[gsdluvr]

Hi all!

I am seeing more and more people testing their breeding dogs for spondylosis. When it states "spondy-free", are they just checking symptoms at the dog's current age, is there some sort of gene testing or .....???

AND, is this an accurate and reliable test.?

 

[Sunsilver]

There is no gene for this condition. The diagnosis would require an x-ray of the spine.

 

[gsdluvr]

There is no gene for this condition. The diagnosis would require an x-ray of the spine.

So that means they are just reporting symptoms at the time of breeding?

 

[Sunsilver]

There are conditions of the spine where the vertebrae are actually deformed. This is inheritable, and can be diagnosed by an x-ray.

However, other types of spondylosis are often age-related, or the cause is unknown, and may not show up until much later in the dog's life. The x-ray only rules out problems that are present at the time.

 

[gsdluvr]

My structurally challenged male, was born with stenosis.
His tail hardly moves and the rear scuffing is getting worse. The only symptom he has never developed, at least do far, is thankfully, incontinence. I believe at this point, he has probably developed spondylosis.

Thankfully, I can afford pevicox. Sad, terrible breeding and I have learned a ton. I should never have accepted him in the first place!

 

[Sunsilver]

Some definitions:

stenosis: narrowing of the spinal canal that the spinal cord passes through

spondylitis: inflammation in the spine, usually from arthritic changes or damage to the intervertebral discs.

spondylosis: catch-all term for arthritic damage to the spine. Can include arthritis of the facet joints or other parts of the spine, plus stenosis.

ankylosing spondylitis: severe form of spondlylitis where the vertebrae actually fuse together. The fusion of the vertebra can cause stenosis, and block the nerve signals from reaching the hind legs. Had this happen to my first German shepherd, beginning at age 7.

There IS a gene related to ankylosing spondylitis in humans, but none has yet been found in dogs:

As many as 90 per cent of people who develop AS have a gene called HLA-B27. However, not everyone with AS have this gene – so even if you test negative for the gene, you could still have AS. On the contrary, if you do have this gene, however, it does not necessarily mean you will develop AS; most people (95%) with the gene do not develop the disease. Research is being conducted into other factors that may cause AS but currently there is nothing conclusive to report.

https://www.arthritis.ca/about-arthritis/arthritis-types-(a-z)/types/ankylosing-spondylitis

 

[barnyard]

One of my dogs, who we fostered and then adopted, was diagnosed with severe spondylosis of the lumbar spine after eating a dog toy, and ended up at emergency vet. When they xrayed her they found the spondylosis. It doesn't seem to bother her too much but since we first brought her into our house she has lost 25 pounds, which really helped. Dasuquin helped her a lot also.

 

[ausdland]

Another type of spondy:
Spondylolisthesis is the condition in which one vertebral body is slipped forward over another. Spondylolisthesis is most likely caused by an underlying condition of spondylolysis.