Breeds That Are Least Prone To Health Problems

[Guest Maeby Fünke]

The 'edit your breed' thread inspired me to start this topic.

Today I discovered that my Pug has another mast cell tumour - a skin tag on his chest. He has an appointment with the vet on Monday so that's no problem, my vet will take care of it. It just means more surgery.

I love Pugs and they're my favourite breed but, after all the tumours mine has had (this will be his 13th), I'm not sure that I want to go through this again with another Pug. So next time I'm thinking of choosing another breed...

Are there any breeds that are known for being robust and are least prone to health problems, especially cancer? Someone once recommended a Schipperke to me for this reason... Apparently they're really hardy dogs. Is this true?

eta

Sorry, I changed the thread topic three times. I couldn't work out what I was trying to say.

Edited October 16, 2013 by Maeby Fünke

[Guest Maeby Fünke]

I'm okay with things like eye and breathing problems and having to pay for surgery etc. And I would have been happy to put up with that in any of my future Pugs.

It's the uncertainty of the cancer that I can't handle. After a while it really gets to you.

Edited October 16, 2013 by Maeby Fünke

[kelpiecuddles]

Widely used working breeds would be a reasonable bet. Obviously no breed is immune to health issues but kelpies from sound lines are very robust. I honestly could count on one hand the number of times in her 9 years that my kelpie has been to the vet for anything other than a vaccination. That said my 5yr old basset hasn't been for any reason other than vacs either, she was very carefully chosen from lines I felt would offer the least health issues.

Edited October 16, 2013 by kelpiecuddles

[minimax]

Or you could find lines that have no history of those health problems, which reduces the chances?

[Guest Maeby Fünke]

Widely used working breeds would be a reasonable bet. Obviously no breed is immune to health issues but kelpies from sound lines are very robust. I honestly could count on one hand the number of times in her 9 years that my kelpie has been to the vet for anything other than a vaccination. That said my 5yr old basset hasn't been for any reason other than vacs either, she was very carefully chosen from lines I felt would offer the least health issues.

Yes, I have been doing a bit of reading online and it sounds like working breeds are the go.

[sandgrubber]

I can't give you a breed-specific answer about cancer. However, if you want some reasonably numbers for cancer mortality for different breeds, you might want to try the Finnish Kennel Club's database. Finland isn't Australia, but it seems to be the only place that tries to make mortality data publically available.

http://jalostus.kennelliitto.fi/frmTerveystilastot.aspx?R=206&Lang=en

find a breed, then go to health statistics, then to cause of death.

Pugs don't appear to be especially bad, although the number of death from unknown causes may hide the true numbers. If you're looking for a toy breed, looks like the Japanese Chin would be a good bet.

I think you may do better doing pedigree research within a chosen breed, if you can find breeders who are honest and knowledgeable. I sense that in my breed (Labradors), some lines are much more prone to cancer than others.

[Guest Maeby Fünke]

Or you could find lines that have no history of those health problems, which reduces the chances?

I would find it hard to do that without inadvertently offending people. In my experience, some breeders have taken that kind of questioning personally. And would they be honest with me? I'm not so sure.

I don't mean to sound like I'm bagging Pugs or Pug breeders: I'm just so over the whole mast cell tumour thing right now.

[Guest Maeby Fünke]

I can't give you a breed-specific answer about cancer. However, if you want some reasonably numbers for cancer mortality for different breeds, you might want to try the Finnish Kennel Club's database. Finland isn't Australia, but it seems to be the only place that tries to make mortality data publically available.

http://jalostus.kennelliitto.fi/frmTerveystilastot.aspx?R=206&Lang=en

find a breed, then go to health statistics, then to cause of death.

Pugs don't appear to be especially bad, although the number of death from unknown causes may hide the true numbers. If you're looking for a toy breed, looks like the Japanese Chin would be a good bet.

I think you may do better doing pedigree research within a chosen breed, if you can find breeders who are honest and knowledgeable. I sense that in my breed (Labradors), some lines are much more prone to cancer than others.

Thank you, that is very interesting.

[Roova]

Border terriers I believe have very few health problems. There are some known problems but they are quite rare and when I read through each breeder listed on DOL, none mention any genetic or X-ray type testing. Hopefully that's a good thing.

[Christina]

Any dog can develop cancer unfortunately. Sometimes it may be hereditary but other times its environmental & the luck of the draw. As in people.

Choose a few breeds you like the look of with a personality type that you like & then research health issues from there.

