Both groups also suffered similar rates of lens luxation, a condition that happens when the clear lens located behind the iris of the eye becomes dislocated.Įndocrine Disorders. Patellar luxation (dislocated kneecap) was seen in both purebred and mixed breed dogs.Įye Disorders. Cancers, including osteosarcoma, hemangiosarcoma, mast cell tumor and lymphoma, also occurred at about the same rate. Mitral valve dysplasia, ventricular septal defect, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and patent ductus arteriosus occurred at about the same rate in both purebred and mixed breed dogs.Ĭancer. In addition to hip dysplasia, they noted that a number of other genetic disorders occur equally often in both groups. Researchers reviewed the records of 90,000 dogs who were patients of the UC Davis veterinary teaching hospital from 1995 to 2010. Other Disorders with Similar Rates in Both Purebreds and Mixed Breeds Contrary to popular belief, the UC Davis revealed that hip dysplasia was just as likely to occur in mixed breed dogs as it was in purebreds. The condition, which occurs due to a malformation of the ball and socket joint in the hip, causes pain and weakness in the hind legs and can increase the risk of osteoarthritis. Hip dysplasia is often used as the prime example of an inherited health problem that primarily affects purebred dogs. Hip Dysplasia Is a Purebred Problem – Or Is It? Other owners felt that purebred dogs were healthier because many start their lives in professional breeding facilities and are not exposed to infectious diseases that may circulate through animal shelters. Pet owners who thought that mixed breed dogs were healthier argued that inbreeding in purebred dogs increased the likelihood of genetic disorders. Until recently, there was no scientific data to back up their opinions, but UC Davis researchers recently helped answer the question with a landmark health study. The ocular, nervous, and circulatory systems were the most commonly affected across both the purebred and mixed-breed dog populations in the study.For years, pet owners have disagreed about whether purebred or mixed breed dogs are healthier. For example, X-linked severe combined immunodeficiency, a mutation originally found in Basset Hounds, appears to have been eradicated. The research also indicated that through healthy breeding practices, which often include genetic testing, some diseases appear to have been eradicated from breed pools. Approximately five out of 100 purebred dogs were at risk of becoming affected, and 28 out of 100 were carriers for at least one of the diseases. On the basis of 152 diseases tested, approximately two out of 100 mixed-breed dogs were at risk of becoming affected, and 40 out of 100 were carriers for at least one of the diseases. "This DNA-testing–based evidence shows that while mixed breed dogs are in fact less likely than purebreds to develop the recessive disorders evaluated in the study, they may still be carriers." Cindy Cole, general manager at Wisdom Health, in an announcement about the study. "There has been a long-standing perception that mixed breed dogs are less disease-prone than purebred dogs," said Dr. Disease mutations tested included those for progressive retinal atrophy, hyperuricosuria, Collie eye anomaly, multidrug sensitivity, and von Willebrand's disease. The study examined the DNA of 83,000 mixed-breed dogs and of 18,000 purebred dogs representing 330 breeds, types, and varieties. Wisdom Health and Genoscoper Laboratories, which offer genetic tests for dogs and cats, published "Frequency and distribution of 152 genetic disease variants in over 100,000 mixed breed and purebred dogs" on April 30 in PLOS Genetics, an online journal of the Public Library of Science. American Veterinary Medical Foundation (AVMF)Ī study has identified genetic diseases that mixed-breed dogs are likely to develop, also finding that fewer mixed-breed dogs than purebred dogs are affected by the disease-causing mutations tested.American Journal of Veterinary Research (AJVR).Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association (JAVMA).AVMA Center for Veterinary Education Accreditation.AVMA Congressional Advocacy Network (CAN).Donate to American Veterinary Medical Foundation (AVMF).
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