What's new for veterinary nurses to know about Rottweilers?

The Rottweiler is an easily recognisable and relatively common breed in the UK. Originally used for herding cattle, protection and pulling carts in the 19th century, their usefulness declined during the industrial revolution, but the breed regained popularity as a police and armed forces dog. However, the Rottweiler is again in decline in the UK. Kennel Club registrations for pedigree Rottweilers dropped from 1.6% of all registrations in 2007 to 0.7% in 2016. The reasons behind changing popularity of individual breeds are complex. Public perceptions of breeds as well as media portrayal all play varying roles. This VetCompass™ study covered 5321 Rottweilers from 304 UK primary-care veterinary clinics and confirms reducing popularity, with the Rottweiler dropping from 1.75% of all puppies born in 2006 to 1.07% in 2013.

This study shows that the most common disorders diagnosed in Rottweilers were aggression (prevalence 7.46%, 95% CI 6.40–8.64), overweight/obesity (7.06%, 95% CI: 6.02–8.21), otitis externa (6.14%, 95% CI: 5.18–7.23) and degenerative joint disease (4.69%, 95% CI: 3.84-5.66) (Table 1). Owners can then be advised on important preventive strategies (e.g. dietary advice to control obesity).