Dan G O'Neill1, Hannah James2, Dave C Brodbelt3, David B Church4, Camilla Pegram3. 1. Pathobiology and Population Sciences, The Royal Veterinary College, Hawkshead Lane, North Mymms, AL9 7TA, Hatfield, Herts, UK. doneill@rvc.ac.uk. 2. The Kennel Club, Clarges Street, W1J 8AB, Mayfair, UK. 3. Pathobiology and Population Sciences, The Royal Veterinary College, Hawkshead Lane, North Mymms, AL9 7TA, Hatfield, Herts, UK. 4. Clinical Sciences and Services, The Royal Veterinary College, Hawkshead Lane, North Mymms, AL9 7TA, Hatfield, Herts, UK.
Abstract
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.
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.
Authors: Jennifer F Summers; Dan G O'Neill; David B Church; Peter C Thomson; Paul D McGreevy; David C Brodbelt Journal: Canine Genet Epidemiol Date: 2015-04-18
Authors: Dan G O'Neill; Sylvia F A Keijser; Åke Hedhammar; Caroline Kisko; Gregoire Leroy; Aimée Llewellyn-Zaidi; Sofia Malm; Patricia N Olson; Rowena M A Packer; Jean Francois Rousselot; Ian J Seath; Jason W Stull; Brenda N Bonnett Journal: Canine Genet Epidemiol Date: 2017-12-07
Authors: Dan G O'Neill; Alison Skipper; Rowena M A Packer; Caitriona Lacey; Dave C Brodbelt; David B Church; Camilla Pegram Journal: Canine Med Genet Date: 2022-06-15
Authors: Lourdes Suarez; Inmaculada Bautista-Castaño; Cristina Peña Romera; José Alberto Montoya-Alonso; Juan Alberto Corbera Journal: Vet Sci Date: 2022-05-22
Authors: Dan G O'Neill; Yan Hui Lee; Dave C Brodbelt; David B Church; Camilla Pegram; Zoë Halfacree Journal: Sci Rep Date: 2021-11-09 Impact factor: 4.379
Authors: Claire L Brand; Dan G O'Neill; Zoe Belshaw; Camilla L Pegram; Kim B Stevens; Rowena M A Packer Journal: Animals (Basel) Date: 2022-03-02 Impact factor: 2.752
Authors: Jorge Del-Pozo; Denis J Headon; James D Glover; Ali Azar; Sonia Schuepbach-Mallepell; Mahmood F Bhutta; Jon Riddell; Scott Maxwell; Elspeth Milne; Pascal Schneider; Michael Cheeseman Journal: Dis Model Mech Date: 2022-03-30 Impact factor: 5.758