What dogs incur the highest vets fee's?? Pure Breds or Mongrels?

Question

There seems to be this ongoing argument on here regarding whether 'Mutts' (not my expression!) or Pure breds are healthier. Could someone enlighten me.... I was always of the understanding that because some of the extreme features in pedigrees are watered down in mix breeds that they tend to be healthier (i.e less wrinkles, more appropriate proportions, longer noses, less breathing problems etc). But I have come across breeders on here answering questions implying that pedigree dogs are healthier. Any vets/professionals have any opinions on this matter????

Sorry... just to clarify... I don't think we can presume that all people who own mongrels are poor! There are a lot of financially stable/wealthy animal lovers out there who purposely seek out mongrels from shelter homes etc.

I mean overall.... what dog is going to be needing a vet more in its lifetime???

...... Stargazer.....

This isn't for my own information more to check out people's opinions. Just trying to settle an argument really.... and it looks like I've won..... ?????

Answer 1

As a general rule pedigree animals tend to have more things go wrong with their health - it's all to do with the breeding. Mongrels or cross breeds have so called "hybrid vigour", which in laymans terms means that because their not interbred so much, there is less chance of disease and defects.
For example small toy breeds have more chance of a problem called collapsing trachea (breathing problems) because of the size and the physics of how they breathe. Boxers for some reasons are very prone to tumours, Cavalier King Charles spaniels are very prone to heart disease, German Shepherds are prone to lower spine and hip problems (amonst many other things). Basically, pure breds are bred for the way they look and in generations of that, you may have a perfect looking dog but the pure bred line carries its own inherited problems.
Mongrels straight away dilute the bad genes with half the second breed and because of the way breeding works, the better mongrels (ones with best temperament/least problems) are more likely to be bred from so the GOOD charcteristics are carried down rather than the characteristics for nice coat, longest nose, etc etc.
However, you may be lucky with a pedigree or unlucky with mongrel. Breeders will always promote their own so don't always be so sure of what they say. Saying that - there are some excellent breeders out there who are attempting to breed out all the problems associated with a certain breed. Hybrids/mongrels don't need this, it happens naturally.

In my experience BIG dogs (no matter pedigree or mongrel!) are more expensive at the vets, small dogs the cheapest, as all doses and treatment are based on weight.

Answer 2

I have worked with dogs for quite some time and it is true that in general pure bred dogs have more health problems. The reason being is that certain health problems are breed specific like hip dysplysia (sp?). So, as you suggest, "mutts" would have a less chance of displaying those health problems then their parents.

However, if you know anything about genetics, etc. there is still a chance that the "mutt" might have the same health problems...it just isn't as likely.

The times when "mutts" would be less healthy is when they are abandoned by their owner. "Mutts" have a higher rate of being abused and abandoned because they are often not planned. It is normally two neighbourhood or stray dogs getting together and producing puppies that nobody wants. This is the case of our family dog. Luckily she regained her health once we adopted her.

So, it really depends on the situation of the dog but in general genetic traits are going to be much more prevelant in pure bred dogs.

Answer 3

Working as a groomer and trainer for 20 years, I've seen that mutts and purebreds are about equal with regards to illness and inherited diseases.

The main difference is that with purebreds, each breed is susceptible to a certain, limited number of problems, whereas mutts can inherit a much larger range of possible problems. So for example, while golden retrievers as a breed may be susceptible to skin problems, when you compare purebreds overall with mutts the incidence rate is about the same.

Another thing to consider is the source. If a dog comes from a breeder who is either unknowledgeable (like a pet owner who decides to breed their pet) or only in it for money (like a puppymill), then the dog is more likely to have problems. If the dog comes from a caring, knowledgeable breeder who researches the pedigree and does health testing, then your dog has a much higher chance of being healthy.

Answer 4

The reason you have conflicting answers is because you are getting peoples opinions. They are a dime a dozen...I think personally, working at an animal hospital for 10 years, and never having these issues with either my purebred or mutt. That it depends on the breed, or mix. And if it is a purebred, then again depends on breed and breeding history.

