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If mutts are healthier why isn't mine?

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in this thread:
  • boonedoggle
  • Grace
  • go4it420
  • pcarpenter
  • ritchellei
  • Mikel
  • catmaster667
boonedoggle
8 posts

I have a chihuahua/australian shepherd mix—and yes, she’s a little high strung. Since I adopted her a couple of years ago I’ve been in and out of the vets with skin rashes.

I’ve just switched her to a special diet because she’s got food allergies. And just last week she started limping, (she’s eight years old) and I’m now worried she has arthritis.

I thought going for a mixed breed would keep me free of some of the problems that plague owners of purebreds, but that doesn’t seem to be the case.

Anyone else notice this?
Grace
46 posts

By and large mutts are supposed to be healthier than most purebreds, but it totally depends on the dog. Getting a mutt is no guarantee that she won’t have any health problems.

Good luck with the new diet, hope it helps!
go4it420
1 post

Good Question i like to get my lil girl checked up on a regular basis just to make shure she is doing fine and it helps to have a good friend that works at a vets office but if you do not have one just a good vet to give your dog a checkup on a reg basis is fine also

ps a mixed bread dog is a great dog even if it is inbred long live the mutt rember under dog was a mutt!!
pcarpenter
65 posts

I think the theory that mutts are healthier than purebreds got started because it is well known that certain defects/diseases run high in various types of purebreds. But if you have a mix of a German Shepherd with bad hips and a Collie with bad hips, your dog is quite likely to have bad hips! If said Collie was mixed with another breed that seldom has hip problems, the chances that your dog will have bad hips is lessened considerably. But then that’s what responsible breeders try to do with their purebreds, eliminate the Defect Dog from their breeding program. Even at that, it might take generations to eliminate some breed problems. No dog is problem free.
ritchellei
156 posts

It’s never an assurance that when you purchase a purebred or mixed breed doesn’t mean purchasing a guarantee of temperament and health.

Some mixed breeds like Mutts are prone to certain conditions and diseases. Check this link for more information.


http://dogtime.com/dog-breeds/mutt/health
Mikel
155 posts

The life span of a Chihuahua is 10 to 18 years, while an Australian Shepherd has a Life span of 12 to 15 years. Dogs, like humans, do get sickly as they grow old. An 8-year old dog can still get in shape. These topics might help.


Please click on:


http://dogtime.com/food-nutrition.html

http://dogtime.com/fitness.html

http://dogtime.com/grooming.html
Dec 20, 2008 2:54pm
catmaster667
14 posts

according to my boss, who is an experienced veterinarian, says that a dog comprised of more than two breeds will be healthier than a pure breed, but a dog comprised of exactly two breeds isn’t much better off than a pure breed because it’s only one generation removed from a pure breed.


mutts comprised of more than two breeds have been bred of so many different kinds of dogs that there’s a better change of getting the better genes.


however, a dog comprised of exactly two breeds, often called designer dogs, aren’t comprised of enough dog breeds to get lots of good genes.
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