How to get a healthy mastiff puppy?
No one wants an unhealthy pet, but how can you prevent that from happening? The first step is to ensure the parents of your puppy are healthy and have been screened specifically for any heritable diseases common to the breed. It’s even better if the grandparents, great grandparents and other close relatives have also been tested as there is a lot more information upon which to make sound breeding decisions. If you go to www.offa.org and search the parent dog's registered name you will see some or all of the health tests performed on the dog and it's relatives.
Eyes – There are many eye conditions that can affect mastiffs, some causing blindness and others impairing vision to varying degrees. We get all our dogs eyes examined by a Veterinary Ophthalmologist. We also have DNA tests done for two specific eye diseases: Progressive Retinal Atrophy and Canine Multifocal Retinopathy. To learn more about these two diseases and how to eliminate passing them on to future generations visit the Optigen website:
PRA: http://www.optigen.com/opt9_test_dominant_pra.html
CMR: http://www.optigen.com/opt9_test_cmr.html
Heart – It goes without saying that the heart is a very important organ. There are congenital and hereditary diseases that can affect the canine heart. We feel it is very important to rule out heart disease on any dog before it is bred. We have all our dogs examined by a Veterinary Cardiologist.
Cystinuria – This is a genetic disease affecting only male mastiffs that causes stones to form within the urinary tract. These stones can completely block the urinary tract which can quickly become life threatening and require emergency surgery. There has recently been a DNA test developed specifically for mastiffs for this disease. The latest information on Cystinuria is in the below file.
Eyes – There are many eye conditions that can affect mastiffs, some causing blindness and others impairing vision to varying degrees. We get all our dogs eyes examined by a Veterinary Ophthalmologist. We also have DNA tests done for two specific eye diseases: Progressive Retinal Atrophy and Canine Multifocal Retinopathy. To learn more about these two diseases and how to eliminate passing them on to future generations visit the Optigen website:
PRA: http://www.optigen.com/opt9_test_dominant_pra.html
CMR: http://www.optigen.com/opt9_test_cmr.html
Heart – It goes without saying that the heart is a very important organ. There are congenital and hereditary diseases that can affect the canine heart. We feel it is very important to rule out heart disease on any dog before it is bred. We have all our dogs examined by a Veterinary Cardiologist.
Cystinuria – This is a genetic disease affecting only male mastiffs that causes stones to form within the urinary tract. These stones can completely block the urinary tract which can quickly become life threatening and require emergency surgery. There has recently been a DNA test developed specifically for mastiffs for this disease. The latest information on Cystinuria is in the below file.
| cystinuria_upenn.pdf |
Hips & Elbows – Large breed dogs are known for their high incidence of hip and elbow dysplasia. Upon reaching physical maturity at two years of age we get our Mastiffs hips and elbows x-rayed. The films are then sent off to the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals where they are reviewed by a board of Veterinary Radiologists. They give the dog a specific rating on their hips (Excellent, Good, Fair, Borderline or Dysplastic - Mild, Moderate or Severe). Elbows are given a rating of normal or dysplastic. According to OFA statistics the rate of hip dysplasia in the mastiff breed is 19.4% and elbow dysplasia is 14.9%. It is imperative to get the hips and elbows x-rayed at maturity to screen for dysplasia. We have personally had a dog that appeared to be in peak physical condition with zero clinical symptoms of dysplasia, yet the x-rays clearly showed hips that were dysplastic. The absence of symptoms does not always mean the absence of disease! In order to reduce the incidence of dysplasia in our breed it’s essential to screen for the disease before breeding. Visit the OFA website for further information.
Patellas – Patellar luxation is a hereditary condition where the kneecap pops out of place. There is a very low incidence in mastiffs, reported as 0.3% by the OFA. Visit the OFA website for further information.
Other common tests performed on mastiffs include Thyroid, Degenerative Myelopathy and von Willebrands.
What about general health & vigor?
Weakened immune systems and related problems including cancers are on the rise in both people and pets. Many veterinarians and long time dog breeders believe over-vaccination, over use of antibiotics & steroids, chemicals present in the dog's environment along with poor nutrition is to blame. The study of epigenetics shows us that environmental conditions affect not only the health of the animal directly experiencing the environment but future generations as well. For example, an animal that received poor nutrition will be affected by specific epigenetic changes that are subsequently passed down to it's offspring. Gene's can in fact be turned off or turned on by environmental conditions. Bearing this in mind it does become important to understand what type of environment the parents of your future puppy have had. If you are interested in learning more on the subject a great book is Epigenetics: The Ultimate Mystery of Inheritance by Richard Francis.
Common signs of poor overall health are skin and ear issues, poor coat, allergies, intolerance to exercise, chronic or frequent diarrhea, lameness, seizures, poor appetite, body odor and anemia. Although most of these issues are not life threatening, they can be very frustrating to deal with on an ongoing basis, reduce your pets quality of life, be an emotional roller coaster and cost a small fortune in vet fees for diagnostic tests and medications.
To support a healthy immune system our pets need fresh air & sunshine, moderate exercise, fresh clean water, a diet of natural foods, a low stress environment, along with minimal exposure to chemicals, pesticides and pharmaceutical drugs whenever possible. Unfortunately there are no specific tests for breeders to determine the health of their dog’s immune system. This is where a knowledgeable and conscientious breeder who you can have an open and trusting relationship with becomes critically important.
I would caution buyers to do their homework before committing to purchase a puppy. A conscientious breeder will be more than happy to discuss their health philosophy, the health of their individual dogs and send you copies of all health tests if they are not publicly available at www.offa.org.
Patellas – Patellar luxation is a hereditary condition where the kneecap pops out of place. There is a very low incidence in mastiffs, reported as 0.3% by the OFA. Visit the OFA website for further information.
Other common tests performed on mastiffs include Thyroid, Degenerative Myelopathy and von Willebrands.
What about general health & vigor?
Weakened immune systems and related problems including cancers are on the rise in both people and pets. Many veterinarians and long time dog breeders believe over-vaccination, over use of antibiotics & steroids, chemicals present in the dog's environment along with poor nutrition is to blame. The study of epigenetics shows us that environmental conditions affect not only the health of the animal directly experiencing the environment but future generations as well. For example, an animal that received poor nutrition will be affected by specific epigenetic changes that are subsequently passed down to it's offspring. Gene's can in fact be turned off or turned on by environmental conditions. Bearing this in mind it does become important to understand what type of environment the parents of your future puppy have had. If you are interested in learning more on the subject a great book is Epigenetics: The Ultimate Mystery of Inheritance by Richard Francis.
Common signs of poor overall health are skin and ear issues, poor coat, allergies, intolerance to exercise, chronic or frequent diarrhea, lameness, seizures, poor appetite, body odor and anemia. Although most of these issues are not life threatening, they can be very frustrating to deal with on an ongoing basis, reduce your pets quality of life, be an emotional roller coaster and cost a small fortune in vet fees for diagnostic tests and medications.
To support a healthy immune system our pets need fresh air & sunshine, moderate exercise, fresh clean water, a diet of natural foods, a low stress environment, along with minimal exposure to chemicals, pesticides and pharmaceutical drugs whenever possible. Unfortunately there are no specific tests for breeders to determine the health of their dog’s immune system. This is where a knowledgeable and conscientious breeder who you can have an open and trusting relationship with becomes critically important.
I would caution buyers to do their homework before committing to purchase a puppy. A conscientious breeder will be more than happy to discuss their health philosophy, the health of their individual dogs and send you copies of all health tests if they are not publicly available at www.offa.org.
