Great Pyrenees Health Problems and Raising a Great Pyrenees Puppy to be Healthy

How To Raise a Healthy Dog
Feeding the Best Dog Foods
Vaccinations: Needed or Not?
Spaying and Neutering: Pros and Cons

The most common health problems in Great Pyrenees:

Cancer claims the lives of many Great Pyrenees, especially osteosarcoma (bone cancer) and reproductive cancers.

The most common orthopedic disease in the Great Pyrenees is hip dysplasia. The Orthopedic Foundation of America evaluated the hip X-rays of 5000 Great Pyrenees and found 9% dysplastic. Other orthopedic diseases in the breed include elbow dysplasia, osteochondritis, and luxating patella (loose knees).

As with all deep-chested breeds, Great Pyrenees are at higher-than-normal risk for the emergency gastrointestinal syndrome called bloat.

The most common eye diseases are eyelid abnormalities (entropion and ectropion. Other eye diseases include cataracts and progressive retinal atrophy (PRA).

Heart disease (tricuspid dysplasia) is a concern in the breed.

The most common skin diseases in Great Pyrenees are allergies (which cause itchy skin and often lead to pyoderma) and demodectic mange. Sebaceous adenitis has been reported.

According to the Michigan State University Thyroid Database, up to 11% of Great Pyrenees have hypothyroidism.

Inherited deafness and blood-clotting diseases (Factor XI deficiency, von Willebrand's, and hemophilia B) occur regularly in Great Pyrenees. Occasionally reported are degenerative spinal myelopathy and chondrodysplasia.

Can you prevent health problems from happening to YOUR Great Pyrenees?

Yes, often you can.

1. Some health problems are genetic, which means inherited from parents. Genetic health issues are common in Great Pyrenees today because of unwise breeding practices. My book, Dog Quest: Find The Dog Of Your Dreams, shows you how to find a Great Pyrenees puppy who is genetically healthy.
2. Other health problems are environmental – caused by the way you raise your dog. My best-selling dog health book, 11 Things You Must Do Right To Keep Your Dog Healthy and Happy shows you how to prevent environmental health problems by raising your Great Pyrenees puppy (or adult dog) in all the right ways.

Here are my dog health tips for raising a healthy Great Pyrenees puppy or adult dog:

How To Raise a Healthy Dog – My Philosophies
Read my advice on sensible feeding and health care so that your Great Pyrenees lives a long, healthy life and seldom needs to see the vet. An excellent goal, yes?

The Best Dog Food For Feeding Your Great Pyrenees
The best diet for feeding your Great Pyrenees is real food. Real chicken, turkey, beef, bison, venison, fish....This is not "people food" and I'll tell you why.

The Second-Best Dog Food For Your Great Pyrenees
If you can't (or won't) feed what your Great Pyrenees really needs, the best I can do is to point out what to look for – and look out for – when choosing a brand of kibble or canned dog food.

Vaccinations and Booster Shots: Needed or Not?
How many vaccinations does your Great Pyrenees puppy really need? Does your adult Great Pyrenees need yearly booster shots? The vaccination guidelines have changed. Find out what many vets aren't telling you.

The Type of Veterinarian I Recommend
Does your veterinarian belong to the AVMA or the AHVMA? They're not the same at all, and which one you choose can make a world of difference to the future health of your Great Pyrenees.

Spaying and Neutering: Pros and Cons
Advantages and disadvantages of spaying your female Great Pyrenees or neutering your male.

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