Breed specific osteological features of the canine lumbosacral junction

Inefficient facet geometry suggests the lumbosacral junction to be mechanic ally imperfect in a large number of dogs (especially German Shepherd Dogs) resulting in a significantly higher prevalence of osteophyte formation and increase in the longitudinal extension of the articular surface covering th e caudal articular process of the seventh lumbar vertebra. Such osteologica l features give evidence for lumbosacral craniocaudal translation, were pre dominantly noticed in combination with axial rotation and are taken to be a natomic risk factors that can predispose to the development of lumbosacral stenosis. The statistically significant relationship between age and the ma gnitude of the caudal facet inclination angles of the seventh lumbar verteb ra in juvenile specimens indicate an affection of the three-dimensional mod eling of the immature caudal articular processes by formative stimuli such as body weight and locomotion. However, results additionally indicate an as sociation between the magnitude of these inclination angles and vertebral b ody dimensions also suggesting a congenital influence on facet geometry.