Shar-peis for instance can be a GOLD MINE for vets. All those wrinkles and folds produce some pretty intense skin problems. As do labs having allergies of unknown proportions (with out wrinkles) If u get a shar-pei / lab mix, I think you have a great possibility of having a money pit!

Just my opinion!!! LOL

Answer 5

There are 3 types of dog; pure bred, cross bred and mongrel.
The hardiest group are the cross breds; they are the first generation of a cross between two breeds. First crosses benefit from something called 'hybrid vigour', you see F1 varieties of plants in garden centers, they've been deliberately cross bred to produce better garden plants.
Pure breeds are bred from a restricted gene pool. This exaggerates any flaws. Mongrels aren't much better off than pure breds, a mongrel contains genes from 3 or more breeds.
Guide dogs for the Blind have carried out extensive research in this area in order to breed and train the ideal Guide dog.
Having said that, Guide Dogs also worm and vaccinate both parents as well as the pups, and they are given the correct diet and exercise.

Answer 6

right here we go!! i have a pure bred black labrador and a heinz 57 variety. Out of the 2 dogs the labrador has had to go to the vets more than the heinz the heinz has only ever been to the vet once before coz she had and infection in her paws, BUT ( and there s always a but) recently the heinz had to have an operation for a ruptured ligament costing well over £400. However generally speaking in my experience pure breds go to the vet more than mutts!

Answer 7

Its really not an accurate premise to assume one or the other is more expensive just because it is or is not a pure breed. The real devil in the details concerns what type of treatment being administered, the vet's pricing range, and the cost of the medicines/therapy required. In the long run, the cost difference between pure breeds and mixed breeds is really equal and relative to how important the dog's well-being it to its owner.

Answer 8

Mixed breed dogs are healthier in general because they have whats called "Hybrid Vigor". Afficionados of purebred dogs will tell you that they are healthier because they are screened for diseases and breeders are improving the genetic soundness of the dogs etc etc but it all comes down to purebred dogs have in the past and to this day been inbred to keep the characteristics of the breed or improve upon their features and this has caused genetically inherited defects in almost every single breed of dog. There are however natural ancient breeds of dog that are more sound because they started out with a larger gene pool and werent specifically developed but rather came about because they all lived in a certain area and were chosen by local people over the years for thier abilities and strengthswhich resulted in a typical appearance or standardized look.. many herding dogs of ancient origins are good examples of this and have no inherent genetic defects. Also certain breeds like canadian eskimo dogs or other spitz breeds because of the reasons mentioned above. Mutts however are truly less likely to have genetic defects because of thier varied gene pool and uncontrolled breeding. They are not chosen to be bred based on thier looks to achieve a specific standard, while that is exactly what is done with purebred dogs...for example look at German shepherds, they are bred to have as sloping back and hind legs as possible even though it is the cause of thier hip dysplasia. Spaniels are still bred to have long droopy ears even though it makes them prone to chronic ear infections, and wolfhounds are still bred to be as tall as possible even though it causes them to have shorter lifespans, and pekinese are still bred to have the typical bulging eyes even though it causes them to be prone to having thier eyeballs pop out of the sockets!! So yes many breeds of dogs are highly likely to incur more vet fees over thier lifetime and while mutts are still capable of suffering from some of the same defects the are far less likely to get them because it is not bred into them. Keep in mind however that as I mentioned above there are a few purebred dogs that are not prone to any genetic defects but they are the breeds that came about naturally in certain areas and are only now bred comercially as pets where before they had a specific purpose like livestock guardian, hunter etc.

Answer 9

From my experience pure bread dogs seem to have more go wrong with them. There are many breeds that have illnesses that seem to be common with that particular bread. For instance English springer spaniels often have problems with their ears and German shepherds often have problems with their back and hips. there are many more, that is just two of them. Also 'mutts' seem to live longer. One of the advantages of having a pedigree is you know exactly what kind of dog you are taking on IE.. their size etc..

Answer 10

I'd say the costs are standard. A mongrel dogs lilfe is just as valuble to their owners as a pedigree mutt.

Vets don't discriminate and they don't give discounts to poor mongrel people.

Incidently, talking of vets, my vet wants £200 to take ONE tooth out of my moggy cats head!! Thats more than a human tooth!