Weimaraner Health Problems and Raising a Weimaraner Puppy to be Healthy

Quiz – How Long Will Your Dog Live?
How To Raise a Healthy Dog
Feeding the Best Dog Food
Feeding the 2nd Best Dog Food
Vaccinations: Needed or Not?
Are You Sure Your Vet Is Good?

The most common health problems in Weimaraners:

The most common orthopedic disease in Weimaraners is hip dysplasia. The Orthopedic Foundation of America evaluated the hip X-rays of 9800 Weimaraners and found nearly 9% dysplastic. This is higher than it should be, and the true rate is even higher because most of the obviously bad X-rays were not sent in for official evaluation. For comparison, another German pointing breed, the German Shorthair, has a hip dysplasia rate of only 5%.

Elbow dysplasia and osteochondritis occur less frequently, but are still concerns in the breed, as are panosteitis and wobbler's syndrome.

Hypertrophic osteodystrophy can occur in Weimaraner puppies and is particularly severe in this breed, with a high mortality rate.

Bloat is a major killer of Weimaraners. The Purdue University School of Veterinary Medicine reports that the Weimaraner is the FOURTH most likely breed to bloat.

Cancer (especially mastocytoma and fibrosarcoma) is another leading killer of Weimaraners.

Eye diseases include progressive retinal atrophy (PRA), eyelash abnormalities, entropion, and cherry eye.

Heart disease (tricuspid valve dysplasia) is becoming a concern in the Weimaraner.

Allergies cause itchy skin and can lead to pyoderma. A more serious skin disease is demodectic mange, which can occur in Weimaraner puppies and adolescents. Occasionally lick granuloma occurs in Weimaraners.

Hypothyroidism occurs in Weimaraners and so do blood-clotting diseases (von Willebrand's disease, hemophilia A, and factor XI deficiency).

Other health issues in Weimaraners include hernias, immunoglobulin deficiencies, and degenerative spinal myelopathy.

Can you prevent health problems from happening to YOUR Weimaraner?

Yes, often you can.

1. Some health problems are genetic, which means inherited from parents. Genetic health issues are common in Weimaraners today because of unwise breeding practices. My book, Dog Quest: Find The Dog Of Your Dreams, shows you how to find a Weimaraner 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 Weimaraner puppy (or adult dog) in all the right ways.

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

How Long Will Your Dog Live? – Take This Quiz!
Based on your dog's breed and how you're raising him, this personalized quiz will help you understand how long your dog might live – and most importantly, how you can increase his life expectancy.

Dog Health Care – The Sensible Way
Read my advice on daily health care so your Weimaraner lives a long, healthy life and seldom needs to see the vet.

The Best Dog Food For Feeding Your Weimaraner
The best diet for feeding your Weimaraner 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 Weimaraner
If you can't feed homemade dog food, here are your next-best choices.

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

The Type of Veterinarian I Recommend
Is your veterinarian really the best choice for your dog? Learn about the differences between vets who practice conventional, holistic, and alternative veterinary medicine.

Spaying Your Female Dog: Pros and Cons
Advantages and disadvantages of spaying your female Weimaraner.

Neutering Your Male Dog: Pros and Cons
Advantages and disadvantages of neutering your male dog.

Copyright © 2000-2013 by Michele Welton. All rights reserved.
No part of this website may be copied, displayed on another website,
or distributed in any way without the express permission of the author.