Incidence of OCD - Osteochondritis Dissecans of the Shoulder In The Mudi
It’s nice to be able to write something positive about the health of the Mudi breed for a change, and the incidence of OCD (Osteochondritis Dissecans) is something we can all be happy about.
What is OCD?
OCD is an inflammatory condition that occurs in joints, most commonly the shoulder, but it can also happen in elbows, hips and knees.
Basically, OCD is a condition in which too fast bone growth in young, growing dogs, results in painful lesions appearing in the joints, with the end result being osteoarthritis (degenerative joint disease). OCD typically occurs between 4 – 10 months of age and is visible on x-rays. Affected dogs will limp and the joint can be swollen, painful and warm to the touch.
OCD affects males more than females, at a ratio of 2 to 1. Both shoulder joints are usually affected, however one side is often worse than the other.
OCD of the shoulder and elbow primarily occurs in large and giant breeds, but smaller breeds can occasionally be affected. Medium sized breeds can also be affected, as is the case with the Border Collie which has a higher than expected incidence of OCD for many years.
The causes are not fully known, but heredity, fast growth, improper diet (high protein, high fat, excess calcium) and hard surfaces have all been linked with OCD occurrence.
Is OCD Shoulder Dysplasia?
OCD is one of several diseases that affect the shoulder. Shoulder Dysplasia (SD) is a separate disease. SD usually affects small and medium sized breeds and is characterized by laxity of the shoulder joint, fortunately SD is not very common.
Shoulder synovial osteochondromatosis/synovial chondrometaplasia is a rare disease that also affects larger dog breeds and has a different presentation than OCD or SA, with age of onset being 1 to 11 years of age.
There are several other shoulder diseases, but these also have different age of onset, causes and symptoms, and are also rather uncommon.
For more information on OCD and other shoulder diseases, there are some links to reliable sources at the bottom of this post.
OCD Statistics for the Mudi
Shoulders are not commonly checked during orthopedic exams made on a Mudi, however 81 owners have performed OCD screening between 2004 and 2021.
The OCD screening results are given as free/clear/unaffected/not visible (FCI) or normal (OFA) for dogs that do not have indications of OCD. If the dog has signs of OCD, the test results indicate OCD was found/visible and more specific details are sometimes given.
Of these 81 OCD exams, 29 are confirmed official results, that is, I have seen the results either on an official website or on documents shared with me by the owner or breeder. The other 52 OCD results mainly came from FB advertisements on which owners wrote that the OCD test was done on one or both parents of a litter or on a stud being promoted. Whether or not the OCD exams were truly done, is not a sure thing, but it is likely that they were examined as anyone interested in a puppy or the stud could ask for the written test results to be shown to them.
OCD screening was done by Mudi owners in 13 countries.
OCD testing was done on 40 males and 41 females and the results were all free/clear/normal/unaffected – none of the 81 Mudis was reported to have OCD.
Should I check my Mudi for OCD?
If you can afford to check for OCD, by all means please do. However if you have limited funds that cannot pay for every possible orthopedic exam, please be sure to perform the most important orthopedic exams: hips, elbows, patellas and spine.
While no known case of OCD has occurred in the Mudi, as far as I know, it is not impossible for OCD to appear. However by continuing to check and reporting all results, we will be much better prepared to deal with OCD occurrence.
If your Mudi has been screened for OCD, please send the exam results to me through FB Messenger or email: MudiDirections at gmail.com
Links and References:
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