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Loki's mum
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20-03-2011, 07:22 AM
like others have said - depends! You can be lucky or unlucky. Obviously we know some pedigree dogs have health issues within their breed, but that doesn't mean that all dogs of that breed will be unhealthy - it also doesn't mean that the problems will magically disappear through crossbreeding. I've known crosses and mongrels that were very unhealthy, also some that are healthy and long lived, same goes for pedigrees. The oldest dog ever to come into my shop was a 21 year old Border Collie. I groomed a 13 year old Westie yesterday that was fit as a fiddle, but on Thursday had a Dobe in that was 7 and on his last legs. A friend of mine has a mongrel that was diagnosed with severe HD at 8 months old. To me it doesn't matter whether it's cross bred or pure bred, if the parents are healthy you have more chance of a healthy pup, but even that doesn't necessarily follow, as some ailments are not genetic.
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Vicki
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20-03-2011, 07:25 AM
I agree with Rune..... it really is just the luck of the draw.....

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moetmum
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20-03-2011, 07:26 AM
I can only compare my dogs over the years, all pedigree (afghans and basenjis) and one crossbred. I have never had any health issues.

My sister on the other hand has only had crossbred dogs, and I am talking about before this awful cross this with that and create a cutsie name, has had a couple with serious health issues, she has one at the moment.
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Kerryowner
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20-03-2011, 09:17 AM
A cross of 2 breeds means you will automatically get the best of both and no health problems that these unhealthy inbred pedigrees get. Didn't you know that?

Well, that's what the owners of designer crosses keep telling me so it must be right.
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Tarimoor
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20-03-2011, 09:43 AM
No, not in my experience, but then I've only owned one cross breed and three pedigrees; the cross breed, Chloe, was a Lab x collie, she had awful conformation, joint issues, a deformed soft palate, and even worse, terrible temperament issues.

I've actually been at shows and events where I've heard people spouting the rubbish about cross breeds being healthier and not having the issues that pedigree dogs have, makes my blood boil. Particularly when some of them don't even health test their dogs, they just churn the pups out for cash

A minority of the pedigree breeds are unhealthy because of various reasons, unfortunately mostly down to poor breeding practices, no forethought for what may crop up in the future with the way they have bred their dogs. Even more unfortunately, that minority has passed the label of unhealthy pedigrees on to every breeder of pedigree dogs, and now, despite the fact that for the vast majority of cross bred dogs there is little or now information about the state of their health, because pedigree breeders do health test, and the health status of their dogs is known, there is the perception that these dogs have health issues. It's the same old thing, what you don't know can't hurt you, but in this instance, what you don't know is just skewing statistics really, in favour of cross bred dogs.

One final point, the other issue I have with cross bred dogs is the lifespan data. Of course you will get a longer living dog with a cross between something like a JRT or Staffy and something larger and less long lived. However, that doesn't mean you will get a happier, healthier example of a dog, it may live to 17, have a crappy temperament and poor health.
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Lynn
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20-03-2011, 10:16 AM
Interesting and difficult one.

Max was more a mongrel really as far as we know Aussie shepherd definitely in the mix his mum was an Aussie x and we met her. He was also meant to be a mix of OES and Bearded collie personally we and others never saw the collie side more the Aussie and we felt and others Rottie. He had cancer by 41/2 and we had to have him PTS.

Zanta accidental mating Landseer Newfie x Bernese both parents health tested and came from a breeder, who she was then returned too no fault of hers clash of personalities. She is now with a lovely couple and was 6 yrs old this month and apart from hot spots which both breeds can suffer with epecially Newfies no other health problems we met her a few weeks ago and she is lively and bouncy for a 6 year old and being such a large dog.

Ollie pedigree Bernese same breeder as Zanta and both parents relevant health tests carried out. Unkown illness affecting hind quarters waiting for PM results and possible neurological problems and muscle wastage of face and head. PTS a month ago aged 41/2.

I really don't think you can say what is likely to be healthier having had 3 dogs all different and lost two very young different illnesses and different breeds completley.
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SLB
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20-03-2011, 10:37 AM
Well it all depends as everyone has said.

But having 3 crosses, I have to say Sadie has never been to the vets except for injections. Benjie has been the same and Louie - well an ear infection and I'm thinking some stitches for his pad if it doesn't look better in a few days, except for that he's a healthy dog too.
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Sara
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20-03-2011, 10:57 AM
I've had 7 dogs in my lifetime. all but 2 were crossbreeds or mutts. and have seen some health issues in some of them, but nothing major yet.

Patches was a ESS x American Cocker Spaniel, she had Hypothyroidism, severe Arthritis, was on estrogen for incontinence, and went deaf early.

Benji was a stray, we're not sure what he was, but he never once went to the vet for anything short of shots, and the cancer that killed him.... wait, he had a small hot spot once.

Zoe is a Lhasa Apso x Bichon, and has bad ears, and tore her ACL, has had 13 teeth removed before the age of 7, but is otherwise healthy

Scout, who's a Terrier mix, in the nearly 4 years we've had her, she's had 2 ear infections, and broke a tooth. though she is allergic to Chicken, oh and I should say she was born deaf

Oliver a street mutt (terrier lab is my best guess) has had nothing, except hot spots from fleas and bite wounds that needed to heal when we first got him, But he has a sensitive digestive tract, and gets the runs form any protein but fish.

Mouse is a Mini Dachshund (not papered) She is allergic to metal, but is otherwise healthy... well apart from her deafness and sight issues.

Boo is also a Dachshund (papered), and again apart from his deafness and eyesight issues, he seems healthy enough. Though he may have some tenderness in his back end, which I'm monitoring.

So health issues accross the board, except Benji. but I haven't had anything extreme yet. But as I rescue, I take that chance every time I adopt a dog.
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Ben Mcfuzzylugs
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20-03-2011, 11:37 AM
Like others have said its a lottery

also it depends what you think of as health

selective pedigree breeding from a good breeder can remove the chance of the tested for genetic deseases

But - most breeders are not breeding for longevity and I am concerned about the inbreeding - the reduction in fertility and increased cancers associated with inbreeding


Crossing two pedigrees
well it depends, if care has been taken and its done for a good reason then I suppose it could improve things
But there are more deseases than we can test for so you cannot be sure
I also disagree with creating crossbreeds as you cannot be sure of temprament or physical attributes


A total bitsa mongral

Yes this WOULD be healthy if it was totaly just natural selection, if life was tough and the dogs with weakness didnt survive to breed
But in our pampered world weak dogs survive
It can be healthy - or can be a total nightmare
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Jackie
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20-03-2011, 11:55 AM
I agree with everyone else , it all depends on the dogs,
If the mix is from health tested dogs then they (crossbreed) should be as healthy as the pedigrees resulting from said breeding stock, if the dogs are not tested, then the risk the same problems (or more) as their untested offsprings.

If we are talking "mongrels" I think its down to size (if you take longevity into account) as most mongrels will be small to medium size, and small to medium sized pedigrees generally live longer than their larger counterparts.

Mongrel/crossbreed/pedigree , for many of the diseases we seein them will be related more to enviroment than anything else, cancers being the most common, its on the rise in both human and animal, "inbreeding" seems to get the blame for many of our canine problems, but the truth is very few breeders will support this practice in today's world, simply due to not needing too,

We the human race dont inbreed, (apart from a few cultures) yet we suffer ALL of the same problems are our dogs,

To be honest, thinking about it, you are more likely to get a healthier pedigree than a crossbreed, as long as you do your homework, as most breeders of crossbreeds DONT take health into consideration.
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