What kinds of dogs are generally healthy (if properly cared for, of course) and don’t have too many genetic health problems?
Most likely, any breed mid-way down on the popularity list of registrations, and that does not have a lot of extremes in body type. The more ‘unnatural’ traits a dog has, the more manipulated it was by breeding to lock in what is essentially a defect – for example: the pushed-in face, long body & short leg length, and small size of a pekingese is very far removed from the wolf from which it was derived. Any breed in the top twenty is always being overbred by puppy mills & disreputable breeders for quick money without regard of the parents genetic health, and any breed in the bottom of registry numbers does not have a large gene pool from which to breed. Check what breed registration number rankings are at http://www.akc.org to help guide you.
It is a ongoing myth that mutts are healthier. Most mutts are a mix of 2 -3 breeds, and if that mix was German Shepherd, Golden Retriever and Beagle, for example, and all or two of those parent dogs had hip dysplasia or epilepsy, that mutt could, too. The vets I worked for said the only way a mutt would possibly be healthier was if you put one of every breed on an island, and came back in 20 years or so to get pups – and even then, there would be dominant genes in the mix that would cause problems. We treated mutts with epilepsy, diabetes, pancreatitis, chronic skin allergies, etc. The thing is: with purebred dogs, you can somewhat predict what problems may pop up by breed. Which means we also know what to watch for as a potential problem.
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collies, huskies. my dog is a border collie, huskie mix and he has good teeth and good health and he’s almost 8 and we have never really had any problems with him.
Mutts! They have the least health problems bc they have new blood. A lot of purebreds es specially the popular ones get bred without any thought to the health of the breed. They are bred by greedy people and that leads to lines that are too condensed. Mutts are less likely to have old strains and therefore healthier. I have done a lot of research on this myself. I wish you the best of luck. Try to rescue if you can, you will be saving a life!
Mutts and mixed breeds. They tend to get the strongest characteristics (including good health) from their parents’ breeds.
Dogs are decendants from wolves, so the more wolf like features it has the fewer abnormal characteristcs introduced by selective breeding. Choice one with naturally up right ears (droppy ears trap dirty and moisture), a longer mussle (smooshy faces lead to breathing problems), and proper proportions (to large, or two long end up with joint and spine problems), standard skin and fur type (long fur tangles and can cause skin irritation and wrinkles hold bacteria).
Mix breeds, they do not have the over breeding problems some of the pure breds do. If you want a purebred make sure you go to a reputable breeder.
I honestly beleive that no BREEDS are HEALTHIER than others..IT does depend on the HEALTH of ” THE ” dog that you purchase.
Any mixed breed dog is the healthiest.
One way to get a healthier dog is to find a breeder who breeds for performance vs. conformation. A working dog needs to be a very healthy animal in order to perform it’s job. A great example of this is the greyhound. Since the vast majority of greyhounds are bred for racing (not showing) they are the only large breed of dog that has 0 incidence of hip dysplasia (only the best racers get bred on and obviously a dog with hip problems will not be a good racer). There are many breeders of various breeds who compete with their dogs in hunting, agility, lure coursing, herding etc. If you are interested in a particular breed find out what the original purpose of the breed was and then find people who still breed for that purpose.
muts always have less health problems. this is because genetic defects are not being passed down through inbreeding
most smaller dogs have littler bigger dogs hips are bad and beleive it or not if a bigger dog has stuff in there stomach ( food water ect..) and goes and runs their stomach can flip upside down and kill them
Probably the terriers. They tend to be extremely healthy, BUT they can have the most behavior problems! They are often big barkers, stubborn and hard to housebreak, and can be aggressive towards other animals.
People think that mutts are healthier – some are, some aren’t. It’s just that their genetic illnesses seem more random, since you can’t trace it back to which of their ancestors gave them the problem. With purebreds, at least you know what to look out for and what to test for.
cocker spaniels
they only have bladder problems because they are very happy dogs
they might get eye infections but every dog gets those
Mixed breeds- ones with more than two dogs mixed in- are great dogs that generally dont have many genetic health problems. They are found anywhere! A local animal shelter would be your best bet! Help a dog in need and gain a friend for life!
The theory of hybrid vigor suggests that dogs of mixed ancestry will be healthier than their purebred counterparts. In some cases this might be true, because inbreeding among purebreds has made some breeds prone to various genetic health problems. Mixed-breed dogs are sometimes less likely to have certain genetic disorders, as their parents come from a more diverse genetic pool so that detrimental recessive genes are less likely to occur in both parents. For example, large dogs such as German Shepherd Dogs often suffer from hip dysplasia. Mating a German Shepherd carrier of the faulty gene with a dog from a breed not known to suffer genetic hip problems reduces the likelihood of producing offspring with the problem. On the other hand, breeding the Shepherd with another Shepherd whose ancestors do not have the genetic problem also has this effect.
Hybrid vigor is not guaranteed in a mixed breed dog, however. Breeding a German Shepherd who carries hip dysplasia with a Golden Retriever who carries hip dysplasia will give mixed breed puppies who carry or have hip dysplasia. Since most genetic defects are common to many different breeds, it is impossible to guarantee that a breeding of any two dogs will not result in defects unless you know the health history of those two dogs’ ancestors and/or have had genetic testing on the dogs. Because of this, the most common genetic problems are nearly as common in the mixed breed population as they are in the purebred population.
