Review on canine elbow dysplasia: pathogenesis, diagnosis, prevalence and genetic aspects.

Elbow dysplasia (ED) is a progressive skeletal disease, which may comprise osteoarthrotic changes, incongruity of the joint, a fragmented medial coronoid process (FCP), osteochondrosis dissecans of the trochlea humeri (OCD), and an ununited anconeal process (UAP). Disturbances of enchondral ossification, as well as asynchronous growth of the antebrachial bones and an increased growth rate may provoke abnormal stresses on specific locations such as the medial coronoid process, the anconeal process of the ulna or the humeral trochlea, which may result in ED. Overnutrition with calcium, vitamin D and energy had important influence on rapidity of growth and proneness to ED.

Genetic and phenotypic trends in canine hip dysplasia in the German population of German shepherd dogs.

Phenotypic and genetic trends were examined in 157,455 German shepherd dogs of the German population born between 1985 and 2003 which were Xrayed for canine hip dysplasia (CHD). A subset of 40,270 dogs born between 1998 and 2003 was examined for which information was available on age at examination and X-raying veterinary practitioner. Relative breeding values were predicted using best linear unbiased prediction methods (BLUP) and Gibbs Sampling.

Inheritance of canine hip dysplasia: review of estimation methods and of heritability estimates and prospects on further developments.

Canine hip dysplasia is a long-known, widespread degenerative skeletal disease. A hereditary component of hip dysplasia was assumed early, although attempts to explain hip dysplasia with known Mendelian modes of inheritance did not sufficiently fit the data observed. Nevertheless, both recessive and dominant modes of inheritance were proposed.

Genetic analysis of three different classification protocols for the evaluation of elbow dysplasia in German shepherd dogs.

Objectives: Three different scoring systems for elbow dysplasia and its radiographic signs were genetically evaluated in 2645 German shepherd dogs.

Methods: An animal model was used to estimate heritabilities and additive genetic and residual correlations for the three scoring systems: ED-SV, which is recommended by the International Elbow Working Group; ED-LA, developed by Lang and others; and ED-TH, proposed by Tellhelm.

Results: The effects of sex, age at examination and the correlation between the two factors were significant for all three scoring systems.

Complex segregation analysis of canine hip dysplasia in German shepherd dogs.

Complex segregation analyses were carried out to clarify the mode of inheritance of canine hip dysplasia (CHD) in German shepherd dogs. Data were used from 8,567 animals examined for CHD from 20 families with three to four generations. The existence of a major gene in addition to polygenic gene effects was detected.