Novel contributions in canine craniometry: Anatomic and radiographic measurements in newborn puppies

Abstract

The largest differences in intraspecific head shape among the Carnivora order are to be found in dogs. Based on their skull morphotypes, dog breeds are currently classified as dolichocephalic, mesaticephalic and brachycephalic. Due to the fact that some breeds have not been yet defined, this classification is incomplete; moreover, multi-breed studies on the skull morphology of puppies have never been performed. The aim of this work was to verify (i) whether differences in the skull conformation of purebred puppies are already present within the first week of age; (ii) whether radiographic and anatomic measures could be considered interchangeable, and (iii) to possibly classify puppies from non-categorized breeds thanks to their radiographic cranial measurements using neural nets. One hundred and thirty-seven dead puppies aged 0–7 days were examined considering their anatomic and radiographic measures. All linear measures and anatomic indices significantly differed among brachycephalic and non-brachycephalic puppies. Radiographic indices, with the exception of CI, identified the three skull morphotypes (p<0.05, for all comparisons). Radiographic and anatomic measures proved to be non-interchangeable in newborn puppies. Finally, nineteen puppies belonging to 5 non-categorized breeds could be classified thanks to neural nets in the three skull morphotypes with different probability (P between 0,66 and 0,95).

Canine nasal septum deviation can be a normal variation and correlates with increasing skull indices

“…Both measurements were obtained as previously described . Each dog had the following indices calculated based on measurements previously described (Figure ): facial index, cranial index, and skull index . Decisions on data analysis and measurements were determined by a board‐certified radiologist (T.S.)…”

“…Dolichocephalic dogs have been shown to be predisposed to nasal pathology compared to the mesocephalic and brachycephalic groups, However, no master list of breeds based on cephalic group exists to the authors’ knowledge. These cephalic groups have been created based on different indices, including the facial index, cranial index, and skull index with a basic equation of . Based on our review of the literature, there is no study that differentiates nasal septal deviation degree between dog breeds based on the facial, cephalic or skull indices.…”

The Puppy in the Pit: Osteobiography of an Eighteenth-Century Dog at the Three Cranes Tavern, Massachusetts

“…One dog was from a pug-type brachycephalic breed, and the other two were medium-sized animals of an unknown breed. In addition to this direct comparison, multiple texts, articles, and online resources were used for both initial identification, size and age estimation (Andreis et al 2018;Coulson and Lewis 2002;Done et al 2009;Evans and De Lahunta 2012;Geiger et al 2016;Hillson 1990Hillson , 1992Lewis 2019;Modina et al 2019;Onar and Belli 2005; The main focus of the reassessment was a comparative analysis between dog and cat anatomy, focused on dentition, presence/absence of a supracondyloid foramen, cranial shape, appendicular skeleton, and body size estimates. Osteometric data was obtained from all present portions of the appendicular skeleton, and present portions of the cranium and mandible, and recorded following measurements outlined in Von den Dreisch (1976).…”

3D printing of brachycephalic and dolichocephalic canine skulls and mandibles: a complement to traditional osteotechnique

“…Based on their skull morphotypes, dogs are currently classified as dolichocephalic, mesocephalic and brachycephalic breeds. This heterogeneity in canine skull shape and size seems to relate especially to the conchae nasalis (ANDREIS et al, 2018).…”

“…Therefore, this research chose to produce distinct representations of dogs' heads, once the phenotypic differences existing within canine breeds can be well-represented by their skull shape (ANDREIS et al, 2018). In internal medicine of small animals, many diseases affect specific breeds of dogs (GOUGH et al, 2018).…”