Kartläggning av allergisk dermatit hos Försvarsmaktens tyska schäferhundar : analys av tidiga hudbedömningar ur ett avelsperspektiv

Abstract: The German Shepherd dog breed is overrepresented among immune-related and skin-related diseases, where atopic dermatitis is one of the most common diseases. Since 2010, the Swedish Armed Forces (FM) has collected skin assessments according to a four-graded scale (0–3), when the dogs are approximately 15 months old, aiming to decrease skin-related problems such as allergic dermatitis. A questionnaire was performed in 2017 with the target group of dog handlers, trainers, and dog owners of FM dogs over two years old. One of the questions in the questionnaire was specifically targeting skin problems, which in this study became a measure of skin status for the adult dog. There was a significant positive correlation (rho=0,38) between early and adult skin status. Another important result in this study was an estimate of the heritability for allergic dermatitis, which turned out to be between 0.17 and 0.26. Different possible environmental factors were studied, and it was shown that birth season can be linked to the development of the disease and that the risk is higher for dogs born in autumn/winter. The compilation of the proportion of skin assessments made during the period 2010-2021 showed that skin assessment 0, indicating healthy skin, in general has increased, while skin assessment 2, connected to recurrent itching/skin problems, has had a slightly downward trend. The results indicate that genetic progress in decreasing allergic dermatitis is possible by including the early skin assessments at FM’s selection, preferably as breeding values for skin status, which is important since breeding females selected at the age of 15 months.