Evaluation of Diseases Affecting Hindlimb Lameness in Domestic Small Breed Dogs

Lameness is a variation of normal gait in an animal, and it means that one or more limbs cannot be used correctly to allow the animal to walk. In the usual context, the incidence of hindlimb lameness in dogs is most likely the result of trauma, joint diseases, and/or congenital diseases. Generally speaking, the factors influencing hindlimb lameness include the animal's specific breed, size, weight, and whether it engages in frequent or strenuous activities. Many studies have investigated the incidence of lameness of large breed dogs, as compared to small breed dogs. Considering that many domestic dogs are small breeds, the lameness of small breed dogs with a high population in Korea was evaluated. The major causes of hindlimb lameness were found to be joint, musculoskeletal, and neurological abnormalities and the most were identified as joint diseases. Among the joint diseases, it was noted that a patellar luxation was the most common, of which the grade 3 medial patellar luxation was the highest rated type of joint disease noted.