NKs health
What I have read NKs are supposed to be quite healthy breeds. What kind of healthy issues your NKs have had? Ife has had UTI, once inflammation of uterine, nasal mites and abouth month ago she had sleep in the corner of the eye (hope this is the word I mean). I think our cold and dry winter weather caused it because it has stopped now.
Do you know any hereditary diseases on NK? I have heard that one Kai has a glaucoma.
Do you know any hereditary diseases on NK? I have heard that one Kai has a glaucoma.
Comments
I think Shibas tend to have the most health problems, but there are also so many more of them.
I really think the medium sized NK has very few known genetic illnesses but correct me if I'm wrong. I know in Japan, heart worm is one of the leading deaths for NK due to the crazy amount of mosquitos. In some of my old NK books, it shows the extremes of heart worm infestation in NK. I'm sure not as bad now since there are more vaccines available on the market.
I would guess Akitas have the most health problems (and higher numbers) but I'm thinking of American and Japanese Akitas together, not just the Akita Inu.
My Akita has a mild case of micropthalmia, which is a genetic eye disorder. Cataracts and glaucoma also show up, and I believe those have a genetic component as well.
Hip dysplasia and luxating patellas (the latter esp. show up in shibas). Both my Shibas have very mild LPs. No HD, though, luckily!
Other health issues that come to mind:
I just read that there is a genetic predisposition to bloat in larger breeds (which would include Akitas--it's unfortunately common enough in them). I hope never to have to deal with this! My neighbor's great pyrenees got it and we simply couldn't get him in the car...he was so heavy...and by the time we got help (the fire dept. came), it was too late, and he died on the way to the vet. It was awful!
Eta: oops, I missed the hereditary aspect. Not sure how genetics come into play with allergies...
The more popular the breed the more health issues seem to exist in that breed. So you will see that the Akita and the Shiba have more issues than the Shikoku, Kai, Hokka, and Kishu, but generally speaking, all the NK breeds are pretty healthy dogs.
All one needs to do is own a molosser-type breed or toy breed to see just how health the NK breeds are relative to the rest of dogdom.
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http://www.offa.org/surveys/survey_akita.html
My Taiwan-born Shiba is hypothyroid. That's all we've got so far, but it's enough to deal with, combined with his allergies. =P
I'm so paranoid with every healthy problems because my English Springer Spaniel was so allergic. That's why I wanted quite healthy breed.
Nola also has hip dysplasia, but so far we have been able to deal with that without having to have surgery.
But on a whole... They are both pretty healthy dogs. They are hardy, enjoy all types of climate and generally do not cause me much grief. Other than my accident prone Nola, I rarely have to go to the vet for anything other than routine stuff.
She's also been stitched up plenty of times just for hurting herself, and it seems to me that shikoku are prone to getting themselves into trouble, although Rakka's becoming more sensible with age.
Sosuke's testicles are taking forever to descend, and from what I can gather, that's not too uncommon for kai.
Mochi was the one with the ovarian cyst.
Loa had Luteal Ovarian Cysts.
@hondru - Yes, late dropping testicles seems to be a common issue in the Kai Ken, and in our imports it seems extra common in the lines that come down from a female named Taka (via Eishin and Mako). I have not decided how concerned I am as it doesn't seem to cause issues with reproduction - but, technically, if testicles are not fully dropped by 8 weeks it is considered a Cryptorchid (but not a retained testicle).
We'll wait and see how it plays out, obviously it's not optimum, but I think a certain amount of open-mindedness needs to be used when judging imported preservation stock (opposed to stock produced by and kept for a breeding program).
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Oh and...the motion sickness kinda sucks too...once we have a more established breeding stock...if at all possible, I'd love to breed away from the motion sickness, lol. I've been labeling this as "Stomach Sensitivity" as a potential health concern in Shikoku Ken.
She also seems to have pretty weak tendon/ligaments in her hind legs, but that might be an activity specific issue. She likes to run on slippery surfaces (or anywhere really)
eta: thyroid problems are SO common in Akitas/Shibas that I would be really surprised if they weren't also showing up in other NK just un/under diagnosed.
Previously during one of Meitou's vet visits (around 11 or 12 weeks old) the vet checking him said his testicles were normal (both could be felt). I had to take him in to the vet today and during the vet's check for testicles at first the vet couldn't find either testicle, but eventually was able to find the left one and after a lot of feeling (poor Meitou, hahaha) he could just barely find the right testicle. So Meitou is now under watch for potential cryptorchidism. From what I've been reading, I'm not sure if there is a certain time frame to know if he is considered crypto or not. He is currently 18 weeks, almost 19 weeks old. My vet wants to keep an eye on it and see how things develop, so I was wondering if there is a general consensus on around what age it is usually determined if a puppy is cryptorchid and should be neutered? @brada1878 @TheWalrus @lindsayt
Edit: my chi also cannot be flea treated due to seizures and her allergy to every topical treatment on the market. Did I also mention she has extreme reactions to her annual shots and may not be able to tolerate them any more? And her dental made her sick for days afterwards (I thought she was dying!), but it doesn't matter how clean her teeth are, they're falling out anyways. She's only 6 1/2!!!