Five-year longitudinal study on limited food consumption and development of osteoarthritis in coxofemoral joints of dogs

Objective To examine the effects of limited food intake on frequency and severity of osteoarthritis in coxofemoral joints of Labrador Retrievers. Design Dogs were paired according to gender and body weight, within each litter, at 8 weeks of age. One dog of each pair was fed ad libitum. The limit-fed pairmate was fed 75% of the amount eaten the previous day by the ad libitum-fed counterpart. Animals 48 Labrador Retrievers. Procedure All dogs received the same diet. Radiographic evaluation of coxofemoral joints for frequency and severity of osteoarthritis were made when dogs were 4 and 6 months and 1, 2, 3, and 5 years old. Results Radiographic evaluation for osteoarthritis indicated greater frequency and more severity of osteoarthritis in the ad libitum-fed group of dogs. Clinical Implications Analysis of data suggested that limit feeding of dogs over a 5-year period minimizes development of osteoarthritis in the coxofemoral joints.