16. Do Mastiffs have any genetic health problems?
Description
This article is from the Mastiffs Breed FAQ, by mmcbee@access.mountain.net (Mike McBee) with numerous contributions by others.
16. Do Mastiffs have any genetic health problems?
Mastiffs are probably about average when it comes to the number of
hereditary health problems that they are prone to. Being a large
breed they are very prone to joint problems. For more information
on genetic problems, please refer to Appendix F.
+ Potentially life threatening or serious:
(*these conditions may be inherited or in some cases
acquired)
o Joint: hip dysplasia; elbow dysplasia (ununited anconeal
process, fragmented coronoid process, degenerative joint
disease); osteochondritis dissecans (OCD) of the
shoulders, knees, elbows or hocks.
o Eye problems that cause blindness: cataracts*, retinal
dysplasia with detachment, glaucoma., progressive
retinal atrophy (PRA)
o Other inherited eye problems: geographic retinal
dysplasia, PPM, entropion.
o Hypothyroidism*, immune deficiencies.
o Wobblers syndrome.
o Skin: demodectic mange, deep pyoderma.
o Nervous system: myasthenia gravis*, muscular dystrophy*,
epilepsy*
o Other: cardiomyopathy*, leukemia.
+ Less serious and/or less common:
(*these conditions may be inherited or in some cases
acquired)
o Eye problems: ectropion, iris cysts, macroblapharon
(haw), corneal dystrophy*, distichiasis, cherry eye, dry
eye, retinal folds.
o Skin: allergies
o Joint problems: HOD (hypertrophic Osteo Dystrophy),
degenerative joint disease*, arthritis*, spondylosis of
the spine.
o Reproductive: cryptorchid, monorchid, vaginal
hyperplasia.
o Heart: murmurs*, pulmonic stenosis.
o Other: hernias, von Willebrands Disease (vWD).
Continue to:
My Books
