The findings from surveys performed by the late George A. Padgett, DVM, Veterinary Pathologist & Professor Emeritus at the College of Veterinary Medicine of Michigan State University and author of Control of Canine Genetic Diseases, indicate that mixed - breed dogs have more genetic
diseases than purebred dogs.
The idea that a mixed - breed dog is likely to have fewer genetic
diseases than a purebred is a misconception.
Not exact matches
The first detailed genetic comparison of
purebred domestic dogs promises to rewrite the textbooks with new information about breed classification and insights that may improve canine health by boosting understanding of the more
than 350 inherited disorders, including cancer, heart
disease, epilepsy, blindness and deafness, which affect dogs.
To some extent, says Dr. Carmichael, genetics play a job in determining which cats are extra prone
than others to dental
disease, pointing out that some
purebreds — corresponding to Abyssinians, Siamese, Maine Coons, Persians and Somalis — are typically at best risk.
Most
purebred cats are healthy, but certain breeds are more prone to particular
diseases than others.
Cats are usually middle aged to older; however, the
disease can be diagnosed at any age, often less
than 5 years in
purebred cats.
Therefore, they will experience infectious
disease more often
than purebreds.
Even though mixed breeds tend to be hardier
than purebred dogs, without knowing what breeds are in your dog's makeup, you can't know what
diseases to which he might be genetically predisposed.
Purebred cat breeds are more prone to genetic
diseases than mixed breed domestic cats due to the fact that the gene population that they come from is smaller.
However, such a return to the wild is not going to happen, and in spite of assertions that they are healthier
than purebreds, crossbred and mixed breed dogs are subject to the same
diseases, structural problems, joint dysplasias, allergies, and genetic abnormalities as their blue - blooded cousins.
As do all
purebred dogs - or humans for that matter (there are more
than 3,000 known genetic
diseases to affect human beings.)
RMSF can affect dogs of all breeds, but young
purebred dogs are reported to be more susceptible to developing severe
disease due to Rickettsia rickettsii infection
than mixed breeds.
The reasons given for a reduction in breeding are legion: There are too many homeless dogs dying in shelters,
purebred dogs have too many structural faults,
purebred dogs have too many genetic
diseases, even well - bred
purebred puppies take homes from shelter dogs, generic dogs are healthier
than purebreds because they have «hybrid vigor,» man should not manipulate dogs for his own purposes, etc..
or betrayal (I thought mixed breed dogs were healthier
than purebreds, or I thought Bosco's breeder certified her stock against genetic
diseases).
If we disqualified all of the dogs with the slightest elbow issue, we would lose 31 % of the breeding population in every generation, compounding a genepool problem that is historically present in
purebred dogs, and far more dangerous to the dogs
than any heritable
disease.
Mixed breed dogs do live longer on average
than their
purebred cousins, and if you avoid the fatal pitfalls of heart
disease and trachael collapse then you've got a good chance of having a long lived Pomnchi pup.
The present study illustrated that certain subpopulations of the
purebred dog population were more likely to display certain conditions while other subpopulations were not statistically different
than mixed - breed dogs in terms of
disease prevalence.
The inherited conditions of aortic stenosis (a narrowing above the aortic heart valve or the aortic valve itself), atopy / allergic dermatitis (skin allergies), gastric dilatation volvulus (bloat / stomach dilation), early onset cataracts (a clouding of the lens inside the eye), dilated cardiomyopathy (enlargement of the chambers of the heart and thinning of the muscle wall), elbow dysplasia (abnormal growth of tissues that leads to malformation and degeneration of the joint), epilepsy (brain seizures), hypothyroidism (underactive production of thyroid hormones), intervertebral disk
disease (problems with the disks between the vertebrae of the spine leading to neurological problems), and hepatic portosystemic shunt (an abnormal blood circulation where blood is diverted around the liver rather
than into it) are more prevalent in
purebred dogs
than in mixed - breed.
Analyzing the prevalence of the conditions in subdivisions of the
purebred population based upon the American Kennel Club classification of breed group or by relatedness at a DNA sequence level revealed that three conditions, atopy / allergic dermatitis, hypothyroidism, and intervertebral disk
disease, were common across the
purebred population with many of the
purebred groups showing higher risk
than the mixed - breed population.
For ten other inherited conditions, the
purebred dog population had greater prevalence
than that seen in mixed - breeds: aortic stenosis, atopy / allergic dermatitis, gastric dilatation volvulus (GDV), early onset cataracts, dilated cardiomyopathy, elbow dysplasia, epilepsy, hypothyroidism, intervertebral disk
disease (IVDD), and portosystemic shunt.