ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Vet. Sci.
Sec. Comparative and Clinical Medicine
Volume 12 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fvets.2025.1625530
Fluoroquinolones and glucocorticoids as risk factors for cranial cruciate ligament disease in Retrievers
Provisionally accepted
- 1Washington State University, Pullman, United States
- 2Kansas State University, Manhattan, United States
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Objective: To determine if a higher proportion of Retrievers with cranial cruciate ligament disease (CCLD) would have previous systemic exposure to fluoroquinolones or glucocorticoids compared to Retrievers without CCLD. Animals: Client-owned, Labrador and Golden Retrievers and Retriever-crosses, 2-12 years-old, from Kansas State University and Washington State University with CCLD (cases) and without CCLD (nCCLD; healthy controls). Methods: Retrospective, multi-institutional case-control study. Medical records (2019-2023) were reviewed for systemic and topical exposure to fluoroquinolones or glucocorticoids within 6 months of CCLD exam or visit (nCCLD) or anytime throughout life prior to injury or visit. Data were analyzed using univariate and multivariate logistic regression. Results were reported as coefficient and standard error, P value and Odds Ratio with 95% confident limits. P<0.05 was considered significant. Results: 419 dogs (216 cases and 203 controls) were enrolled in this study. The odds of CCLD after systemic fluoroquinolone exposure was 3.00 times (CI 1.01-8.90) higher than odds of CCLD without fluoroquinolone exposure. The odds of CCLD after systemic glucocorticoid exposure was 3.51 times (CI 1.94-6.37)) higher than odds of CCLD without glucocorticoid exposure. Topical administration was not found to pose the same risk. Conclusions: These data suggest that administration of systemic fluoroquinolones or systemic glucocorticoids were identified as risk factors for the development of CCLD in Retriever breeds. Prospective studies are needed. Clinical Relevance: Although not all risk factors for CCLD can be mitigated, systemic fluoroquinolones and/or glucocorticoids should be used cautiously in Retriever breeds.
Keywords: Fluoroquinolones, corticosteroids, Cruciate, Ligament, Retriever
Received: 09 May 2025; Accepted: 14 Jul 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Bunch, KuKanich, Kilian, Korsberg, Kukanich and Martinez. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Jessica Bunch, Washington State University, Pullman, United States
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