Is it now time to iron out the wrinkles? Health of Shar Pei dogs under primary veterinary care in the UK
Abstract Background The Shar Pei is a common dog breed with a distinctive appearance caused by hyaluronosis that has been linked with several health conditions. Anonymised primary-care veterinary clinical records were explored to extract data on the demography, common disorders and mortality of Shar...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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BMC
2023-12-01
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| Series: | Canine Medicine and Genetics |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s40575-023-00134-z |
| _version_ | 1797388246448078848 |
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| author | Dan G. O’Neill Karolina S. Engdahl Alice Leach Rowena M. A. Packer David B. Church Dave C. Brodbelt |
| author_facet | Dan G. O’Neill Karolina S. Engdahl Alice Leach Rowena M. A. Packer David B. Church Dave C. Brodbelt |
| author_sort | Dan G. O’Neill |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Background The Shar Pei is a common dog breed with a distinctive appearance caused by hyaluronosis that has been linked with several health conditions. Anonymised primary-care veterinary clinical records were explored to extract data on the demography, common disorders and mortality of Shar Pei in the UK in 2013. Results The study population of 455,557 dogs included 1913 (0.42%) Shar Pei. The mean adult bodyweight was 22.26 kg. The most prevalent fine-level precision disorders were entropion (prevalence 17.88%, 95% CI: 16.16-19.59), otitis externa (16.36%, 95% CI: 14.70-18.02), ear disorders (6.69%, 95% CI: 5.57-7.81), aggression (5.23%, 95% CI: 4.23-6.22), and pyoderma (4.29%, 95% CI: 3.38-5.19). The most prevalent disorder groups were ophthalmologic (prevalence = 22.27%, 95% CI: 20.40-24.13), dermatological (21.01%, 95% CI: 19.19-22.84), aural (18.66%, 95% CI: 16.92-20.41), traumatic injury (7.53%, 95% CI: 6.35-8.71) and behavioural (7.21%, 95% CI: 6.05-8.37). The median longevity of 190 Shar Pei that died during the study period was 7.28 years (IQR 5.04-10.05, range 0.04-15.04). Of 184 deaths with a recorded method of death, 157 (85.33%) deaths involved euthanasia and 27 (14.67%) deaths were unassisted. Among 136 (71.58%) deaths with a recorded biomedical cause of death, the most common causes of death at group level precision were neoplasia (15.44%, 95% CI: 9.37-21.51), renal disorders (13.24%, 95% CI: 7.54-18.93), and behavioural disorders (11.03%, 95% CI: 5.76-16.29). Conclusions Almost one fifth of Shar Pei receive veterinary care each year for entropion, a condition linked strongly with the extreme conformation of thickened and folded skin and bristly hair that characterises the Shar Pei breed. Several other common disorders are also linked to hyaluronosis. Current UK legislation can help support efforts to avoid breeding or acquiring animals with extreme conformations and to promote adequate veterinary care for already-owned animals with extreme conformations. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-08T22:38:02Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-179e555826cb47b7ab34863594bc8204 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2662-9380 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-08T22:38:02Z |
| publishDate | 2023-12-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Canine Medicine and Genetics |
| spelling | doaj.art-179e555826cb47b7ab34863594bc82042023-12-17T12:19:57ZengBMCCanine Medicine and Genetics2662-93802023-12-0110111410.1186/s40575-023-00134-zIs it now time to iron out the wrinkles? Health of Shar Pei dogs under primary veterinary care in the UKDan G. O’Neill0Karolina S. Engdahl1Alice Leach2Rowena M. A. Packer3David B. Church4Dave C. Brodbelt5Pathobiology and Population Sciences, The Royal Veterinary CollegeDepartment of Clinical Sciences, Swedish University of Agricultural SciencesPathobiology and Population Sciences, The Royal Veterinary CollegeClinical Science and Services, The Royal Veterinary CollegeClinical Science and Services, The Royal Veterinary CollegePathobiology and Population Sciences, The Royal Veterinary CollegeAbstract Background The Shar Pei is a common dog breed with a distinctive appearance caused by hyaluronosis that has been linked with several health conditions. Anonymised primary-care veterinary clinical records were explored to extract data on the demography, common disorders and mortality of Shar Pei in the UK in 2013. Results The study population of 455,557 dogs included 1913 (0.42%) Shar Pei. The mean adult bodyweight was 22.26 kg. The most prevalent fine-level precision disorders were entropion (prevalence 17.88%, 95% CI: 16.16-19.59), otitis externa (16.36%, 95% CI: 14.70-18.02), ear disorders (6.69%, 95% CI: 5.57-7.81), aggression (5.23%, 95% CI: 4.23-6.22), and pyoderma (4.29%, 95% CI: 3.38-5.19). The most prevalent disorder groups were ophthalmologic (prevalence = 22.27%, 95% CI: 20.40-24.13), dermatological (21.01%, 95% CI: 19.19-22.84), aural (18.66%, 95% CI: 16.92-20.41), traumatic injury (7.53%, 95% CI: 6.35-8.71) and behavioural (7.21%, 95% CI: 6.05-8.37). The median longevity of 190 Shar Pei that died during the study period was 7.28 years (IQR 5.04-10.05, range 0.04-15.04). Of 184 deaths with a recorded method of death, 157 (85.33%) deaths involved euthanasia and 27 (14.67%) deaths were unassisted. Among 136 (71.58%) deaths with a recorded biomedical cause of death, the most common causes of death at group level precision were neoplasia (15.44%, 95% CI: 9.37-21.51), renal disorders (13.24%, 95% CI: 7.54-18.93), and behavioural disorders (11.03%, 95% CI: 5.76-16.29). Conclusions Almost one fifth of Shar Pei receive veterinary care each year for entropion, a condition linked strongly with the extreme conformation of thickened and folded skin and bristly hair that characterises the Shar Pei breed. Several other common disorders are also linked to hyaluronosis. Current UK legislation can help support efforts to avoid breeding or acquiring animals with extreme conformations and to promote adequate veterinary care for already-owned animals with extreme conformations.https://doi.org/10.1186/s40575-023-00134-zVetCompassElectronic patient recordEPRBreedDogEpidemiology |
| spellingShingle | Dan G. O’Neill Karolina S. Engdahl Alice Leach Rowena M. A. Packer David B. Church Dave C. Brodbelt Is it now time to iron out the wrinkles? Health of Shar Pei dogs under primary veterinary care in the UK Canine Medicine and Genetics VetCompass Electronic patient record EPR Breed Dog Epidemiology |
| title | Is it now time to iron out the wrinkles? Health of Shar Pei dogs under primary veterinary care in the UK |
| title_full | Is it now time to iron out the wrinkles? Health of Shar Pei dogs under primary veterinary care in the UK |
| title_fullStr | Is it now time to iron out the wrinkles? Health of Shar Pei dogs under primary veterinary care in the UK |
| title_full_unstemmed | Is it now time to iron out the wrinkles? Health of Shar Pei dogs under primary veterinary care in the UK |
| title_short | Is it now time to iron out the wrinkles? Health of Shar Pei dogs under primary veterinary care in the UK |
| title_sort | is it now time to iron out the wrinkles health of shar pei dogs under primary veterinary care in the uk |
| topic | VetCompass Electronic patient record EPR Breed Dog Epidemiology |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s40575-023-00134-z |
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