 10.4%, 95% CI: 9.1–11.8), overweight/obesity (183, 8.8%, 95% CI: 7.6–10.1) and degenerative joint disease (115, 5.5%, 95% CI: 4.6–6.6). Overweight/obesity was not statistically significantly associated with neutering in females (8.3% of entire versus 12.5% of neutered, P = 0.065) but was associated with neutering in males (4.1% of entire versus 11.4% of neutered, P < 0.001). The prevalence of otitis externa in black dogs was 12.8%, in yellow dogs it was 17.0% but, in chocolate dogs, it rose to 23.4% (P < 0.001). Similarly, the prevalence of pyo-traumatic dermatitis in black dogs was 1.1%, in yellow dogs it was 1.6% but in chocolate dogs it rose to 4.0% (P = 0.011).ConclusionsThe current study assists prioritisation of health issues within Labrador retrievers. The most common disorders were overweight/obesity, otitis externa and degenerative joint disease. Males were significantly heavier females. These results can alert prospective owners to potential health issues and inform breed-specific wellness checks.

Demography and commonly recorded clinical conditions of Chihuahuas under primary veterinary care in the UK in 2016

“…Male Chihuahuas were significantly more likely to be neutered than female Chihuahuas (31.8% versus 22.0%). This contrasts to the findings of many other breedrelated studies that reported higher proportional neutering in females [13,27,34,35,43,44] although male French Bulldogs were also more likely to be neutered than females [28]. Both Chihuahuas and French Bulldogs are breeds with rapidly rising popularity and consequently youthful populations.…”

“…The median age at death of females (10.2 years) was significantly greater than males (6.9 years). A female longevity advantage as a general trend has been reported for dogs previously [26] but this is not universal across all breeds [27,28]. Awareness of a female longevity advantage could assist prospective owners considering acquiring a Chihuahua, especially where the longevity disparity is quite marked.…”

“…There is conflicting previous evidence regarding sex predisposition to otitis externa. Although several studies have failed to show sex-related differences in otitis externa [27,28,35,43,44,63], a report based on 273 dogs presenting to teaching and referral hospitals in India identified a higher prevalence of otitis externa in male dogs compared to females [64]. Androgenic hormones may increase sebum production, which is a predisposing factor to flare up of latent otic infection, whereas oestrogens elicit an opposite response [64].…”

Canine POMC deletion (P187fs) allele frequency in Labrador Retrievers in Brazil

“…Forty-seven percent of dogs assessed in the present study were yellow (51/108), 29% black (31/108), and 24% chocolate/liver (26/108). Although chocolate Labrador Retrievers had a significantly shorter lifespan than non-chocolate Labrador Retrievers (McGreevy et al 2018), in the present study, no relationship was observed between the coat colour and obesity (P=0.8949) or genotype (P=0.0682).…”

“…Obesity is the second major primary disorder observed in Labrador Retrievers in the United Kingdom (McGreevy et al 2018). As in other countries (Payan-Carreira et al 2015, McGreevy et al 2018, the Labrador Retriever is among the main breeds with the greatest predisposition to obesity in Brazil (Braos et al 2009, Aptekmann et al 2014, Debastiani 2018). In addition, there is no knowledge of studies that have previously evaluated the prevalence of the canine POMC deletion (P187fs) in Brazilian Labrador Retriever.…”