Some purebred dog breeds have difficulties associated simply with the exaggerated physical traits of the breed. For example, the French Bulldog has such small hips and such a large head that artificial insemination and Caesarean section are usually required to produce puppies. Crossing such a dog with another breed will likely produce dogs without these reproductive difficulties, although most authorities on dog populations discourage reproduction among crossbreeds and mixed breeds because there are already so many purebreds available for adoption in addition to mixed breeds.
There is no guarantee of good genetic health of any dog, purebred or otherwise, as not all damaging genes are recessive
Now if you want a ‘purebred’ dog here are some breeds that have considerably lower genetic health problems though I warn you that many back yard breeders actually help create more health problems in breeds of dogs; make sure that it is a respectable dog breeder.
Native American Dog have no known generitc health problmes or faults.
Although compared to many other breeds, the Basset has relatively fewer inherited diseases, it is still necessary to know about the following health problems that can occur in the Basset Hound.Von Willebrand’s Disease (VWD) A genetic disorder of the blood which may cause moderate to severe bleeding, similar in some ways to hemophilia. Up to 15% of Bassets may carry this platelet abnormality.
Thrombopathia Another blood platelet disorder, also similar to hemophilia. The clinical presence of Von Willebrand’s and thrombopathia are fairly easy for Basset owners to spot because bleeding which cannot be stopped is the symptom of these disorders.
Glaucoma This eye disorder has been found in the Basset Hound breed. Symptoms include painful, bulging eyes and sensitivity to light. Consult a veterinarian immediately.
Eyelid and eyelash problems Bassets are prone to ectropian (a turning out of the eyelids), resulting in a dry cornea, and entropian (a turning in of the eyelids), causing lashes to dig into the surface of the eye. Both conditions can be surgically corrected.
Intervertebral Disk Disease Herniated disks may result in dogs who frequently jump from extremely high heights onto their front limbs.
Allergies Some Bassets may be prone to allergies, dermatitis and seborrhea.
Ear Infections The Basset’s long ears do not allow sufficient circulation of air. Ear infections often develop because owners are not diligent about cleaning their Basset’s ears every week.
Bloat (Gastric torsion) The stomach twists and traps gas inside, causing extreme pain. Unless treated quickly, death may result. Avoid exercise after eating. Placing a very large rock in a Basset’s feeding bowl to slow down eating and swallowing air, may help prevent bloat in some cases.
Obesity Obesity is especially harmful for long-backed breeds like Bassets. Spines and joints cannot handle the stress of excess weight.
Many purebreds have genetic problems; some more then others but in any case there is still a chance that it wil or will not show up. It depends on if a dog with that health characterstic was bred or not. A responsible breeder would not breed say a death dalmation to a blind dalmation…………so if you want a purebred dog buy from a respectable breeder! Most repectable dog breeders have tests done on thier pups before they sell them. If you buy a dog that hasn’t had a test done by a vet then you can do it yourself. I would stick with the shelter dogs because they are generally more healthier.
Best of luck!
Besengi
I don’t kno if I spelled that right but it a breed that orininated from Africa. Currently, (as far as I know) they are a breed that has the least health problems.
I don’t think there’s a right answer to this question. Every dog (purebred or not) is prone to certain health problems and diseases. Example: shepherds and collies usually have problems concerning hip displacia. Breeds like pugs and bulldogs have nasal problems, and smaller dogs like chihuahuas and miniature breeds have trouble with arthritis. No matter how well you take care of your pet, things still happen.
That is a tough one. You may be better off looking at breeds you like and may be a good fit for you and see if they are prone to anything.
Here are some I know of though.
White dogs- don’t know why but prone to skin and ear issues as well as possible deafness.
Goldens- tumors and cancer as they age
Pugs- obeseity
bulldogs- infection in all the nose wrinkles.
breeds with floppy ears- prone to infections without regular cleaning. (cockers, poodles, retrievers and such)
Any individual dog can have issues, as some things are not just breed specific but dog specific, just like us.
Good luck!!
mutts and mixes
well, all dogs have health problams, but each type has different kinds,with varied severity. Larger breeds have hip or back problems, especially in labs or retrievers. Smaller dogs, such as shitzus and pugs, have sight and hearing problems like catarax. When looking for a dog, observe its current condition and ask the owner or breeder if they know if it has any problems (if breeder, ask the condition of parents, as well). If properly cared for and given all apropriate medical treatments, any pet will do well. Best wishes!:)
well larger breeds are more liable for sickness and muts face less health problems but most dogs that are well cared for will generally be healthy but all dog breeds have something that people have to watch out for it all depends on the type of breed
I’d advise you not to get a dog as you seem to be highly critical, and spend way too much time being nit picky about other people’s activities. Dogs need love, patience, humor, none of which you seem to posses.
Ever hear of networking, well sometimes it’s fun to post questions in various areas to get responses from different perspectives, who are you to judge what others do?
In conclusion you are too self righteous to do a pet any good.
Ugh…mutts and mixes ARE NOT healthier! Smaller breeds like the Bichon Frise generally don’t have any health problems