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Examples of breeds at high risk of common predisposing joint disease .
Hip dysplasia 12 , 13 Elbow dysplasia 12 , 14 Cruciate disease 13 , 15 Patellar luxation 16 Bernese mountain dog Bernese mountain dog Bernese mountain dog Bichon frise Bulldog breeds Black Russian terrier Bichon frise Bulldog breeds Chow chow Bulldog breeds Boxer Chihuahua German shepherd Bull terrier breeds Bulldog breeds Chow chow Mastiff breeds Chow chow Bull terrier breeds Dutch flat-coated retriever Newfoundland English springer spaniel Cairn terrier Lhasa apso Old English sheepdog German shepherd Chow chow Pomeranian Pug Mastiff breeds Dogue de Bordeaux Pug Retriever breeds Newfoundland Lancashire heeler Shar pei Rottweiler Retriever breeds Mastiff breeds Shiba inu Saint Bernard Rottweiler Newfoundland Terrier breeds Welsh corgi Shar pei Rottweiler Toy spaniel breeds
Disease Statistics . Orthopedic Foundation for Animals website . Available at : https :// ofa . org / diseases / disease-statistics /# detail Accessed 11 July , 2023 .
Proactive early intervention offers the greatest opportunity to delay the progression of OA
To have a positive impact on the course of disease , routine screening for early osteoarthritis should start at 4 – 6 months of age and continue throughout the dog ' s life . Discussing a lifelong disease with an owner of a young , lively puppy can be challenging as understandably , owners may feel distraught about the potential consequences . It is therefore important to turn joint health into a positive conversation by explaining the advantages of picking up OA early . The earlier the disease is detected and management plans put into action , the better their outcome will be .
Empowering the dog owner with the knowledge required for informed decision-making will foster both enthusiasm for a diagnostic workup and engagement in making the management changes required to support their dog ' s joint health .
Screening includes :
• Validated clinical metrology instruments ( chronic pain questionnaires for owners )
• Owner-supplied videos of dogs in motion
• Veterinary observation and joint examination to confirm and localise the joint pain
Clinical signs of early osteoarthritis should be confirmed by appropriate diagnostics . Diagnostic imaging ( e . g . X-rays , CT / MRI ) rules out other painful conditions , confirms the osteoarthritis diagnosis and informs treatment decisions .
“ It is great we ' ve diagnosed osteoartritis pain now because this gives us the opportunity to act early and improve your dog ' s future !”
Duncan Lascelles , BSc , BVSc , PhD , FRCVS , CertVA , DSAS ( ST ), DECVS , DACVS North Carolina State University , USA
IMPORTANT : Clinical signs of OA pain and the severity of changes on X-ray do not always correlate well , therefore diagnostic imaging aims to confirm a clinical diagnosis rather than a source of pain 24 . If a suspected diagnosis cannot be confirmed by diagnostic imaging , consider a treatment trial with an effective analgesic ( e . g . NSAID ) to confirm a painful condition . This does not however , confirm an osteoarthritis diagnosis but rather , an NSAID-responsive lameness .
Volume 38 ( 5 ) • October 2023
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