Some may have more issues than others but good breeding & testing whenever possible is a huge help in eliminating them. Not always 100% foolproof though.

Some issues may be breed specific but others are not.

Choosing a breed with a regular shaped head, nose & body type with legs in proportion is probably wiser than opting for anything a bit more unusual. Hopefully.

Cancer is such a shocking & distressing disease that affects all our lives in some way.

[juice]

I get where you are coming from, a few years ago after loseing another of my BT'S to health issue's I vowed I wouldn't own one again, they do seem to be a health nightmare.

However after I fostered , ( and then kept, as he was terminally ill), a beautiful BT boy I remembered why I loved them so much.

I decided instead of getting a rescue one, whose health was unknown I would go the breeder route, I did all my research ,and yet here I am with one that arrived with health issue's.

Over the years I have owned working breeds alongside, and have to say they rarely go to the vet.

[Guest Maeby Fünke]

Any dog can develop cancer unfortunately. Sometimes it may be hereditary but other times its environmental & the luck of the draw. As in people.

Choose a few breeds you like the look of with a personality type that you like & then research health issues from there.

Some may have more issues than others but good breeding & testing whenever possible is a huge help in eliminating them. Not always 100% foolproof though.

Some issues may be breed specific but others are not.

Choosing a breed with a regular shaped head, nose & body type with legs in proportion is probably wiser than opting for anything a bit more unusual. Hopefully.

Cancer is such a shocking & distressing disease that affects all our lives in some way.

This is where I get confused because every oncologist I have spoken to has told me that Pugs are prone to mast cell tumours *as a breed*. Yet no vet or Pug breeder has ever mentioned anything like this to me.

I guess I'm feeling a bit disillusioned about Pugs right now. Cancer sucks.

Edited October 16, 2013 by Maeby Fünke

[Guest Maeby Fünke]

I get where you are coming from, a few years ago after loseing another of my BT'S to health issue's I vowed I wouldn't own one again, they do seem to be a health nightmare.

However after I fostered , ( and then kept, as he was terminally ill), a beautiful BT boy I remembered why I loved them so much.

I decided instead of getting a rescue one, whose health was unknown I would go the breeder route, I did all my research ,and yet here I am with one that arrived with health issue's.

Over the years I have owned working breeds alongside, and have to say they rarely go to the vet.

Thank you for being so understanding. I don't mean to sound dramatic but I don't think I could go through this again.

[juice]

You will find a lot of people are "breed blind", I know my breed has issue's, its upto me wether I decide to take it on each time.

perhaps its all too raw for you atm, if you love the breed its the price we pay.

[Guest Maeby Fünke]

Border terriers I believe have very few health problems. There are some known problems but they are quite rare and when I read through each breeder listed on DOL, none mention any genetic or X-ray type testing. Hopefully that's a good thing.

Thank you but Border Terriers aren't my cup of tea. Unfortunately my favourite breeds are the ones that are most problematic, ie. Pugs, Frenchies, Newfoundlands and Labradors (though I don't think Labradors are as bad as the others).

I like Border Collies and Aussie Shepherds though. They're sweet dogs.

[Guest Maeby Fünke]

You will find a lot of people are "breed blind", I know my breed has issue's, its upto me wether I decide to take it on each time.

perhaps its all too raw for you atm, if you love the breed its the price we pay.

Yes, this is true.

Thank you everyone for your input. I have a lot to think about.

[Guest Maeby Fünke]

At least my Pug doesn't know that he has cancer and he is comfortable and happy and living a good life :)

[denali]

At least my Pug doesn't know that he has cancer and he is comfortable and happy and living a good life :)

I think that is the main point :)

[julesluvscavs]

Cavaliers are known for a few genetic health issues, altho cancer is not high on the list that i know about.. Renae had a small benign gum tumour removed last year.. Shes now 11

Ive always been worried they will get one of the known problems but out of the blue that completely took us by surprise Joey got a brain tumour (well it was very highly suspected) Ironically he was still heart clear at 9 and healthy otherwise up to that point.. it all happened very quickly!

I had x breeds (heeler x's) before i got into cavaliers and they both got cancer in their older ages..

Cancer can happen even to people who haven't had a history of it in their family or dogs that haven't had it in their lines (that are known anyway)

Edited October 16, 2013 by Jules❤3Cavs

[~Anne~]

Although I can see why you have made a link between MCTs and pugs, there is no evidence to suggest it is genetic. In fact, I am not even sure that the prevalence of mast cell tumours is noticeably higher in the pug.