Labrador retrievers under primary veterinary care in the UK: demography, mortality and disorders

Abstract Background Labrador retrievers are reportedly predisposed to many disorders but accurate prevalence information relating to the general population are lacking. This study aimed to describe demography, mortality and commonly recorded diseases in Labrador retrievers under UK veterinary care. Methods The VetCompass™ programme collects electronic patient record data on dogs attending UK primary-care veterinary practices. Demographic analysis covered all33,320 Labrador retrievers in the VetCompass™ database under veterinary care during 2013 while disorder and mortality data were extracted from a random sample of 2074 (6.2%) of these dogs. Results Of the Labrador retrievers with information available, 15,427 (46.4%) were female and 15,252 (53.6%) were male. Females were more likely to be neutered than males (59.7% versus 54.8%, P <  0.001). The overall mean adult bodyweight was 33.0 kg (SD 6.1). Adult males were heavier (35.2 kg, SD 5.9 kg) than adult females (30.4 kg, SD 5.2 kg) (P <  0.001). The median longevity of Labrador retrievers overall was 12.0 years (IQR 9.9–13.8, range 0.0–16.0). The most common recorded colours were black (44.6%), yellow (27.8%) and liver/chocolate (reported from hereon as chocolate) (23.8%). The median longevity of non-chocolate coloured dogs (n = 139, 12.1 years, IQR 10.2–13.9, range 0.0–16.0) was longer than for chocolate coloured animals (n = 34, 10.7 years, IQR 9.0–12.4, range 3.8–15.5) (P = 0.028). Of a random sample of 2074 (6.2%) Labrador retrievers under care in 2013 that had full disorder data extracted, 1277 (61.6%) had at least one disorder recorded. The total number of dogs who died at any date during the study was 176. The most prevalent disorders recorded were otitis externa (n = 215, prevalence 10.4%, 95% CI: 9.1–11.8), overweight/obesity (183, 8.8%, 95% CI: 7.6–10.1) and degenerative joint disease (115, 5.5%, 95% CI: 4.6–6.6). Overweight/obesity was not statistically significantly associated with neutering in females (8.3% of entire versus 12.5% of neutered, P = 0.065) but was associated with neutering in males (4.1% of entire versus 11.4% of neutered, P < 0.001). The prevalence of otitis externa in black dogs was 12.8%, in yellow dogs it was 17.0% but, in chocolate dogs, it rose to 23.4% (P < 0.001). Similarly, the prevalence of pyo-traumatic dermatitis in black dogs was 1.1%, in yellow dogs it was 1.6% but in chocolate dogs it rose to 4.0% (P = 0.011). Conclusions The current study assists prioritisation of health issues within Labrador retrievers. The most common disorders were overweight/obesity, otitis externa and degenerative joint disease. Males were significantly heavier females. These results can alert prospective owners to potential health issues and inform breed-specific wellness checks

Prostatic disorders in the dog

Abstract Ž . Common canine prostatic disorders include benign prostatic hypertrophy BPH , prostatitis, prostatic cysts and prostatic adenocarcinoma. BPH is a spontaneous and age-related disorder of intact male dogs, which occurs in more than 80% male dogs over 5 years of age, and which is associated with clinical signs of sanguinous prostatic fluid, constipation and dysuria. BPH signs Ž . respond to castration or to finasteride treatment 0.1-0.5 mgrkg per os once daily , as finasteride inhibits conversion of testosterone to dihydrotestosterone, causing prostatic involution via apoptosis. BPH often occurs concurrently with prostatic infection, abscessation, cysts and neoplasia in the intact dog, and finasteride-induced prostatic involution may be beneficial in treatment of all of these conditions except neoplasia. Two studies suggest that risk of prostatic adenocarcinoma is increased in neutered, compared to intact male dogs. Although canine prostatic neoplasia, unlike human prostatic neoplasia, usually does not respond to androgen deprivation, recent reports of Ž . prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia PIN in a high percentage of older male dogs, with and without prostatic adenocarcinoma, suggests that PIN may be a precursor to adenocarcinoma in the dog as it is believed to be in man.