Are there any pure breds that don't have health problems?

Question

like hip dysplasia,or Retinal Atrophy(in labs)or elbw dysplasia,or OCD.

Or could you breed and not get these problems

Can mix breeds have these problems?

I have 2 mixed breeds(in my avatar)

Answer 1

Good question! I've starred this so others will see it and hopefully answer for you.

Responsible breeders will refuse to breed a dog that has any health issues -- as well as any dog that has a pedigree with a dog that has (or had) health issues. This is why it's very important to stay away from pet stores, puppy mills, backyard breeders, and other puppy pimps. Stick with the responsible breeders.

I can name three breeds that DO have health problems:

Shih Tzus, Lhasas Apsos, Bulldogs.

These are brachycephalic breeds. They have a tendency toward problems with their eyes (cataracts, dry eye, injuries, etc.), sinuses and skin folds, breathing problems, allergies, tracheal issues, the list goes on and on.

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Mixed breeds can have problems too, yes. A Shih Tzu mix can have a tendency to dry eye. Any mutt that has a large breed mixed in there somewhere can have a tendency towards hip dysplasia. Any small frou frou breed mixed in there can have a tendency towards patella luxation. My terrier mix (see avatar) has short legs and a long back -- therefore, I can assume she has a tendency towards getting back problems. Only the tendency -- they are prone to these issues, but will not necessarily suffer from them.

There is NO SUCH THING as "hybrid vigor."

As long as dogs have annual or semi-annual exams by a veterinarian, if any problems do pop up they'll be caught in time.

Answer 2

Most breeds do have some problems that are common to the breed. The trick is to actually find a breeder that screens for these problems, so their puppies are less likely to get them. Most people just look at the newspaper ads for the least expensive puppy. They don't think to ask the breeders about hip dysplasia, etc.
Mixed breeds can have these problems just as easily as pure breeds. It's all about genetics.

Answer 3

Many of the less popular breeds have fewer health problems. When a breed becomes popular, the puppy mills and backyard breeders start turning them out for $$$$ and the breed goes to hell.
Whippets are a fairly healthy breed as are most the sighthounds. Hip dysplasia is rare in sighthounds. Whippets do have some heart problems, so best to get a pup from a breeder who OFA's for cardiac. There is some problems with eyes, but nothing like Poodles. Most breeders CERF eyes. Some lines have a problem with deafness, but again nothing like Boxers or Dalmations. Many breeders do a BAER test before breeding.

Answer 4

All breeds have the potential for health issues and mixes have the potential to have all the health problems of all the breeds behind them. If someone tries to tell you that a breed doesn't have any health problems they are either extremely uninformed or just plain lying. Those who claim that mixed breeds are healthier than a purebred dog from a responsible breeder is very uninformed and totally lacking any knowledge of genetics.

Serious responsible breeds spend hundreds of dollars screening their dogs for health issues before they breed which dramatically reduces the chance of producing puppies with those problem. However most of these tests only show you if the dog itself has the condition and not if it carries the genes to produce the problem, so when an affected dog does pop up inspite of their best efforts they make sure to send DNA, the pedigree, etc to researchers working on developing DNA tests for that problem.

On the other hand BYB. puppy mills and folks producing mixed breeds don't bother to do health screening so your if getting a dog with health problems from one of those sources is pretty high.

Answer 5

To say that mixed breed dogs are over all healthier than Pure breed dogs is a false statement. Mixed breed can and do fall victim to the same kinds of problems as Pure bred dogs.
The difference being at least when I bred was that I screened my dogs for these potential problems. So they would not be passed on to their offspring!
People who breed mixed breed dogs do not do this at all.
I knew my dogs pedigrees and all their health scores going back several generations so I was able to responsibly breed my dogs. That is what responsible breeders do to not bring into the dog world more dogs with health problems.
Can you honestly tell me people who breed mixed breed dogs do this? I don't think so.
I bred Golden's for 27 years I had no Hip problems with any of my dogs or their offspring, No elbow problems, eye problems or temperament either. So yes there are some very good and responsible breeders out there doing exactly what I did to better the breed and to breed dogs with little problems or as near to no problems as they could.
With any mixed breed there are no health screenings being done, no standards to go by, no real ground work to look at to even guess what the potential health concerns could be or to even look at as a potential concern.
It's a toss up.
That's why when looking for any dog mixed or pure bred it is a wise and savy consumer to look into exactly what your getting and to understand an know the person that your getting the dog from.
If your getting one of unknow background or a shelter dog or mixed breed than you should not be surprised when health issue show up!

Answer 6

As long as there are unscrupulous breeders, there will be health problems.

Educate yourself on the breed you like so you know what questions to ask! Look for health screening on the parents such as CERF (eyes) and OFA (joints).

Also, not all health problems are genetic... Hip displaysia is a perfect example. A perfectly healthy dog can develop environmental CHD. Examples of how include by "pushing down" on the dog's butt to make them sit or leaving a young puppy on a slippery floor such as a tiled kitchen.

Do your homework, know your breed, don't assume healthy parents automatically create healthy puppies.

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Yes, mixed breeds can have health problems too.

Answer 7

There are many purebreds that don't have any health issues. While there are no guarantees in life, buying a purebred from a responsible breeder that does health testing and researches their pedigrees carefully for health and longevity dramaticly reduces the risk of health issues.

As for mixes they most certainly can and do have health issues ranging from cancer, hip/elbow dysplasia, heart issues, thyroid, etc.

Answer 8

all breeds have health issues that they are prone to.

A reputable breeder does genetic health testing to assure that their breeding stock is free of these diseases. They try to breed these problems out.

Even testing is not a 100% guarantee that a pup will be healthy.. but its the best we have to work with.

Mutts are just as prone to disease as the breeds that are in their heritage. If you get a lab/shepherd mix... he is just as likely to have HD as his parents are.



A reputable breeder is also very selective when doing in or line breeding. I dont know anyone who actually does inbreeding. Line breeding should only be done if you are VERY familiar with the pedigree. Line breeding helps "lock in" desireable traits.. at the same time, it can cause bad traits to come forth that will also be "locked in".. and then difficult to correct.

Answer 9

There are health flaws to every breed, but is more than possible to buy a puppy from a breeder that will be free of these problems. Look for a breeder that does genetic testing (OFA and CERF being the most common tests) on their dogs and that offers a several year health guarantee against genetic defect.

Edit: Yes, mixed breeds can have the exact same problems. defects of either of the parents can be passed on to the offspring. don't let anyone fool you; mixed breeds are not healthier than purebreds.

Answer 10

All dogs can have health problems, genetic or not. Things like hips can be cleared by good breeders screening there breeding dogs against this. Example I breed Dobes who have a few things to breed against like heart problems (DCM), hips and vWD are some by making sure my breeding dogs are clear and their parents, I have a much higher chance of not having these problems in my lines. Some health issues are completely genetic like vWD which I can guarantee against.