With some breeds we have gone too far in how we have bred them, these animals suffer from the characteristics we select for and often live less long. The short-snouted breeds are a good example of this, because of their short muzzle breathing is more difficult, often they also have a palate that is too long, narrow nostrils and an abnormal trachea. At rest, breathing can often be heard, if these dogs exert themselves or are hot and have to pant, things can really go wrong with…
With some breeds we have gone too far in how we have bred them, these animals suffer from the characteristics we select for and often live less long.
The short-snouted breeds are a good example of this, because of their short muzzle breathing is more difficult, often they also have a palate that is too long, narrow nostrils and an abnormal trachea. At rest, breathing can often be heard, if these dogs exert themselves or are hot and have to pant, things can really go wrong, resulting in death from suffocation, dehydration or overheating.
For this reason, almost no airlines transport these short-muzzled dogs in the hold anymore, there have been too many deaths. Unfortunately, we also see many problems with the extremely large and extremely small dog breeds and types.
What is a healthy dog
But especially with a view to animal welfare and that your dog can live a happy and long life, it is wise to choose a healthy dog. So what is a healthy dog?
On pedigree dog guide you can see per breed which problems are common in a certain breed. As a rule, dogs that do not have extreme body shapes, coat, skin folds or short limbs have fewer problems and small dogs (<15 kg) live longer and grow old with fewer osteoarthritis complaints. Of course you also have to be lucky with your dog, but there are certain breeds
where you are already 3-0 behind when you buy it and can almost certainly expect problems with it. It is not the case that these problems do not occur at crossbreeds, but the chance of them is much smaller. Insurers are good objective advisors in that respect, if an insurer does not want to insure something, the chance of problems will be too great.
Immerse yourself before purchasing
Familiarize yourself with the type of dog you want to purchase, if you are charmed by a certain breed, make sure you buy a dog from a good breeder where the parents have been tested and found negative for the problems with their breed. Or look in the shelter or via, for example, Verhuisdieren.nl for a nice crossbreed or a dog that needs to be rehomed.