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Rottweiler Health Issues

All dog breeds have breed specific health concerns. As rott lovers it is essential to know few of the most common health problems that might occur, so that we can prevent suffering of our lovable pets and also plan our breeding for healthy offsprings. As per rottweiler health foundation, the most common health problems in the Rottweilers were food and flea allergies, cataracts, cruciate ruptures, hip and elbow dysplasia, panosteitis, bone cancer, aggression towards other dogs, bladder infections, and hypothyroidism.(in their survey on rottweiler health)

The major causes of death for Rottweilers in this study were bone cancer and other cancers. The information provided here is a brief outline only of some of the health issues which may be of concern for the Rottweiler breed and should not be considered as a complete listing.




Cataracts

cruciate ruptures

Aortic Stenosis

Bone cancer

Hip and Elbow Dysplasia

Panosteitis (Pano)

Progressive Retinal Atrophy (PRA)

Hypothyroidism

Cataracts

Cataracts result from a hardening of the lens that causes it to become cloudy and block light from reaching the retina. The usual cause is old age and/or diabetes but juvenile cataracts are almost always hereditary. In severe cases your veterinarian can remove the lens to somewhat improve eyesight. This disease can affect all breeds and a large number of breeds are subject to juvenile cataracts.

Cruciate Ruptures: One of the most common knee injuries in dogs is a ruptured cruciate ligament. Dogs who have ruptured their cruciate ligament will appear suddenly lame, and usually hold the foot of the affected leg off the ground. The knee may become swollen. In time, the dog may start to use the leg again, but often lameness returns. If the dog's exercise is restricted as instructed, and overweight dogs return to normal body weight, the prognosis is good. Depending on the amount of injury to the knee and length of time between the injury and correction of the problem, degenerative joint disease may occur as the pet ages.

Aortic Stenosis(AS): Aortic Stenosis (AS) and Sub Aortic Stenosis (SAS) are caused by a narrowing of the aorta (main blood vessel) as it leaves the left side of the heart. The heart must work harder to push the blood through the opening and this can cause problems and even death. This condition is hard to detect but with moderate to severe stenosis, it is necessary to restrict exercise.

Bone Cancer( Osteo Sarcoma):

Osteosarcoma is by far the major cause of cancer deaths in rottweilers, usually striking the leg bones. Osteosarcoma usually arises in middle aged or elderly dogs but can arise in a dog of any age with larger breeds tending to develop tumors at younger ages.

Osteosarcoma can develop in any bone but the limbs account for 75-85% of affected bones. Osteosarcoma of the limbs is called "appendicular osteosarcoma." Osteosarcoma develops deep within the bone and becomes progressively more painful as it grows outward and the bone is destroyed from the inside out. The lameness goes from intermittent to constant over 1-3 months. Obvious swelling becomes evident as the tumor grows and normal bone is replaced by tumorous bone.

Tumorous bone is not as strong as normal bone and can break with minor injury. This type of broken bone is called a "pathologic fracture" and may be the finding that confirms the diagnosis of bone tumor. Pathologic fractures will not heal and there is no point in putting on casts or attempting surgical stabilization.

Hip and Elbow Dysplasia: Hip dysplasia is a disorder that results when there is a loose fit of the 'ball and socket' hip joint and the ball may continuously slide part way out of the socket. Over time this will cause osteoarthritis in the joint and the dog will become lame and weak in the hind end. Some relief can be found with the use of nutriceuticals such as glucosamine and chondroitin, and anti-inflammatories. Some cases are so bad that the dog must have surgery or be euthanized. Ensuring that your dog isn't overfed and overweight can delay the onset of hip dysplasia. Hip dysplasia is the most common inherited orthopedic disease in large and giant breeds and many medium-sized breeds as well.

Elbow dysplasia is a hereditary disease in which the elbow joints of the front legs are malformed. Lameness usually makes its appearance around 7 to 10 months of age and is treated by anti-inflammatories and also surgery. All breeds are susceptible to the disease but it is most common in large male breeds.

Panosteitis

Panosteitis or 'pano' is a common condition which suddenly causes lameness in a growing puppy or adolescent dog. The lameness is a result of inflammation of the long bones of the front and hind legs and can be mild to severe. A veterinarian will probably prescribe pain medication and ask you to restrict exercise. Affected puppies usually grow out of the condition as they mature.

Diet is thought to be a contributing factor in the development of Pano. High protein puppy diets may make the puppy grow too fast and increase the chance of the pup experiencing Pano which is also sometimes described as "growing pains." Pano can also show up in any leg and may come and go without warning. Puppies usually completely outgrow Pano by the age of 18 months and it rarely goes beyond two years.

Progressive Retinal Atrophy(PRA):

Progressive Retinal Atrophy (PRA) is a hereditary disease which kills off the pigment cells in the center of the retina. Both eyes are affected and initially the dog cannot perceive stationary objects. As the disease progresses, the dog will experience night blindness and will not want to go outside at night and will start bumping into fixed objects. After a year or two the condition progresses until there is a complete loss of vision. There are two types of PRA – early onset which starts a few weeks after birth and later onset which starts after the dog's first birthday.

Hypothyroidism:

Canine Hypothyroidism is the most commonly diagnosed hormonal disease found in dogs. The term hypothyroidism simply means the underproduction of thyroxin, the hormone produced by the thyroid gland.

Hypothyroidism usually occurs between the ages of two to six years. The most common sign is an increase in body weight. Lethargy and some form of skin disease (i.e., thin coat, loss of hair, dandruff, oily skin, increased scratching) are also common signs of Hypothyroidism.

The treatment is through thyroid hormone supplementation given orally once or twice a day. Usually thyroid supplementation improves the clinical signs associated with the disease within four to six weeks. All the clinical signs of hypothyroidism are reversible, once treatment is started.