Radiographic Morphometry of the Proximal Femur and Hip Joint in Spitz Breed Dogs: Establishing Breed-Specific...

Area of Science:

• Canine orthopaedics
• Veterinary anatomy
• Radiographic morphometrics

Background:

• Hip joint morphology variations impact canine orthopaedic disease diagnosis and surgical outcomes.
• Breed- and gender-specific reference values are vital for understanding normal canine hip anatomy.

Purpose of the Study:

• To provide radiographic morphometric reference data for the proximal femur and acetabulum in healthy Spitz dogs.
• To identify breed- and gender-specific variations in canine hip anatomy.

Main Methods:

• Standardized ventrodorsal extended hip radiographs were taken from 60 adult Spitz dogs (30 males, 30 females).
• Acetabular and femoral morphological parameters were measured and compared between genders and sides.

Main Results:

• Most parameters showed no significant differences between genders or sides.
• Femoral length, femoral neck length, and right acetabular offset differed significantly between genders.
• Acetabular parameters (depth index, centre-edge angle) exhibited gender-specific variation, unlike femoral parameters.

Conclusions:

• This study presents the first comprehensive radiographic morphometric dataset for the Spitz breed.
• Subtle gender-related differences in hip morphology were identified with minimal left-right asymmetry.
• These reference values can support comparative morphometric studies, preclinical research, and breed-specific surgical planning.