CAM LIVE: The genetics behind hip and elbow dysplasia with Tom Lewis

Arthritis in dogs is usually ‘secondary’, i.e. it is the consequence of a normal load through an abnormal joint or an abnormal load through a normal joint. Tom Lewis and Hannah Capon explore the genetics of abnormal joints, in particular hip or elbow dysplasia and explain how hip/elbow scoring is done. Potential purchasers of puppies are encouraged to ask about these tests before buying.

Tom gained his PhD investigating multiple aspects of quantitative genetics at the Roslin Institute and Nottingham University. He joined the Animal Health Trust in 2008, where his research focusing on genetic analysis of complex inherited disease and population structure in pedigree dog breeds. He was also heavily involved in implementing the Kennel Club’s ‘Mate Select’ web tool. In 2014 he joined the Kennel Club as Quantitative Geneticist where he continues to use pedigree and screening data to research disease and the genetics of populations, and advises on all matters relating to genetics and research.

The paper referred to is here - https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/...
Kennel Club health schemes - https://www.thekennelclub.org.uk/abou...
https://www.thekennelclub.org.uk/ebv-...

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Canine Arthritis Management (CAM) is a veterinary driven initiative, set up by vet Hannah Capon who was becoming overwhelmed with the number of dogs she was having to put to sleep having "gone off their legs". This was often seen by the owners as a sudden incident, when in truth that dog had probably been suffering in silence for a long time prior to that day. In fact, we believe that as many as 1 in 5 dogs in the UK, and 80% of dogs over the age of 8, will have some degree of osteoarthritis. Unlike humans, dogs are unable to express their pain in words. Chronic pain is no doubt something most people will understand and empathise with, but it can be difficult to tell when a dog is suffering in the same way. We want to challenge the preconceived notion that "just getting old" or "slowing down" should be accepted in our four footed companions. Ageing in itself is not a disease! Here at CAM we think that by changing owner, vet and public perception of arthritis, we can improve and extend the lives of dogs.