Unravelling the health status of brachycephalic dogs in the UK using multivariable analysis

O’Neill, Dan G.; Pegram, Camilla; Crocker, Penelope A.; Brodbelt, David; Church, David; Packer, Rowena M. A.

doi:10.1038/s41598-020-73088-y

Cited by 66 publications

(103 citation statements)

References 73 publications

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“…attitudes towards pet death, and the dog-owner relationship. The finding that brachycephalic breeds including the Bulldog and Pug were at increased risk of unassisted death is of interest, given their current boom in popularity 63 . Although further research is needed, results of recent studies exploring the ownership behaviours and beliefs of owners of brachycephalic breeds may indicate that owning this breed type has the potential to influence when, and if, a dog is euthanased.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Proportion and risk factors for death by euthanasia in dogs in the UK

Pegram

Gray

Packer

et al. 2021

Sci Rep

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The loss of a pet can be particularly distressing for owners, whether the method of death is euthanasia or is unassisted. Using primary-care clinical data, this study aimed to report the demographic and clinical factors associated with euthanasia, relative to unassisted death, in dogs. Method of death (euthanasia or unassisted) and clinical cause of death were extracted from a random sample of 29,865 dogs within the VetCompass Programme from a sampling frame of 905,544 dogs under UK veterinary care in 2016. Multivariable logistic regression modelling was used to evaluate associations between risk factors and method of death. Of the confirmed deaths, 26,676 (89.3%) were euthanased and 2,487 (8.3%) died unassisted. After accounting for confounding factors, 6 grouped-level disorders had higher odds in euthanased dogs (than dogs that died unassisted), using neoplasia as the baseline. The disorders with greatest odds included: poor quality of life (OR 16.28), undesirable behaviour (OR 11.36) and spinal cord disorder (OR 6.00). Breed, larger bodyweight and increasing age were additional risk factors for euthanasia. The results highlight that a large majority of owners will face euthanasia decisions and these findings can support veterinarians and owners to better prepare for such an eventuality.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Proportion and risk factors for death by euthanasia in dogs in the UK

Pegram

Gray

Packer

et al. 2021

Sci Rep

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“…The data collection and analysis methods applied in the current study are similar to those recently reported to investigate disease risk in brachycephalic dogs [ 96 ]. The current study included dogs receiving primary veterinary care at practices sharing data with the VetCompass Programme in 2016.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Prevalence of commonly diagnosed disorders in UK dogs under primary veterinary care: results and applications

et al. 2021

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Background Although dogs are a commonly owned companion animal in the UK, the species experiences many health problems that are predictable from demographic information. This study aimed to use anonymised veterinary clinical data from the VetCompass™ Programme to report the frequency of common disorders of dogs under primary veterinary care in the UK during 2016 and to explore effects associated with age, sex and neuter status. Results From an available population of 905,543 dogs under veterinary care at 886 veterinary clinics during 2016, the current study included a random sample of 22,333 (2.47 %) dogs from 784 clinics. Prevalence for each disorder was calculated at the most refined level of diagnostic certainty (precise-level precision) and after grouping to a more general level of diagnostic precision (grouped-level precision). The most prevalent precise-level precision disorders recorded were periodontal disease (prevalence 12.52 %, 95 % CI: 12.09–12.97), otitis externa (7.30 %, 95 % CI: 6.97–7.65) and obesity (7.07 %, 95 % CI: 6.74–7.42). The most prevalent grouped-level disorders were dental disorder (14.10 %, 95 % CI: 13.64–14.56), skin disorder (12.58 %, 95 % CI: 12.15–13.02) and enteropathy (10.43 %, 95 % CI: 10.04–10.84). Associations were identified for many common disorders with age, sex and neuter. Conclusions The overall findings can assist veterinarians and owners to prioritise preventive care and to understand demographic risk factors in order to facilitate earlier diagnosis of common disorders in dogs. The information on associations with age, sex and neuter status provides additional contextual background to the complexity of disorder occurrence and supports targeted health controls for demographic subsets of dogs.

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“…Mean adult bodyweight was reported overall and broken down by sex for all breeds with adult bodyweight available for at least 100 dogs. Based on previous reports 43,101 , bodyweight was further categorized as "at or above the breed/sex mean", "below the breed/sex mean" and "no recorded bodyweight". Age was defined as the age (years) at December 31, 2016 and was categorised into five groups: ≤ 3.0, 3.0 to < 6.0, 6.0 to < 9.0, 9.0 to < 12.0 and ≥ 12.0.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Disorder predispositions and protections of Labrador Retrievers in the UK

Pegram

Woolley

Brodbelt

et al. 2021

Sci Rep

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The Labrador Retriever is one of the most popular dog breeds worldwide, therefore it is important to have reliable evidence on the general health issues of the breed. Using anonymised veterinary clinical data from the VetCompass Programme, this study aimed to explore the relative risk to common disorders in the Labrador Retriever. The clinical records of a random sample of dogs were reviewed to extract the most definitive diagnoses for all disorders recorded during 2016. A list of disorders was generated, including the 30 most common disorders in Labrador Retrievers and the 30 most common disorders in non-Labrador Retrievers. Multivariable logistic regression was used to report the odds of each of these disorders in 1462 (6.6%) Labrador Retrievers compared with 20,786 (93.4%) non-Labrador Retrievers. At a specific-level of diagnostic precision, after accounting for confounding, Labrador Retrievers had significantly increased odds of 12/35 (34.3%) disorders compared to non-Labrador Retrievers; osteoarthritis (OR 2.83) had the highest odds. Conversely, Labrador Retrievers had reduced odds of 7/35 (20.0%) disorders; patellar luxation (OR 0.18) had the lowest odds. This study provides useful information about breed-specific disorder predispositions and protections, which future research could evaluate further to produce definitive guidance for Labrador Retriever breeders and owners.

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Unravelling the health status of brachycephalic dogs in the UK using multivariable analysis

Cited by 66 publications

References 73 publications

Proportion and risk factors for death by euthanasia in dogs in the UK

Proportion and risk factors for death by euthanasia in dogs in the UK

Prevalence of commonly diagnosed disorders in UK dogs under primary veterinary care: results and applications

Disorder predispositions and protections of Labrador Retrievers in the UK

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