It can be difficult to know health issues in a rare breed, especially ones which aren’t talked about & if you’re new to the breed or with less experience. I put this together to provide a comprehensive resource of information for those doing their research and because I am very passionate about my breed. Whether you are looking to breed or are searching for a puppy I hope you can find this resource of information helpful. Most of the info is compiled thru my years of experience in the breed & own research. If anyone feels there are any errors – please let me know your thoughts as I want to keep this resource as accurate as possible & will be updating + adding to as needed.
It is also worth noting, pyrsheps ARE a healthy breed. This page is to bring awareness to the issues which are, and can be, present in the breed. But often, with good knowledge of pedigrees + breeding choices they are preventable. Breeding is always a gamble, and things can certainly pop up. Through sound breeding choices we can do our best to eliminate and prevent these issues in our programs. Pyrsheps should be pretty hardy & easy keepers who can live upwards to 14-18 years. Health results can be verified for North American dogs in the OFA database – and for all pyrsheps worldwide (including USA dogs) the Pedigree Database is an excellent resource which is kept up to date with official health results (if there is ever missing info – please PM me & I can add/update !)
CHIC
I am starting this post with noting about CHIC. CHIC means that all the suggested breed relevant testing has been completed & submitted to OFA on a dog. It does NOT mean that all those tests are passing. This must be noted !! Especially for prospective puppy buyers who might not realize this and then don’t look into results thinking CHIC = perfect ! See this page for additional info on CHIC + it’s requirements. Similarly, a show CH does not mean the dog is sound or with good health either.
Hips
Hips are going to be one of the more prominent issues in the breed. There are two main rating systems in North America. OFA being the most common and then there is also Pennhip. In Europe, there is a rating scale of A, B, C, D and E (A and B are the ideal and C and onwards is considered mildly dysplastic). OFA and the European rating take a look at the hips in one position – taking into account the depth of the socket and shape of the ball of the joint. Basically the structure the hip + dog itself. The European rating requires sedation – OFA does not but often times is used. Pennhip takes several different images which require sedation and measures the laxity of the joint.
Pennhip is an interesting topic. Oftentimes in pyrsheps, dogs who fail OFA get their Pennhip done. This also means the database of Pennhip is not made up of dogs with great hips. So any percentile comparison doesn’t mean much – the dog could be in the top 90% but comparing mostly, if not only, to dogs with poor hips. The results (numbers) can be also confusing as it is not clear to the average person what they mean. Anything .3-.5 is considered mild risk. So the ideal would be under .3 and anything above .4 starts to get dicey. Pennhip x-rays can be taken at a very young age (16 weeks) before the dog is fully developed and the results given are considered valid for the dogs lifetime.
Comparing to OFA scores, where Excellent is the highest, Good is a step lower but just fine, Fair is acceptable and within normal range but is where the hips start to be considered slightly dysplastic. Then we get onto Borderline (dysplastic), Mild, Moderate and Severe. Everyone has their own discretion but typically you’d want to see Excellent or Good in breeding dogs. Official OFA x-rays cannot be graded until the dog is 2 years old (once growth plates are closed). Prelims can be taken to get an idea of the dogs hips before the age of 2 but are not considered official results. OFA also has a public database which is easy to access results in.
Here is another resource which compares the differences between OFA and pennhip, along with providing some examples with dogs results which had their hips evaluated by both OFA and pennhip for comparison.
For puppy buyers, it is also worth noting that sometimes if a dog has full health testing in OFA but no hip result it could mean that the hips wouldn’t have passed. This may not always be true – but important to note when doing due diligence in researching lines.
Here is Zae’s x-ray done @ 5 years. He was rated OFA Good & would most likely be A in Europe. You can see the nice ball shape of the joint, that they fit tightly and that the ball itself is deep enough/well covered by the socket.
Patellas
Patellas can be an issue in pyrsheps – but highly preventable thru testing + conscious breeding choices. Typically, patella issues don’t pop up from no where but is genetic. It is important to look at parents and other relatives (grandparents, aunts, uncles, half siblings, etc) in the lines to evaluate if there might be a risk. In Europe, patella testing is not all that common unfortunately – but becoming more so. Being active in sports + work, patellas would be a consideration & I don’t think anyone would want our active little companions to suffer from being unsound in any way.
Eyes
There are some eye issues in pyrsheps. Some mild and others more severe. The main issues being CEA (which causes choroidal hypoplasia) & prcd-PRA. It is possible that CEA can be detected at a young age in puppies – this is why doing eye tests on puppies before they go home is recommended. As later on, the dog can appear ‘normal’ on the eye exams before issues show up later on in the dogs life. There is unfortunately no genetic test to know is pyrsheps carry CEA (the genetic tests that exist are not relevant in our breed). The only way to know is if CEA affected dogs are produced & knowing pedigrees to make thoughtful decisions to prevent producing CEA. Luckily, for prcd-PRA there is now a breed-relevant genetic test. prcd-PRA carriers are no issue but testing is important to prevent breeding two carriers together.
