Description
Osteochondrosis is a generalised disease in which there is a
disturbance of normal cartilage formation during the growth of an animal.
Osteochondritis dissecans is the result of normal stresses or an injury to a joint that is affected with osteochondrosis resulting in cracks
and fissures developing in the cartilage. This causes inflammation in
the joint and to the underlying bone and separation of a flap of cartilage. This
cartilage may be calcified and shows up on an XRay as a "joint mouse"
. Later osteoarthritis (also called degenerative joint disease) develops in the joint.
In large and giant sized dogs
osteochondritis dissecans is a major cause of osteoarthritis (also called
degenerative joint disease) in later life.
In dogs the disease most often involves the following joints :
- Shoulder (affecting the head of the humerus)
- Elbow (affecting the medial condyle of the humerus)
- The stifle joint (affecting the condyle of the femur)
- The tarsus (hock joint) (affecting the tibial tarsal bone)
The disease may also affect :
Breed Occurrence
Ostechondrosis affects many species including humans, poultry, pigs, cattle,
horses and dogs.
In dogs osteochondritis dissecans (or OCD) of the shoulder
joint occurs in breeds
that grow to be over 60lbs in body weight including the :
Afghan hound, Bernese Mountain Dog, Boxer, Dalmatian, Doberman Pinscher,
English Setter, German
Shepherd Dog, German Short-haired Pointer,
Golden Retriever, Great Dane, Greyhound, Griffon (Wire-haired), Irish Setter,
Irish Wolfhound, Labrador Retriever, Mastiff, Newfoundland, Old English
Sheepdog, Pointer (English), Pyrenean Mountain Dog, Rhodesian Ridgeback,
Rottwieler, Samoyed, Siberian Husky, St Bernard, Standard Poodle, and Vizsla .
Interestingly, osteochondritis dissecans has also been described in some
smaller breeds including the :
Beagle, Border Collie, Cocker Spaniel, Miniature Poodle, Scottish Terrier,
Springer Spaniel and Whippet
Osteochondritis dissecans of the medial condyle of the humerus in the elbow
joint has been reported in the following breeds :
Bearded Collie, Chow Chow, German Shepherd Dogs, Golden Retriever, Labrador
Retriever, Newfoundland, Rottweiler
Osteochondritis dissecans of the lateral (or sometimes medial) condyle
of the femur in the stifle joint has been reported in the following
breeds :
Border Collie, Boxer, Bull Mastiff, Chow Chow, Collie, Doberman
Pinscher, German Pointer (wire-haired), German Shepherd, Giant Schnauzer,
Great Dane, Greyhound, Irish Wolfhound, Labrador Retriever, St Bernard,
Samoyed, Standard Poodle, Staffordshire Bull Terrier
Osteochondritis dissecans of the medial ridge of the tibial tarsal bone in
the hock has been reported in the following breeds
:
Australian Cattle dog, Bull Terrier, Golden Retriever, Irish Setter,
Labrador Retriever, Queensland cattle dog, Rottweiler
Signs of osteochondritis dissecans in dogs usually occur at 5-10 months of
age, and males are more often affected than females (3:1).