Mixed breed dogs healthier?

Question

I challenge you to study and learn. Here is a good place to start: http://www.canine-genetics.com/Default.htm

Answer 1

Not in my experience. I've been grooming and training for 20 years and I see just as many sickly mixed breeds as purebreds. I currently have 12 purebred dogs and they rarely need to see the vet except for routine checkups.

Answer 2

It's like human beings. The royalty in England were breed among each other they developed hemophilia.

In New Hampshire during the 1800s inbreeding was so rampart that mental retardation started appearing. The state government brought Indians from Canada in as wives and husbands for all the Smiths and Jones.

If you keep breeding from the same family lines, eventually the poorest genes will emerge. If you know any geneticists they will tell you to study gene pool...

So some purebreds can be very healthy - it depends on the different bloodlines that went into their heritage -- while others are known for bad health. Example - "teacup" Shihtzus - this is normally from a misguided breeder who inadvertently takes the runt of one litter to mate with a runt of another litter to perpetuate the myth of smallness in the breed. All they are doing is taking the two weakest links - and creating a dog that is in need of veternian care on a very regular basis....

Mutts again, depending on their gene pool - can be all that they can be - based on their gene pool.

Answer 3

I have accepted your challenge, and from the site which you listed, your question cannot be given a definitive answer (although it does lay the groundwork for someone to work it out themselves). Commonsense tells us that even some mixed breeds of dogs can be in-bred (due to a small amount living in one area etc.) and some pure bred dogs (like a Labrador) can actually lead a lifestyle free of the health risks, as there are enough of them to avoid inbreeding. I would say that it is unwise to make a generalized statement like "Mixed breed dogs are healthier", because it is only true in certain cases.

Answer 4

Illbred purebreds can have issues, however in general mixes aren't any healthier then purebreds. That is a common myth and has no validity to it. Mixes are every bit as prone to heart, kidney, liver issues, hip/elbow dysplasia, eye issues, cancer as purebreds are.

Working in the vet field for over 30 years I can tell you that we see as many if not more mixes with issues as we do purebreds.

Answer 5

The difference between a pedigree and a non pedigree is simply recognition. Those kennel clubs decide that oh, this little dog looks cute, long fur and all. Maybe we should name it a so-and-so. Breeders then try hard to produce litters of puppies through trial and error mating. And when they find the magic pair of dogs, hola this new little pedigree breed is born. So maybe your dog may be a mutt one day and a pedigree the next! Who knows? But again, does it matter?

But for now, the beauty of your mongrel or X-breed is uniqueness. The genetic makeup of mongrels and X-breeds are too wide and too diversified. These dogs can have the best of both parents' characteristics and temperaments; or similarly, have the worst of both combinations. Most of the time however, it's a healthy balance of both genes.

Answer 6

jmo...mixed breeds are as likely to inherit as many problems as pure breds. maybe twice as likely as they have the issues of both breeds (or more) that they are from

Answer 7

i don't know about them being healthier wouldn't they be at higher risk of getting disease from different breeds in its genetics???

Answer 8

my pure breed golden only sick twice, and that was from drinking dirty pond water in backyard..in 5yrs..