Variations in composition of cartilage from the shoulder joints of young adult dogs at risk for developing canine hip dysplasia
Farquhar, T.; Bertram, J.; Todhunter, R.J.; Burton-Wurster, N.; Lust, G.
Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association 210(10): 1483-1485
1997
ISSN/ISBN: 0003-1488 PMID: 9154202 Document Number: 482001
To determine whether the composition of cartilage from the shoulder joints of dogs varied with the risk of developing canine hip dysplasia (CHD), cartilage was harvested from the craniolateral and weight-bearing regions of the humeral heads of 12 skeletally mature (approx 1 year old) Labrador Retrievers. Dogs were classified as having a low, moderate, or high risk of developing CHD on the basis of distraction indices, and wet weight per unit area and dry, glycosaminoglycan, and fibronectin contents were determined. Glycosaminoglycan and dry contents did not vary among risk groups. For cartilage from the craniolateral region of the humeral head, wet weight per unit area and fibronectin content increased as risk of developing CHD increased. Qet weight and fibronectin content of cartilage from the weight-bearing region of the humeral head did not vary among risk groups. The observed increases in wet weight per unit area and fibronectin content in cartilage from the craniolateral region of the humeral head in dogs at a high risk of developing CHD may be early signs of incipient osteoarthritis.