Chesapeake Bay Retriever Health Care & Feeding
By Michele Welton, Dog Trainer, Breed Selection Consultant, Author of 15 Dog Books
Start your Chesapeake Bay Retriever 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
Chesapeake Bay Retriever Health Problems
Or check out my advice for raising a healthy Chesapeake Bay Retriever puppy or adult dog:
Dog Health Care – The Sensible Way
Read my advice on daily health care so your Chesapeake Bay Retriever 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 Chesapeake Bay Retriever are... [read more]
A Quick Way To Make Homemade Dog Food
Your Chesapeake 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 Chesapeake Bay Retriever 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 Chesapeake Bay Retriever 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 Chesapeake? 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 Chesapeake 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 Chesapeake Bay Retriever health problems
The major health problem in Chesapeake Bay Retrievers is hip dysplasia.
The Orthopedic Foundation of America evaluated the hip X-rays of 14,000 Chesapeake Bay Retrievers and found 20% dysplastic. That's very high. Another evaluation of 3000 elbow X-rays showed that 6% were dysplastic.
Hip and elbow dysplasia cause lameness and early arthritis; surgery is usually successful, but very expensive, with a long recovery period.
Eye diseases in Chessies include cataracts at 6-24 months old, and progressive retinal atrophy (PRA) at 4-7 years old. Fortunately, a simple DNA test is available for PRA in Chesapeakes, so you can find out at any time whether your dog has the disease, carries the disease, or is completely clear of it.
Other eye disease in Chesapeake Bay Retrievers include entropion, cherry eye, and retinal dysplasia.
Epilepsy has become a real concern in the breed.
As with all deep-chested breeds, Chesapeake Bay Retrievers are at higher-than-normal risk for the emergency gastrointestinal syndrome called bloat.
Allergies cause itchy skin and can lead to bacterial skin infections (pyoderma).
According to the Michigan State University Thyroid Database, up to 19% of Chesapeake Bay Retrievers have hypothyroidism (low thyroid levels).
Other health issues in Chesapeakes are heart disease (subaortic stenosis) and blood-clotting disease (von Willebrand's).
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 Chesapeake Bay Retriever 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.