A cross-sectional study to investigate associations between flooring substrates and prevalence of limb and paw abnormalities of dogs housed in commercial breeding facilities
Understanding the impact of environmental and management factors on the health and behavior of dogs housed in commercial breeding (CB) facilities is critical to their welfare. The specific aims of the study were to assess (a) associations between combinations of flooring substrates commonly used in...
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2025-02-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Veterinary Science |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fvets.2025.1466390/full |
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| author | Judith Stella Paulo Gomes Traci Shreyer Candace Croney Candace Croney Candace Croney |
| author_facet | Judith Stella Paulo Gomes Traci Shreyer Candace Croney Candace Croney Candace Croney |
| author_sort | Judith Stella |
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| description | Understanding the impact of environmental and management factors on the health and behavior of dogs housed in commercial breeding (CB) facilities is critical to their welfare. The specific aims of the study were to assess (a) associations between combinations of flooring substrates commonly used in CB kennels with foot, elbow, or hock abnormalities such as pododermatitis, calluses, or interdigital furuncle and (b) the impact of flooring substrate on dog cleanliness. Dogs (N = 373) from CB facilities (N = 20), housed on combinations of concrete, gravel, and diamond-coated expanded metal were assessed. A veterinary dermatologist examined each dog's paw, toenails, elbows, hocks, body condition, and overall cleanliness. Identified conditions included wet paws (12.6%), calluses (11.26%), erythema (6.97%), and matted paw fur (6.17%). Mixed-effects logistic regression models identified an effect of sex and wet paws (OR 6.08, CI 1.23, 29.92, p = 0.03) and age with matted paw fur (OR 1.52, CI 1.12, 2.07, p = 0.007). A few conditions were identified, including pododermatitis, hygromas, and interdigital furuncles, where management alterations might result in improved outcomes and welfare states for dogs in CB facilities. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-da82b3d022814418a85ca0051721efbc |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2297-1769 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-02-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
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| series | Frontiers in Veterinary Science |
| spelling | doaj-art-da82b3d022814418a85ca0051721efbc2025-08-20T03:13:03ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Veterinary Science2297-17692025-02-011210.3389/fvets.2025.14663901466390A cross-sectional study to investigate associations between flooring substrates and prevalence of limb and paw abnormalities of dogs housed in commercial breeding facilitiesJudith Stella0Paulo Gomes1Traci Shreyer2Candace Croney3Candace Croney4Candace Croney5Department of Comparative Pathobiology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, United StatesDepartment of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, United StatesDepartment of Comparative Pathobiology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, United StatesDepartment of Comparative Pathobiology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, United StatesCenter for Animal Welfare Science, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, United StatesDepartment of Animal Science, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, United StatesUnderstanding the impact of environmental and management factors on the health and behavior of dogs housed in commercial breeding (CB) facilities is critical to their welfare. The specific aims of the study were to assess (a) associations between combinations of flooring substrates commonly used in CB kennels with foot, elbow, or hock abnormalities such as pododermatitis, calluses, or interdigital furuncle and (b) the impact of flooring substrate on dog cleanliness. Dogs (N = 373) from CB facilities (N = 20), housed on combinations of concrete, gravel, and diamond-coated expanded metal were assessed. A veterinary dermatologist examined each dog's paw, toenails, elbows, hocks, body condition, and overall cleanliness. Identified conditions included wet paws (12.6%), calluses (11.26%), erythema (6.97%), and matted paw fur (6.17%). Mixed-effects logistic regression models identified an effect of sex and wet paws (OR 6.08, CI 1.23, 29.92, p = 0.03) and age with matted paw fur (OR 1.52, CI 1.12, 2.07, p = 0.007). A few conditions were identified, including pododermatitis, hygromas, and interdigital furuncles, where management alterations might result in improved outcomes and welfare states for dogs in CB facilities.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fvets.2025.1466390/fullwelfarebreeding dogsflooring substratespaw healthlimb health |
| spellingShingle | Judith Stella Paulo Gomes Traci Shreyer Candace Croney Candace Croney Candace Croney A cross-sectional study to investigate associations between flooring substrates and prevalence of limb and paw abnormalities of dogs housed in commercial breeding facilities Frontiers in Veterinary Science welfare breeding dogs flooring substrates paw health limb health |
| title | A cross-sectional study to investigate associations between flooring substrates and prevalence of limb and paw abnormalities of dogs housed in commercial breeding facilities |
| title_full | A cross-sectional study to investigate associations between flooring substrates and prevalence of limb and paw abnormalities of dogs housed in commercial breeding facilities |
| title_fullStr | A cross-sectional study to investigate associations between flooring substrates and prevalence of limb and paw abnormalities of dogs housed in commercial breeding facilities |
| title_full_unstemmed | A cross-sectional study to investigate associations between flooring substrates and prevalence of limb and paw abnormalities of dogs housed in commercial breeding facilities |
| title_short | A cross-sectional study to investigate associations between flooring substrates and prevalence of limb and paw abnormalities of dogs housed in commercial breeding facilities |
| title_sort | cross sectional study to investigate associations between flooring substrates and prevalence of limb and paw abnormalities of dogs housed in commercial breeding facilities |
| topic | welfare breeding dogs flooring substrates paw health limb health |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fvets.2025.1466390/full |
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