Heritability of hip dysplasia: Preliminary results for German Shepherd dogs in Brazil

• Published in: Preventive veterinary medicine Vol. 171; p. 104745
• Main Authors: Babá, Adriane Yumi, de Oliveira, Carlos Antonio Lopes, Yoshida, Grazyella Massako, Costa, Marcus Túlio Cavalcante, Ribeiro, Leonir Bueno, Vasconcellos, Ricardo Souza
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Netherlands Elsevier B.V 01.11.2019
• Subjects: Animals; Bayes Theorem; Brazil - epidemiology; Breeding value; Dogs; Female; Genetic trend; Hip - pathology; Hip Dysplasia, Canine - epidemiology; Hip Dysplasia, Canine - genetics; Linear Models; Male; Phenotypic selection; Brazil; Phenotypic selection; Genetic trend; Breeding value
• ISSN: 0167-5877; 1873-1716
• DOI: 10.1016/j.prevetmed.2019.104745

•Selection based on phenotype to HD in German Shepherd dogs is not effective.•Genetic trends have been not changed over the years due the phenotype selection.•The EBV is strongly recommend to reduce the prevalence of HD. The heritability of canine hip dysplasia in German Shepherd dogs was estimated using Bayesian methods. Data on hip score and status of 1632 dogs born from 1990 to 2013 were provided by the Brazilian Society of German Shepherd Breeders. Heritability estimates (mean ± standard deviation) were 0.1979 ± 0.058 for hip scores and 0.187 ± 0.055 for hip status. We observed no phenotypic trends and a small rate of genetic trend (0.52%) according to the year of birth, probably because of ineffective phenotypic selection and absence of genetic selection. The heritability estimates in this study can be used to achieve effective selective breeding and genetic gains, which in turn can result in improvements in dog health and welfare.