Inherited Health Problems in Dogs

  • 62% of Pugs develop hip dysplasia, which makes a dog lame and leads to arthritis. 47% of Saint Bernards develop hip dysplasia. 20% of Golden Retrievers. Surgery for hip dysplasia costs about $2000 -- PER hip.

  • 47% of Chows develop elbow dysplasia. 41% of Rottweilers. 19% of German Shepherds. Surgery for elbow dysplasia costs about $1500 PER elbow.

  • 45% of Pomeranians develop luxating patella (bad knees). 20% of Cocker Spaniels. 15% of Yorkies. Surgery costs $1000 PER knee.

  • 13% of Golden Retrievers develop hereditary cataracts. 11% of Bichons. 10% of Siberian Huskies. Cataract surgery costs $1000-$2000.

  • Yorkshire Terriers are so prone to hereditary liver shunt that at one veterinary teaching hospital, 35% of their liver shunt patients are Yorkies. Surgery costs $3500.


    Remember, you can't SEE inherited health problems by looking at a puppy. They're hidden in the genes and take months (or years) to develop. There are only a FEW ways to avoid inherited health problems, and I'll tell you what those ways are in HOW TO BUY A GOOD DOG.

  • The leading cause of death in Cavalier King Charles Spaniels is hereditary heart disease, which shows up in over 50% of Cavaliers by 5 years of age and costs several hundred dollars a year to manage. 31% of Salukis are affected by heart disease. Up to 15% of Golden Retrievers. Boxers are affected by 4 different heart diseases.

  • Hereditary thyroid disease affects up to 40% of English Setters, up to 25% of Shelties and Boxers. Medication costs about $100 a year.

  • 80% of Dobermans are either affected or carriers of von Willebrand's blood-clotting disease.

  • Standard Poodles are the most likely of all breeds to inherit a serious skin disease called sebaceous adenitis. Up to 9% of the breed are affected and require special baths and medications.

  • 8% of Dalmatians are completely deaf. Another 22% are deaf in one ear. This is inherited deafness I'm talking about, not old-age deafness.

  • PRA is an inherited eye disease that inevitably leads to blindness. It appears in over 100 breeds and there is no cure. You have to know how to AVOID it.


    eBook coverIn HOW TO BUY A GOOD DOG, I'll tell you the best ways to AVOID buying a puppy who will develop hip dysplasia, elbow dysplasia, luxating patella, cataracts, liver shunt, heart disease, thyroid disease, blood-clotting disease, skin disease, deafness, and PRA.

  • Cancer is hereditary in many breeds. A Golden Retriever Club survey reports that 1 of every 2 Golden Retrievers will develop cancer. 65% of the Goldens who died at 3-8 years old died of cancer. 43% of Rottweilers die from cancer. The average age of death in Bernese Mountain Dogs is 5-8 years old, and 50% die from a specific form of inherited cancer. 69% of Flat-Coated Retrievers die from inherited cancer, which appears in many Flat-Coats around 4 years old. Cancer treatment can cost $5000.

  • 1 of every 2 Great Danes will suffer bloat, a hereditary gastrointestinal disease. It's the #1 killer of the breed. Surgery costs $2000-$3000.

  • Hereditary seizures (epilepsy) occurs in 6% of Golden Retrievers, Welsh Springer Spaniels, Australian Shepherds, and Beagles. A Boston Terrier Club health survey reports that 10% of Boston Terriers died from epilepsy. 21% of Greater Swiss Mountain Dogs died from it. Medication costs several hundred dollars a year.

  • Urinary stones form in Miniature Schnauzers, Shih Tzus, and Bichons more than any other breeds. It's an inherited tendency. Surgery costs up to $500 per occurrence.

  • In many breeds, lifespans are a lot shorter than they used to be. Dobermans used to live to be 15 years old -- now many of them are lucky to reach 10 years. The typical lifespan for Leonbergers is just under 7 years old. 50% of Mastiffs die before age 7. Only 1 in 4 Scottish Deerhounds reaches their 10th birthday. Only 1 in 5 Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retrievers reaches age 12.


eBook coverThe recent explosion of health problems in purebred dogs doesn't mean you should give up your goal of finding a good healthy dog. It just means you have to go about your search more carefully. I'll take you through your search, step by step, in HOW TO BUY A GOOD DOG