Vizsla Health Care & Feeding
By Michele Welton, Dog Trainer, Breed Selection Consultant, Author of 15 Dog Books
Start your Vizsla 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
Vizsla Health Problems
Or check out my advice for raising a healthy Vizsla puppy or adult dog:
Dog Health Care – The Sensible Way
Read my advice on daily health care so your Vizsla 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 Vizsla are... [read more]
A Quick Way To Make Homemade Dog Food
Your Vizsla 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 Vizsla 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 Vizsla 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 Vizsla? 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 Vizsla 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 Vizsla health problems
The Vizsla Club of America Welfare Foundation conducted an official Health Survey of owners about their dogs' health. Over 2500 owners responded.
Epilepsy
The Vizsla owners who responded to the survey stated that epilepsy is the #1 health concern in Vizslas today.
Epilepsy means chronic seizures of unknown origin. The disease can be tricky to manage. Male Vizslas are twice as likely to have epilepy compared to females.
Temperament problems
Over 25% of Vizslas in the survey were reported with a temperament issues.
A temperament issue is an undesirable behavior that affects the dog's physical or psychological health, or makes the dog difficult to live with.
The most common temperament issues in Vizslas were reported as being fearful (especially of loud noises), being timid, reactive, excitable, hyperactive, etc.
Cancer
Over 24% of Vizlas in the survey developed tumors (especially mast cell tumors) and/or cancer (especially hemangiosarcoma and lymphoma).
Based on the survey, Vizslas who were spayed or neutered had a much greater incidence of cancer (33% rate) than Vizslas who were not spayed or neutered (9% rate).
Yes, you read that right. Spayed and neutered Vizslas also have much higher rates of specific cancers such as hemangiosarcoma and lymphoma.
Why do so many neutered Vizslas get cancer, while so many non-neutered dogs don't? Probably because the reproductive hormones that are removed by spaying and neutering also happen to provide some protection against cancer cells.
Skin and allergy problems
Over 20% of Vizslas have some sort of skin disorder. The most common is chronic allergies, which cause itchy skin that leads to scratching, breakage of the skin, and skin infections.
Adolescent Vizlsas are prone to developing demodectic mange. It's not usually too serious, but it can be.
The most serious skin disease in Vizslas is sebaceous adenitis, an inflammatory autoimmune disease that causes itchy, scaly lesions and hair loss.
Fortunately it occurs at a low rate because so many responsible Vizsla breeders are testing for it before breeding. But when it does occur, it can be a nasty disease.
Eye diseases
Eye diseases in Vizslas include eyelid abnormalities, cataracts (in both young Vizslas and seniors), glaucoma, and progressive retinal atrophy (PRA).
Vizslas are also prone to melanosis, which mean the development of dark pigmented growths on their eyelids.
The most common orthopedic disease in Vizslas is hip dysplasia. The Orthopedic Foundation of America evaluated the hip X-rays of 16,000 Vizslas and found 7% dysplastic. Elbow dysplasia occurs less frequently.
Disorders of the blood
Blood-clotting diseases and autoimmune diseases that target the blood are concerns in the Vizsla.
Other health problems
Heart murmurs and arrhythmias can occur in Vizslas.
As with all deep-chested breeds, Vizslas are at higher-than-normal risk for the emergency gastrointestinal syndrome called bloat.
Hypothyroidism occurs in Vizslas. According to the Michigan State University Thyroid Database, up to 12% of Vizslas have low thyroid levels.
A fairly recent disease in Vizslas is a muscle-wasting syndrome where the muscles of the dog's head become weak and unable to chew food or pick up toys.
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 Vizsla 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.