Long-term genetic selection reduced prevalence of hip and elbow dysplasia in 60 dog breeds

Abstract

Canine hip dysplasia (CHD) and elbow dysplasia (ED) impact the health and welfare of all dogs. The first formally organized assessment scheme to improve canine health centered on reducing the prevalence of these orthopedic disorders. Phenotypic screening of joint conformation remains the currently available strategy for breeders to make selection decisions. The present study evaluated the efficacy of employing phenotypic selection on breed improvement of hips and elbows using the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals complete database spanning the 1970–2015 time period. Sixty breeds having more than 1000 unique hip evaluations and 500 elbow evaluations (1,056,852 and 275,129 hip and elbow records, respectively) were interrogated to derive phenotypic improvement, sex and age at time of assessment effects, correlation between the two joints, heritability estimates, estimated breeding values (EBV), and effectiveness of maternal/paternal selection. The data demonstrated that there has been overall improvement in hip and elbow conformation with a reduction in EBV for disease liability, although the breeds differed in the magnitude of the response to selection. Heritabilities also differed substantially across the breeds as did the correlation of the joints; in the absence of a universal association of these differences with breed size, popularity, or participation in screening, it appears that the breeds themselves vary in genetic control. There was subtle, though again breed specific, impact of sex and older ages on CHD and ED. There was greater paternal impact on a reduction of CHD. In the absence of direct genetic tests for either of these two diseases, phenotypic selection has proven to be effective. Furthermore, the data underscore that selection schemes must be breed specific and that it is likely the genetic profiles will be unique across the breeds for these two conditions. Despite the advances achieved with phenotypic selection, incorporation of EBVs into selection schemes should accelerate advances in hip and elbow improvement.

Epidemiology and clinical management of elbow joint disease in dogs under primary veterinary care in the UK

“…The breeds with the highest prevalence were mainly large breeds and included Labrador Retriever, Rottweiler, Golden Retriever, German Shepherd Dogs, and English Springer Spaniels. Additional breeds with high prevalence of elbow dysplasia based on data from screening programmes, but not identified from the current primary care study included the Chow Chow, Bernese Mountain Dog and Newfoundland [50]. Male and neutered dogs were also more prevalent in the elbow disease group, with around 60% being male and 75% neutered.…”

Comparison of Three Methods to Quantify Laxity in the Canine Hip Joint

“…Canine hip dysplasia is a multifactorial disorder with prevalence estimates being influenced by a combination of factors. 1,2 Although the aetiology is not completely understood, increased laxity of the hip joint is the most frequent cause reported and usually results in secondary osteoarthritis. 3 While hip dysplasia can be suspected based on clinical symptoms, the actual diagnosis is confirmed radiographically.…”

Gene expression in hip soft tissues in incipient canine hip dysplasia and osteoarthritis

“…The biochemical and clinical features of hip OA, that result from CHD, are the same as those of human hip OA . Heritability of CHD ranges from 20% to as high as 70% depending on the breed and pedigree analyzed and the phenotypic measurement . Female sex, first born, breech birth, and familial history are susceptibility factors for the human trait with heritability as high as 84 ± 5% in a large Chinese cohort …”