Whippet Health Care & Feeding
By Michele Welton, Dog Trainer, Breed Selection Consultant, Author of 15 Dog Books
Start your Whippet off on the right foot by feeding the right food, giving the right vaccinations, finding the right vet, and if you're going to spay or neuter, don't do it too early.
Jump down to this list of
Whippet Health Problems
Or check out my advice for raising a healthy Whippet puppy or adult dog:
Dog Health Care – The Sensible Way
Read my advice on daily health care so your Whippet lives a long, healthy life and seldom needs to see the vet... [read more]
3 Best Ways To Feed Your Dog Healthy Food
You can dramatically increase your dog's chances of living a long, healthy life by feeding the right food. Cutting right to the chase, the best foods for your Whippet are... [read more]
A Quick Way To Make Homemade Dog Food
Your Whippet will love real chicken, turkey, beef, fish, eggs, yogurt, broccoli.... this is not just "people food" and I'll tell you why... [read more]
5 Best Kibble and Canned Dog Foods
Some are better than others, but I must be honest – I'm not a huge fan of dry or canned dog food. Here are my concerns... [read more]
Vaccinations and Booster Shots: Needed or Not?
How many vaccinations does your Whippet puppy really need? Does your adult dog need yearly booster shots? The vaccination guidelines have changed! Find out what some vets aren't telling you... [read more]
Spaying Your Female Dog: Pros and Cons
Should your female Whippet be spayed? Current research says, "The AGE at which you spay can be vitally important to your dog's future health." So what's the best age? [read more]
Neutering Your Male Dog: Pros and Cons
Have you been told that you must neuter your male Whippet? Current research shows that the issue is not so simple. Pet owners are not being told about some risks associated with neutering male dogs, especially neutering too early... [read more]
Make Sure Your Vet is the Best!
Is your current veterinarian really the best choice for your dog? Here's how to tell... [read more]
Assisi Loop Review
Does your Whippet suffer from arthritis, hip dysplasia, disk disease, colitis? My honest review of a veterinary device you can use at home to reduce inflammation and pain. [read more]
Complete list of Whippet health problems
The Whippet Club conducted a health survey that included 651 dogs.
The survey showed that the three serious diseases that cause the most deaths in Whippets are cancer, epilepsy, and autoimmune hemolytic anemia.
The most serious eye diseases in Whippets are cataracts (appearing after age three and often leading to blindness) and occasionally progressive retinal atrophy (PRA), which always leads to blindness.
An eye disease called vitreous degeneration also occurs in Whippets. The vitreous is a clear jelly-like material within the eye that helps support the retina and give shape to the eye. If the vitreous becomes inflamed, it turns cloudy or liquefied, and vision may be impaired or lost. Vitreous degeneration may also predispose a dog to other eye diseases (retinal dysplasia, lens luxation, or glaucoma).
Skin problems include allergies (which cause itchy skin and can lead to pyoderma), demodectic mange, and elbow hygroma. In blue or fawn Whippets, color dilution alopecia is fairly common.
Some Whippets have pattern baldness, a gradual thinning or complete loss of hair around their temples and ears, underneath their neck and abdomen, and on the backs of their thighs. It's not itchy and the skin and coat are otherwise perfectly normal. Since it's a cosmetic condition, there's no treatment required other than adding supplements that are good for the skin and coat, such as fatty acids.
Heart disease (valve disease, cardiomyopathy, pulmonic stenosis) is a growing concern in the breed.
Inherited deafness is a concern in Whippet puppies with a lot of white on their head.
Whippets can suffer chronic diarrhea simply from stress, from food intolerances, or from gastrointestinal diseases such as colitis (inflammatory bowel disease). Occasionally bloat occurs in Whippets.
Hormonal/endocrine system diseases include hypothyroidism and occasionally Addison's disease.
Because of their low body fat, all sighthounds are extra sensitive to anesthetics and require an experienced vet who will follow a special Sighthound Anesthesia Protocol.
Sighthounds REQUIRE open space to run. A sighthound who can't stretch his legs and gallop off-leash will not develop proper muscle tone for good health.
Musculoskeletal injuries (fractures, pulled muscles or ligaments, broken toes, paw injuries, etc.) are common when slender sighthounds race about.
Orthopedic diseases include cruciate ligament rupture and panosteitis, but the other orthopedic diseases so common in other breeds are seldom seen in Whippets. According to the Orthopedic Foundation of America, their hip dysplasia rate is only 1%. That's excellent!
************Leading causes of death in Whippets are cancer, epilepsy, and a blood disease called autoimmune hemolytic anemia.
Cataracts and other eye diseases can lead to blindness in Whippets.
Severall heart diseases are a growing concern in the breed.
Whippets can suffer chronic diarrhea simply from stress, from food intolerances, or from gastrointestinal diseases such as colitis (inflammatory bowel disease).
Chronic allergies cause itchy skin and scratching, which can lead to bacterial infections. Demodectic mange occurs in Whippet puppies and adolescents. Blue/gray colored Whippets can have a hair loss disease called color dilution alopecia.
Whippets can be born partially or completely deaf.
Because of their low body fat, Whippets are extra sensitive to anesthetics and require an experienced vet who will follow a special sighthound anesthesia protocol.
Whippets are instinctive chasers, so they're especially vulnerable to being killed by a car. This is not an off-leash breed.
Musculoskeletal injuries (fractures, pulled muscles or ligaments, broken toes, paw injuries, etc.) are common when Whippets romp, jump, and play.
Preventing health problems
Some health problems are inherited. For example, if your dog inherits from his parents the genes for an eye disease called PRA, he will go blind and there's nothing anyone can do about it.
But most health problems can be prevented by the ways you raise your dog.
FREE eBOOK! My free online health care program, 11 Things You Must Do Right To Keep Your Dog Healthy and Happy shows you how to raise your Whippet in all the right ways that help prevent health problems. Become your dog's health care champion!
About the author: Michele Welton has over 40 years of experience as a Dog Trainer, Dog Breed Consultant, and founder of three Dog Training Centers. An expert researcher and author of 15 books about dogs, she loves helping people choose, train, and care for their dogs.
My best-selling books – now available FREE on my website
Respect Training For Puppies: 30 seconds to a calm, polite, well-behaved puppy is for puppies 2 to 18 months old. Your puppy will learn the 21 skills that all family dogs need to know. Click here to read for free.
Teach Your Dog 100 English Words is a unique Vocabulary and Respect Training Program that will teach your adult dog to listen to you and do what you say. Click here to read for free.11 Things You Must Do Right To Keep Your Dog Healthy and Happy helps your dog live a longer, healthier life. Get my honest advice about all 11 Things before you bring home your new puppy, because some mistakes with early health care cannot be undone. Click here to read for free.