Association between body weight and hip dysplasia screening results in young adult dogs of different breeds in Sweden

Abstract

Abstract Canine hip dysplasia (HD) is a common developmental orthopaedic disorder with substantial impact on health and life expectancy. Body weight has been considered an important factor for the development, but prior studies evaluating this association on a large data set, strictly collected and without preselection of screening results, are lacking. The objectives of the study were to investigate a potential association between body weight and radiographic HD screening grade in young adult dogs of different breeds, and to study potential breed differences in selected breeds of different sizes. A cross-sectional study using hip screening results and body weight data from the Swedish Kennel Club, collected during 2007–2016 from 114,568 young adult dogs of 72 different breeds in Sweden, was performed. An association between HD screening grade and body weight was found; higher body weight within breed was associated with a more severe HD grade. The association was breed-dependent and significant in 13 of the 21 breeds included in the analysis on breed differences. In conclusion, higher body weight within breed was significantly associated with a more severe HD screening grade, and the association was breed dependent. This indicates that lower body weight might be a protective factor for developing HD.