The sick spine has nothing to do with work

the spine of a dog with deformed spinal disease, the most obvious feature is the spoon-like structure protruding from the middle vertebrae. Photo Source: KATHERINE LATHAM
Scientists are still debating when and where dogs are domesticated, but one thing most people agree on is that early dogs were "working" animals. Dogs evolved from grey wolves 15,000 years ago, when humans had not settled in permanent villages, and dogs were likely to help hunt small prey such as deer and rabbits, sledding or other means of transport across vast plains. To support the idea that early dogs helped people carry objects, archaeologists often point out that many ancient dogs had an abnormality in their spines: an overgrowth of bones called deformed spinal disease. The researchers believe this is caused by the handling of heavy objects.
but a new paper refutes this view. Katherine Latham of the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Canada, points out in a recent study published in the American Journal of Public Library of Science that there is no definitive link between carrying heavy loads and spinal deformation in dogs.
dog with metamorphic spinal disease has bone weight on its vertebrae - from small stings to large spoon-shaped slugs. In some cases, they grow on joints that separate the spine. Latham says deformed spinal disease is common in mammals: if a person is over 30, he or she may have it. But most people and dogs have no symptoms unless the bone is very large, in which case they can sometimes cause stiffness in the back.
Latham says the stress of pulling or carrying heavy objects can cause dogs to develop the disease, just like other animals such as cattle. Since at least the 1970s, many archaeologists have considered the condition a clear sign of early dog weight-pulling, but there is no empirical evidence. The idea was passed down through literature, but no one ever verified it.
Latham looked at the bones of 136 dogs, the vast majority of them dogs, in museums and universities in the United States and Europe, which were not used for work. She also observed 19 sled dogs and 241 modern wolves, most of them wild, but also a few living in zoos. "Spinal disease is very common in dogs, whether they sled or not. This is also common in wolves. Latham said. The biggest association is age:Half of dogs have some form of deformed spinal disease by the age of 3 to 5, and the older they get, the more they get sick. By the age of nine, almost all dogs will have the disease. "There is no evidence that deformed spinal disease can be used as a sign of dog pull load. It's just the product of normal wear and tear in the aging process, just like a human being. She said, "
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