Anytime we decide to welcome a dog in our life, after thinking about a lot, we would need to evaluate the possibility to adopt also a not purebred subject, maybe by taking him in a kennel. If it were not possible for different reason, we would need to consider very well the race to choose.
First of all, you don’t have to be convinced by your neighbor’s puppy, by advertising or by your friends’ voices who could suggest the sole race not suitable our lifestyle or our characteristics. You need to remember that a dog will stay with you for may years and this has to be a pleasure for both of you. For this reason, I would like to talk to you about genetic diseases of purebred dogs.
The purebred docs, trained consciously by expert trainers who love their own animals, should be checked to avoid the appearance of pathologies which could cause, soon of after years, serious health problems to your mate, changing his and your life. The genetic diseases are a lot: the ones actually discovered in the docs are 400. They appear with different incidences according to the race, or they are present in some race and not in others.
The ’E.N.C.I. (National Italian Doglover Authority) have compiled a regulated protocol for the diagnostic control of genetic pathologies of the animals subscribed to the Genealogic Book of the purebred dog to defend the animals, the trainers and the owners. Anytime you go to a livestock make sure they have subscribed their dogs to E.N.C.I. and that these last ones are subscribed to the Book of Declared Dogs and that they have made the necessary check up tests at the authorized Veterinary’s centers (not all can do certifications) to avoid the incidence of genetic diseases typical of the race you wish as much as possible.
These pathologies are grouped in eyes, heart, ear and orthopedic diseases. For each of these groups there are races more predisposed that others. To make some examples: the Dachshund can be hit by eyes disease as the atrophy of the retina, the Cavalier Kingston Charleston Spaniel by cataract and microphtalmia, the Boxer and the Terranova by heart disease.
The controls to verify these diseases ask for a high investment of money, reason that justifies the cost of the puppy. It is your right to request the necessary documentations (for example blood examinations and X-rays) made both on the parents that on the grandparents, and they all have to be certified by an authorized veterinary.
As a Veterinary Doctor on the occasion of the first visit of a purebred puppy I would always like to see all the necessary documentations to avoid him a life of pains and a long iter of never-ending tests and visits to the owners.
New owners often ignore all that they rest completely confused at our questions about the genetic diseases of the selected race. Inform about everything on time, the good trainers will not have any problems: they will instead talk to you about the existence of the most common diseases of their subjects. The dishonest ones will always have less and less possibilities to train animals destined to pains and to a limited life.
