Not exactly true. I know we had the poster with the survey on designer dogs. Well this is one aspect of them I have an opinion on. This is my attitude on the health of these dogs. Designer dogs are often said to be healthier without much proof behind this claim. For the most part no one is keeping track of diseases within these crosses. Considering you can make numerous different crosses you would need data specific to each cross. There are only a few performing reported health test with crosses and that isn't the bybs or mills creating these for profit crosses. We do know that nearly every disease reported in pure beds has been seen in mixed breeds. Breeders want to cite hybrid vigor as a reason for healthier dogs. Though it typically doesn't apply or when it does this still doesn't guarantee a healthy pup. Inbreeding depression causes several negatives that decrease fitness. The hybrid vigor is caused by heterosis, it is the natural state of most mammals even when recessive mutations occur. As they don't have an effect (typically anyway) in a heterozygous state and you are increasing diversity. While some breeds do have high rate of inbreeding and are suffering from loss of fitness others do not! However that is irrelevant because the problem that typically exist within dog breeds are actual genetic diseases. That is the concern of many pet owners when they are thinking of healthy dog not living a couple years longer or having increased fertility & lower puppy mortality rates. These diseases can be present in cross bred dogs. Many diseases are within multiple breeds, crossing those breeds isn't any better than breeding pure bred dogs. There are many diseases that are simple recessives that span breeds. These mutations have been in dogs a long time traveling to different breeds as time went on. There are polygenic diseases that are also seen in many breeds, simply crossing two breeds is still giving risk to the pups of developing such diseases. No matter if one is getting a pure bred or a cross bred they still need to be aware of the genetic diseases in the breed (s) of their pup. If you are getting a 2nd generation animal there might be a bigger concern vs an F1 cross as well. These breeders use false advertising of better health as a marketing ploy when most have no clue the diseases within the breeds they are haphazardly breeding together.
Quite agree. These claims often amount to misrepresentation at the least. Genes do not die, and it takes dedicated and knowledgeable breeders to either minimise or eliminate the problems within a breed. The people who produce designer crosses only rarely know what genetic material they are juggling with. They may produce pretty cross bred puppies, which may also be well reared, but nature deals a fresh hand with each generation, and there is no way that they can 'read' a pedigree in the same way that a breed enthusiast can.
Oh yeah most have no clue about the genes. Just as many pure bred breeders who have no idea. If these types of breeders are creating mixing, it's still blindly breeding & no better off. Some don't even have the pedigrees of their dogs (even if registered) they not only lack the knowledge of pedigree but don't health test for the disenses which have test available. Which breeds are these and what diseases have they produced?
As a Shar-Pei owner I'm horrified when I see ads for Shar-Pei crosses ... and the price breeders ask for these so called "designer dogs". In the early 70's when Pei were first brought to the US, their rarity and sudden popularity was exploited by inexperienced breeders or rushed breeding which resulted in a dog with excessive wrinkles and a rounded muzzle, which not only looked nothing like the original but had a number of serious health problems, the most notable being FSF .. Familial Shar-Pei Fever, at its best a chronic disease and at its worst fatal! Although the genes causing FSF have been identified, as yet no health test has been developed to identify dogs who have a predisposition to the disease. Over the past 10-15 years thankfully more and more ethical Pei breeders are breeding dogs with fewer wrinkles in the hope of reducing the incidence of FSF. Now cross a Pei with a Pug to produce an Ori Pei and IMO you have a disaster waiting to happen as the two breeds have so many genetic defects in common. I recently saw an ad for a "designer dog" called a Ba-Shar which turned out to be a cross between a Basset and a Pei ... the resultant dog looked physically deformed with stumpy, stunted legs and I find it difficult to see how a dog like that can be healthy. Maybe I'm prejudiced but I would never buy a "designer dog" when for more or less the same cost I can buy a pure bred dog from a reputable, ethical breeder who has the welfare of his/her particular breed at heart.
American Mastiff which are a cross between a Mastiff A.K.A. English Mastiff and a Anatolian Shepherd. There bred to drool less than a Mastiff and some claim there healthier, truth is they have less HD/ED, but more than make up for that by spinal issues, seen in the mix. The spinal issues are not seen in either of the breeds used.
I will go research that here in a little bit. Thank you. Anatolians were created from a mix of breeds as is so it's hard to say what is going on genetically or a simple structure formation issue. There are dry lip breeds out there so I don't think that's a valid reason to breed. I understand wanting less dysplasia. I've hard of issues increasing in severity with crossing. You just don't know if there are incomplete dominant or protective genes within a breed that are loss or ineffective in the cross.
If you research AM's have fun that's a nice group of people but there a bit of a tote the party line group also. They where recognized as a breed by the C.K.C after 10 of there mixing and there are only 11 official breeders in the world.
I'm not having much luck. Can you tell me the name of the disease? Even though I'm trying to find info for American Mastiff I keep getting (English) Mastiff info. Stating they can suffer from Spondylosis or wobblers. Which I knew. Boerboels can have this issue too. As well as Danes and one instance of worse condition in crossing was with Great Dane. The crosses were severally afflicted. So we can see how this can happen with any disease, but especially a polygenic one. You have a higher rate which could mean an entire litter & much worse affliction such as this case. I can't find spinal issues for Am Mastiff. Everything keeps saying "they are healthier" which I belive is BS. This isn't a cross and is being bred as pure now but it goes to show that crossing or CREATING new breeds isn't going to guarantee health. Do you know also where I can find info on HD/ED is this just the breeders saying it's lower vs EM? They are not in the OFA database. After 20+yrs of breeding this breed Id think there would be enough of them to be in there. Really they should be even without a ranking. Labradoodles are in their afterall. I'd also worry about epilepsy & eye or eye lid conditions. Breeders claiming they are healthier but are not providing any actual info on specific health problems makes me wonder what is going unreported.
Degenerative Diseases of the Spinal Column and Cord. Now you understand what I met by good luck with your search, and there a tote the line group. Breeders simply don't report issues. They claim a 170 to 250lb dog and most other outside report a 140 to 190lbs. I'll have to go through my old computer and hopefully find the links for you, but there is a huge difference between reported by pet owners and what they claim.
I didn't have much time to look as I was making a post about APBT health but all I came across with those words (plus using American Mastiff) was this http://www.merckmanuals.com/vet/ner...e_diseases_of_the_spinal_column_and_cord.html While it is "Degenerative Diseases of the Spinal Column and Cord" it only names the ones we already know to be in English Mastiff or other large breeds. I can't find anything helpful on Am Mastiff. Even though I very much believe they suffer health issues. If you find the links that would be great. I'm always interested in health and genetics.
