health issues in the greater swiss mountain dog
Bloat/GDV as well as Splenic Torsion are life threatening conditions that require immediate treatment. Even though the Greater Swiss Mountain Dog does not suffer from any "breed specific" health problem/conditions, swissies are faced with the same health issues as are common to all of the large breed dogs. At Seneca GSMD we test the breeding dogs for the phenotypic data to attain the necessary information and conclusion from veterinary experts which can tell us that a dog is not affected, suggest that they could become affected, or that they are affected with dysplasia of the Hips (OFA and or PennHip) and Elbows (OFA). We also screen Eyes (CERF), Patellas (OFA), and Shoulders (OFA). Unfortunately, this does not guarantee that the puppy produced will be safe from developing a hereditary problem or condition.
When breeding animals, even with the best intent it is impossible to promise that a genetic condition can not and will not show up in an offspring. However, as breeders we can assure you of what we can do if the unfortunate arises. Breeding superior dogs is not like mixing paint, you do not mix black paint and white paint...and get the predicted gray color. That being said, we must combine our scientific knowledge of the genes we can see (those which express themselves in the dogs phenotype), with our knowledge of the pedigrees our dogs possess (which includes the genotype..genes we can't "see"), and what has come with those pedigrees both structurally and health related, to do our very best to idealistically produce the perfect swissy.
As you can see... Nothing is perfect. This continues to remind me daily to strive for perfection, to continue to breed outstanding dogs, and to continue to make some improvement on our breed by making informed and educated breeding decisions.
Life Expectancy of the Greater Swiss Mountain Dog
Realistically speaking, the life expectancy of the swissy is about 8-10 years. There are swissies that make it well into their senior years (10+), but there always is the possibility of an untimely and unexpected death of a young animal. GDV, Epilepsy, and Splenic Torsion can occur at any age, therefore a swissy owner (as an owner of any type of animal..be it a horse, dog, cat, bird, reptile, or goat...etc) must prepare themselves for the harsh and very sad reality that an untimely death at a young age can and does occur to all living things, including our beloved pets. Sadly, sometimes things are just beyond our control.
When breeding animals, even with the best intent it is impossible to promise that a genetic condition can not and will not show up in an offspring. However, as breeders we can assure you of what we can do if the unfortunate arises. Breeding superior dogs is not like mixing paint, you do not mix black paint and white paint...and get the predicted gray color. That being said, we must combine our scientific knowledge of the genes we can see (those which express themselves in the dogs phenotype), with our knowledge of the pedigrees our dogs possess (which includes the genotype..genes we can't "see"), and what has come with those pedigrees both structurally and health related, to do our very best to idealistically produce the perfect swissy.
As you can see... Nothing is perfect. This continues to remind me daily to strive for perfection, to continue to breed outstanding dogs, and to continue to make some improvement on our breed by making informed and educated breeding decisions.
Life Expectancy of the Greater Swiss Mountain Dog
Realistically speaking, the life expectancy of the swissy is about 8-10 years. There are swissies that make it well into their senior years (10+), but there always is the possibility of an untimely and unexpected death of a young animal. GDV, Epilepsy, and Splenic Torsion can occur at any age, therefore a swissy owner (as an owner of any type of animal..be it a horse, dog, cat, bird, reptile, or goat...etc) must prepare themselves for the harsh and very sad reality that an untimely death at a young age can and does occur to all living things, including our beloved pets. Sadly, sometimes things are just beyond our control.
Health Issues in the GSMD
