Read the steps below to become informed about his breed’s health issues before you add the pup to your family.
Miniature Poodles might be a tiny breed but they pack a lot of energy into their toy bodies. While they aren’t necessarily prone to more health issues than other dogs, because of their small size, there are some issues that are unique to them. Read the steps below to become informed about his breed’s health issues before you add the pup to your family.
Step 1: Before you adopt your Miniature Poodle, be aware that this toy breed can be plagued with eye health issues. Perhaps the most predominant eye health issue affecting the breed is Progressive Retinal Atrophy (PRA). PRA is defined as the bilateral degeneration of the retina. Because there is no treatment or cure for this progressive disease, affected dogs will experience vision loss that can result in total blindness. If you adopt your Poodle as a pup you won’t know whether or not PRA will affect her, as it shows up later in a dog’s life. Another eye issue you may face with your Poodle involves the atrophy of her iris; like PRA, it is progressive and there is no cure for it. Poodles have also been known to have cataracts, glaucoma, excessive tearing and abnormalities involving their eyelashes. A Poodle owner should be aware that eye health issues are probably the most common health concern afflicting this breed.
Step 2: When preparing to care for your Poodle, know that you will need to be vigilant about her skin health as well. Poodles are commonly affected by allergies and the toy breed is no exception. Keep an eye out for signs of allergies such as redness and irritation and try to avoid foods that appear to induce the allergy symptoms. Also, plan to give your Poodle preventative flea medications and keep her environment free of pollens and molds.
Step 3: Before your adoption becomes final, find out as much information from the breeder as possible. Because Miniature Poodles have been known to suffer from deafness, you’ll want to find out the hereditary history of the dog’s lineage. That’s not to say you shouldn’t adopt a dog that is suffering from hearing loss, but you will need to make extra preparations and precautions should you choose to do so; having all of the information available to you will help with that.
Step 4: Another reason to have as much lineage information as possible is a common bleeding disorder called von Willebrands Disease. This is an inherited blood disorder that is found in Poodles and is passed on through the genes. When this condition exists in a dog, the dog has the inability to make blood clot and therefore can bleed excessively if injured, or during a surgical procedure.
Step 5: Be aware that those little legs aren’t free from concern either; Miniature poodles have a higher incidence of luxating patella than some other breeds. Being prone to this condition means that the poodle could experience her knee cap becoming dislocated or moving out of place. It is common in very small breeds and generally occurs before one year of age. Surgery can typically be preformed to correct this issue.
Step 6: Be alert to the fact that the other leg condition affecting Miniature Poodles is called Achondroplasia, a hardening of the cartilage due to their abnormally short legs. It can be mild to severe, in which case you would want to explore surgical options to relieve your pet of any pain he or she may be feeling.
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