Department of Production and Population Health, Royal Veterinary College, University of London, Hertfordshire, United Kingdom.
PLoS One. 2013 Jul 24;8(7):e69650. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0069650. Print 2013.
Intervertebral disc extrusion (IVDE) is a common neurological disorder in certain dog breeds, resulting in spinal cord compression and injury that can cause pain and neurological deficits. Most disc extrusions are reported in chondrodystrophic breeds (e.g. Dachshunds, Basset Hounds, Pekingese), where selection for 'long and low' morphologies is linked with intervertebral discs abnormalities that predispose dogs to IVDE. The aim of this study was to quantify the relationship between relative thoracolumbar vertebral column length and IVDE risk in diverse breeds. A 14 month cross-sectional study of dogs entering a UK small animal referral hospital for diverse disorders including IVDE was carried out. Dogs were measured on breed-defining morphometrics, including back length (BL) and height at the withers (HW). Of 700 dogs recruited from this referral population, measured and clinically examined, 79 were diagnosed with thoracolumbar IVDE following diagnostic imaging ± surgery. The BL:HW ratio was positively associated with IVDE risk, indicating that relatively longer dogs were at increased risk, e.g. the probability of IVDE was 0.30 for Miniature Dachshunds when BL:HW ratio equalled 1.1, compared to 0.68 when BL:HW ratio equalled 1.5. Additionally, both being overweight and skeletally smaller significantly increased IVDE risk. Therefore, selection for longer backs and miniaturisation should be discouraged in high-risk breeds to reduce IVDE risk. In higher risk individuals, maintaining a lean body shape is particularly important to reduce the risk of IVDE. Results are reported as probabilities to aid decision-making regarding breed standards and screening programmes reflecting the degree of risk acceptable to stakeholders.
椎间盘突出症（IVDE）是某些犬种常见的神经疾病，导致脊髓受压和损伤，可引起疼痛和神经功能缺损。大多数椎间盘突出症发生在软骨发育不良的品种（例如达克斯猎犬、巴塞特猎犬、北京犬）中，这些品种的选择是为了“长而低”的形态，与椎间盘异常有关，使犬易患 IVDE。本研究的目的是量化不同品种中胸腰椎柱长度与 IVDE 风险之间的关系。对进入英国小型动物转诊医院治疗包括 IVDE 在内的各种疾病的犬进行了为期 14 个月的横断面研究。对犬进行了品种定义的形态学测量，包括背长（BL）和肩高（HW）。在从该转诊人群中招募的 700 只犬中，有 79 只在经过诊断性成像检查±手术诊断为胸腰椎 IVDE。BL:HW 比值与 IVDE 风险呈正相关，表明相对较长的犬患该病的风险增加，例如当 BL:HW 比值等于 1.1 时，迷你达克斯猎犬发生 IVDE 的概率为 0.30，而当 BL:HW 比值等于 1.5 时，其概率为 0.68。此外，超重和骨骼较小都会显著增加 IVDE 风险。因此，应避免在高风险品种中选择较长的背部和微型化，以降低 IVDE 风险。在高风险个体中，保持瘦身体型尤为重要，以降低 IVDE 的风险。结果以概率表示，有助于就品种标准和筛选计划做出决策，反映利益相关者可接受的风险程度。
