Prevalence of radiographic appendicular osteoarthritis and associated clinical signs in young dogs

Abstract

This study aimed to determine the prevalence of osteoarthritis (OA) and associated clinical signs in young dogs. Owners of dogs aged 8 months-4 years from a single practice, were contacted in random order, to participate in a general health screen. Clinical and orthopedic examinations were performed. Each joint was scored for pain reactions (0-4). Orthogonal radiographs of all joints were made under sedation. Each joint was scored for radiographic OA (rOA) severity on an 11-point scale. Clinical OA (cOA) was defined as an overlap of rOA and joint pain in ≥ 1 joint. Owners completed OA questionnaires. The owners of 123 dogs agreed to participate. Overall, 39.8% (49/123) of dogs had rOA in ≥ 1 joint, and 16.3% (20/123) or 23.6% (29/123) dogs had cOA, depending on the cut-off value of joint pain; moderate (2), or mild (1), respectively. Owners of dogs with cOA observed signs of impairment in approximately 30% of cases. Only 2 dogs with cOA were receiving OA pain management. The most commonly affected joints in descending order of frequency were elbow, hip, tarsus, and stifle. Radiographically visible OA is common in young dogs, and 40-60% of dogs with rOA had cOA. However, OA-pain appears underdiagnosed and undertreated in young dogs.

Figure 1

Graph depicting the prevalence of dogs with radiographic osteoarthritis (rOA) in each group. The prevalence of rOA increased with age. Overall, the prevalence of rOA was 39.8% (49/123 dogs).

Figure 2

This figure shows the prevalence of radiographic osteoarthritis (rOA) across joints. The most commonly affected joints in order were elbow, hip, tarsus, and stifle.

Figure 3

(a) This figure shows the number of dogs having radiographic appendicular joint osteoarthritis (rOA) in a single joint, 2 joints, and multiple joints. (b) This figure shows the number of dogs having rOA in a single joint, 2 joints, and multiple joints in each age group.

Figure 4

(a) This figure shows the prevalence of radiographic OA (rOA), clinical OA (cOA1; mild joint pain or greater), and owner-observed clinical OA (oocOA), and dogs treated medically in each age group. Blue indicates the prevalence of rOA dogs, red indicates the prevalence of cOA1, yellow indicates the prevalence of oocOA, and green indicates the prevalence of dogs being treated with pain medications at the time of screening. (b) This figure shows the prevalence of radiographic OA (rOA), clinical OA (cOA2; moderate joint pain or greater), and owner-observed clinical OA (oocOA), and dogs being treated medically in each age group. Blue indicates the prevalence of rOA dogs, red indicates the prevalence of cOA2, yellow indicates the prevalence of oocOA, and green indicates the prevalence of dogs treated with pain medications at the time of screening.