CANINE WOBBLER-SYNDROME - A STUDY OF THE DOBERMANN-PINSCHER IN NEW-ZEALAND

The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of wobbler dis ease within a Dobermann pinscher population from three geographical lo cations in New Zealand. The study population consisted of 138 adults ( aged 1-13 years) and 32 puppies (aged 6 weeks to 11 months). Data coll ected for each dog included age, sex, geographic location, if a choker chain was used or not and, in adults, the following body measurements : dimensions of head length, head circumference, width between shoulde rs, neck length, height at withers and withers to rump length. In addi tion, lateral radiographs were taken of the caudal cervical vertebrae of each dog and the radiological abnormalities associated with wobbler disease scored, so that each dog could be assigned to one of three ra diological groupings. Based upon a neurological examination, each anim al was also placed into one of three neurological groupings. The relat ionship between radiological and neurological groupings and the indepe ndent variables was initially compared using a univariate and subseque ntly a multivariate analysis. It was found that 48.8% of the dogs inve stigated had some abnormal radiological sign associated with wobbler d isease, and 32.0% of them showed neurological signs. Dogs with radiolo gical signs of the disease were 5.56 times more likely to have neurolo gical signs. Statistical analysis of the data indicated that more seve re radiological and neurological abnormalities occurred in the older d ogs. In addition, dogs located in Hawke's Bay region had less chance o f showing radiological changes than dogs from the other two regions. H amilton and Wellington. Twelve of the 32 puppies were examined for rad iological and neurological changes over the first year of their life. No abnormalities were detected in puppies under 12 weeks of age, but 2 8% (n=9) of the 32 puppies over 3 months of age did show some radiolog ical changes. Only 9% (n=3) of puppies showed any neurological signs. Although several pedigree lines were investigated, the lineage data we re incomplete, and therefore there was no conclusive evidence that wob bler disease was an inherited trait. This study showed that, although the radiological signs of wobbler disease were present throughout a wi de age range, the associated neurological changes tended to appear at a later age. In both instances, the severity of these changes increase d with age.