Search

Booming UK ownership of designer-crossbreed dogs resulting from intentional crossing of distinct purebred breeds is often motivated by perceived enhanced health, despite limited evidence supporting a strong 'hybrid vigour' effect in dogs. Improved evidence on the relative health of designer-crossbreed dogs could support prospective owners to make better acquisition decisions when choosing their new dog. This study used a cross-sectional survey of UK owners of three common designer-crossbreeds (Cavapoo, Cockapoo, and Labradoodle) and their progenitor breeds (Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, Cocker Spaniel, Labrador Retriever, and Poodle) to collect owner-reported health disorder information. The authors hypothesised that designer-crossbred breeds have lower odds of common disorders compared to their progenitor breeds. Multivariable analysis accounted for confounding between breeds: dog age, sex, neuter status, and owner age and gender. The odds for the 57 most common disorders were compared across the three designer-crossbreeds with each of their two progenitor breeds (342 comparisons). Valid responses were received for 9,402 dogs. The odds did not differ statistically significantly between the designer-crossbreeds and their relevant progenitor breeds in 86.6% (n = 296) of health comparisons. Designer-crossbreeds had higher odds for 7.0% (n = 24) of disorders studied, and lower odds for 6.4% (n = 22). These findings suggest limited differences in overall health status between the three designer-crossbreeds and their purebred progenitors, challenging widespread beliefs in positive hybrid vigour effects for health in this emerging designer-crossbreed demographic. Equally, the current study did not suggest that designer-crossbreeds have poorer health as has also been purported. Therefore, owners could more appropriately base acquisition decisions between designer-crossbreeds and their purebred progenitors on other factors important to canine welfare such as breeding conditions, temperament, conformation and health of parents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is growing evidence supporting clinically important associations between age at neutering in bitches and subsequent urinary incontinence (UI), although much of this evidence to date is considered weak. Target trial emulation is an innovative approach in causal inference that has gained substantial attention in recent years, aiming to simulate a hypothetical randomised controlled trial by leveraging observational data. Using anonymised veterinary clinical data from the VetCompass Programme, this study applied the target trial emulation framework to determine whether later-age neutering (≥ 7 to ≤ 18 months) causes decreased odds of early-onset UI (diagnosed < 8.5 years) compared to early-age neutering (3 to < 7 months). The study included bitches in the VetCompass database born from January 1, 2010, to December 31, 2012, and neutered between 3 and 18 months old. Bitches were retrospectively confirmed from the electronic health records as neutered early or later. The primary outcome was a diagnosis of early-onset UI. Informed from a directed acyclic graph, data on the following covariates were extracted: breed, insurance status, co-morbidities and veterinary group. Inverse probability of treatment weighting was used to adjust for confounding, with inverse probability of censoring weighting accounting for censored bitches. The emulated trial included 612 early-age neutered bitches and 888 later-age neutered bitches. A pooled logistic regression outcome model identified bitches neutered later at 0.80 times the odds (95% CI 0.54 to 0.97) of early-onset UI compared with bitches neutered early. The findings show that later-age neutering causes reduced odds of early-onset UI diagnosis compared with early-age neutering. Decision-making on the age of neutering should be carefully considered, with preference given to delaying neutering until after 7 months of age unless other major reasons justify earlier surgery. The study is one of the first to demonstrate successful application of the target trial framework to veterinary observational data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Around the world, human populations have experienced large increases in average lifespan over the last 150 years, and while individuals are living longer, they are spending more years of life with multiple chronic morbidities. Researchers have used numerous laboratory animal models to understand the biological and environmental factors that influence aging, morbidity, and longevity. However, the most commonly studied animal species, laboratory mice and rats, do not experience environmental conditions similar to those to which humans are exposed, nor do we often diagnose them with many of the naturally occurring pathologies seen in humans. Recently, the companion dog has been proposed as a powerful model to better understand the genetic and environmental determinants of morbidity and mortality in humans. However, it is not known to what extent the age-related dynamics of morbidity, comorbidity, and mortality are shared between humans and dogs. Here, we present the first large-scale comparison of human and canine patterns of age-specific morbidity and mortality. We find that many chronic conditions that commonly occur in human populations (obesity, arthritis, hypothyroidism, and diabetes), and which are associated with comorbidities, are also associated with similarly high levels of comorbidity in companion dogs. We also find significant similarities in the effect of age on disease risk in humans and dogs, with neoplastic, congenital, and metabolic causes of death showing similar age trajectories between the two species. Overall, our study suggests that the companion dog may be an ideal translational model to study the many complex facets of human morbidity and mortality.