Poodle Health
Being a conscientious responsible breeder means breeding to continually improve quality of the dogs, not for financial gain. The study of genetics is very important in selecting breeding dogs. Knowing the backgrounds of the bloodlines in your dog's pedigree is essential in order to do as much as possible to prevent genetic disorders. Keep this in mind when acquiring a puppy, for only a healthy companion, full of vitality, can give you many years of shared happiness.
Some possible health concerns of Poodles are:
Hip Dysplasia - In this condition the hip sockets are irregular in shape and it becomes painful for the dog to walk, often starting at under 2 yrs of age, requiring medication for the life of the dog, and often surgery.
OFA can screen any dog over the age of 2 for Hip Dysplasia. Have your vet x-ray
the hips according to OFA regulations and mail the x-rays in to OFA. You will get a rating of Excellent, Good, Fair,
Borderline, Mild, Moderate, Severe. Next info pulled from the OFA website: The
hip grades of excellent, good and fair are within normal limits and are given
OFA numbers. This information is accepted by AKC on dogs with permanent
identification (tattoo, microchip) and is in the public domain. Radiographs of
borderline, mild, moderate and severely dysplastic hip grades are reviewed by
the OFA radiologist and a radiographic report is generated documenting the
abnormal radiographic findings. Unless the owner has chosen the open database,
dysplastic hip grades are closed to public information. Although OFA will not
issue a number prior to age 2, you can get your dog preliminary x-rayed at 1 to
determine what the hips are likely to look like. This is not set in stone, and
should only be used as a guide. If your dog is fair to borderline, watch it
closely over the next year and DO NOT use it for breeding unless it passes OFA
at age 2. If it shows signs of HD at 1 year, it probably won't get a lot better
with age, so Mild, Moderate, and Severe should probably be spayed in my opinion.
Again, taken from the OFA website: Preliminary evaluations can be performed
after 4 to 5 months of age. OFA evaluations are about 90% accurate when compared
to follow-ups of the same animal at 24 months of age. The reason to obtain
preliminary status is to minimize the emotional and financial burden if the
animal is found to have hip dysplasia.
Note that Hip
dysplasia is actually not very common in the Standard Poodle. While
Standard Poodle breed can suffer from it, according to the OFA (orthopedic
foundation for animals) only about 10% of x-rays they have viewed show visual
indications of dysplasia. Compare that to 1in 3 Labs.
This is good news!
Sebaceous Adenitis (SA)
- It is estimated that 50% of all Standard Poodles are carriers or affected. It
is hard to ID and can be misdiagnosed as hypothyroidism, allergies, etc. All
breeding animals should have a skin biopsy performed by a veterinarian YEARLY
and sent to the Institute for Genetic Disease Control in Animals (GDC) for
evaluation by a GDC approved veterinary pathologist.
In this condition the dog loses its hair, permanently. It can develop when young, or older. Currently, there is no cure.
PRA- progressive retinal atrophy (and other eye disorders). Genetically inherited eye diseases, with or without accompanying cataracts and blindness. You can and should have your poodle's eyes CERF'd by a Veterinary Ophthalmologist. The Canine Eye Registration Foundation (CERF) checks to see if any signs of eye problems are present at the time of testing. Because eye problems can develop over a short period of time, testing must be done YEARLY on all breeding animals.
Addison's Disease - With this condition, because of adrenal gland malfunctioning, the dog's own immune system attacks and destroys its own body's normal tissues. Oftentime outward symptoms will not show for several years.
Addison's disease is defined as a substantial decrease in the production of cortisone and aldosterone by the adrenal glands. A dog affected by this disease will become ill and then often better for a time. The illness is not easy to ID. It looks like a flu and the dog will often get better before the owner takes them to the vet. Some breeders do not feel this is genetic. Some feel it is. It is always better to fall to the side of caution and not breed a dog who has Addison's or a dog with close relatives with it as well.
Von Willebrand's disease (vWD)- This, similar to hemophilia in humans, is a condition where the blood does not clot well. Anything that would normally cause a small amount of bleeding, either externally (like the puppy steps on something and cuts its' paw), or under the skin (like a bruise from a bump or tumble during normal puppy play) will bleed more and be much more serious. Depending on the severity of the condition this can be life threatening.
This is a serious disease that can be tested for
by VETGEN and completely prevented.
A simple cheek swab can be sent to be DNA tested. You can clearly know whether
your poodle is clear, carrier, or affected with this one simple test.
Thyroid - This is similar to the human variety. It is difficult to
diagnose from outward signs, and if not caught and treated early, can cause much
pain and early death. Generally we see Hypothyroidism as our main problem. This
is an Autoimmune disease resulting in low production of the thyroid hormones L-thyroxine
(T4) and triiodothyronine (T3). These two hormones control the rate of
metabolism in mammals. Symptoms my include obesity,
poor coat, hair loss, lethargy, heat seeking, skin
problems, and infertility. This disease is treated with hormone therapy.
Bloat- There are those who feel this is a genetic issue. There are those who feel this is an environmental issue. There are those who feel this is a chest structure issue. Standard Poodles are known for having deep/narrow chest. This might indeed allow a Bloat episode to occur. Deep/Narrow chest run in lines, so you could consider that to be the genetic 'link'. Of course, feeding your dog a large meal and then exercising the dog has been proven to cause bloat. Some people feel it is commercial foods that are so zipped of moisture that cause this problem.