Cardiac
PDA & mitral valve regurgitation are some of the heart issues we occasionally see in the breed. PDA is a genetic defect which requires surgery – and after, the dog can typically lead a normal life. Fixable or not, it should be a consideration with breeding if relatives are are affected by this. Fortunately, PDA isn’t super wide spread & the choice to remove full relatives from the breeding pool can prevent it, along with making good breeding choices for any other relatives going forward. Oftentimes, mitral valve doesn’t show up, or affect the dog, until later in the dogs life. Whether it is a huge issue, or part of aging for some dogs who are more susceptible, is unknown at this time. Age of onset would be a consideration with a dog affected by mitral valve. It would also be curious to see if there is any link between mitral valve issues later in life and poor dental health (see below).
Dental
Poor teeth & dental health is an issue in the breed which is not talked about at all. Some pyrsheps develop severe tartar on their teeth along with inflamed gums – even from a young age. This is something you could inquire to your breeder about their dogs + lines and the health of the teeth – ask to see current pics of teeth on the parents. Is it worth removing a dog from breeding because of this in a rare breed ? Probably not, but it is certainly something to consider as it is not ideal, can be an issue and will lead to dentals or possible health issues later on. There is absolutely a genetic link to poor dental health/tartar build up in the breed. It also isn’t uncommon for pyrsheps to be missing a premolar or two – but this isn’t really relevant to health or working ability & only really matters in the show ring. You can see healthy, strong teeth below.
Epilepsy
Although not widespread, and difficult to determine whether cases of epilepsy are genetic, environmentally caused or from trauma, the breed can be affected by this to various degrees. It is something we must be aware of when making breeding choices – however, info of affected dogs is not always readily available. There also isn’t one size fits all for epilepsy making it even more difficult to track. But luckily, it is such a small issue in our breed.
There is also Paroxysmal Dyskinesy in the breed which may be misinterpreted as epilepsy. Dogs who are affected have episodes a few times a year. During episodes, or attacks, the dogs remain full conscious. The dogs otherwise live normal lives. There is research being done to develop a genetic test for this disorder in the breed.
Allergies & Skin Issues
There are not genetic tests for allergies in pyrsheps. A lifetime of allergies can be a quality of life issue for both dog and owner – especially if they are severe. It is known that there can be a genetic link to allergies. It is also uncertain if they are likely to pop up in more open lines or more likely to pop up in more closed pedigrees with higher inbreeding & COI%. But it is certainly food for thought as we know lower COI% has a positive affect on overall health + vigor of offspring. Some skin issues are visible in the breed and seem to be genetically linked. Although not really talked about, or acknowledged in the breed, missing or thin fur in places or pink skin around the snout are visual signs which can be seen.
Other
There are also other issues that can pop up with dogs with higher inbreeding and COI%. These can include, but are not limited to pyloric stenosis & cancers. Although very rare, pyloric stenosis is treatable with surgery, but not always easily diagnosable. This defect can be heartbreaking to watch the puppy suffer & most likely leads to death if untreated. Cancer is not overly widespread in the breed but can happen to any dog. However, dogs with high inbreeding are much more susceptible & there can be a genetic link. Plyoric stenosis probably isn’t worth asking your breeder about – but it’s worth noting that rare issues are more likely to pop up with higher inbreeding.
This may not directly be a health issue, but can certainly be a quality of life issue: noise sensitivity. Do all pyrsheps have noise sensitivity ? Definitely not. However, it seems to be pretty common and overlooked. An affected dog may also be inhibited in their working ability or ability to function in certain competition environments if triggered. It may be worth inquiring to your breeder whether their dogs react to fireworks, gunshots, loud noises, or other triggers. These reactions can be mild (ex: panting, pacing, slight loss of focus, etc) to severe (ex: inability to function, nearly acting as a panic attack, etc). This issue could also come with a lifetime of being concerned for your dogs wellbeing each New Years Eve & Fourth of July when there are fireworks…
Another thing that isn’t talked about which is most likely linked to an eye sight, or depth perception issue, is the symptom of ETO (Early Takeoff Off). This can be seen when a dog takes off for a jump much too early, as they cannot properly gauge where the jump is. This condition tends to get more and more severe as the dog ages. It can cause the dogs to crash onto jumps, hesitate or do a stutter step pause before taking off for a jump, especially on spread jumps. Here is an article/interview on ETO. This depth issue DOES NOT show up on OFA eye exams – so affected dogs will still have “Normal” results.
You can see a proper jump arc below. Zae is in the middle of his jump right over the bars. A dog with ETS would already be ‘coming down’ or starting to land on the bar.
A seemingly small issue, but one that can affect the quality of life (for dog and owner) is bad coats which seem to be an issue in certain lines – dogs that easily mat or dogs that are overly coated. This breed is a wash and wear breed and require minimal grooming. The breed should be able to go swimming, air dry, and live active lives without their coats becoming a mess. The coats should never have a smell nor be oily OR in a constant state of matting. The breed should NOT be regularly bathed or brushed as it will affect their perfect + natural coats. Dogs who are spayed or neutered are also more likely to develop bad coats – something to be aware of if your puppy has a contract requirement to be spayed/neutered.
This page is to provide a comprehensive resource on health in the breed & was created for the love of the breed.
It is up to puppy buyers to always do their own research and use their own due diligence when looking for a puppy. But I hope this page will help you learn + figure out the right questions to be asking. There are resources available to use to check into dogs & lines. Utilize them !
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