Cane Corso Health Care & Feeding
By Michele Welton, Dog Trainer, Breed Selection Consultant, Author of 15 Dog Books
Jump down to this list of
Cane Corso Health Problems
Or check out my advice for raising a healthy Cane Corso puppy or adult dog:
Dog Health Care – The Sensible Way
Read my advice on daily health care so your Cane Corso 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 Cane Corso are... [read more]
A Quick Way To Make Homemade Dog Food
Your Cane Corso 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 Cane Corso 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 Cane Corso 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 Cane Corso? 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 Cane Corso 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 Cane Corso health problems
Orthopedic diseases are rampant in the Cane Corso:
- With 1300 hip X-rays evaluated by the Orthopedic Foundation of America, the Cane Corso has a 39% of hip dysplasia – the 13th worst rate of all breeds. And the true rate is even higher because most of the obviously bad X-rays were not sent in for official evaluation. Confirming this, the Cane Corso Coalition conducted a health survey that reported a horrible 58% hip dysplasia rate.
- Elbow dysplasia is also a major problem, with the OFA reporting a rate of 16% and the coalition survey reporting at least 22%.
- Other orthopedic health problems in the Cane Corso include panosteitis, osteochondritis, luxating patella, cruciate ligament rupture, and Wobbler's syndrome.
Heart disease (especially cardiomyopathy and mitral valve disease) is a serious concern in Cane Corsos. 18% of the Cane Corsos in the Coalition survey had a heart disorder.
Epilepsy is another serious concern, with 16% of the Corsos in the coalition survey affected by a seizure disorder.
With their deep chest, Cane Corsos are at higher-than-normal risk for the emergency gastrointestinal syndrome called bloat.
Cancer claims the lives of many giant breeds, including Cane Corsos.
About one in every three Cane Corsos is affected by at least one eye disease. Most common are cherry eye, eyelid abnormalities (entropion and ectropion), and dry eye.
Skin diseases are common, especially allergies (often leading to pyoderma), which affects one in every four Cane Corsos. Demodectic mange is very common in all mastiff breeds – 37% of the Cane Corsos in the coalition survey were affected by demodex mites. Demodectic mange usually affects Cane Corso puppies and adolescents. Other health issues involving the skin are skin fold dermatitis, deep pyoderma, elbow hygroma, and chin folliculitis.
Hypothyroidism is common in all giant breeds, with up to 20% of Cane Corsos affected. Colitis and blood-clotting disease (von Willebrand's) have been reported in Cane Corsos.
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 Cane Corso in all the right ways that help prevent health problems. Become your dog's health care champion!
My best-selling books – now available FREE on my website