The Most Common Health Problems in Popular Breeds: What 27,541 US Owners Reported
In a US survey of 27,541 dogs, tartar and dog bites topped the lists for nearly every breed. Purebreds were no less healthy than mixed breeds overall.
Written by thecanineledger
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In a US survey covering 27,541 dogs, owners reported tartar on the teeth in 24 of the 25 most popular breeds, and bites from other dogs in 23 (Forsyth et al., Frontiers in Veterinary Science 2023). Osteoarthritis and Giardia, a gut parasite, each made the top ten in 15 breeds.
While breed lists usually lead with rare inherited diseases, the problems owners actually reported were mostly everyday ones: teeth, bites, joints and parasites.
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1. The study
The dogs. Owners of 27,541 dogs in the Dog Aging Project, a large US study of pet dogs, completed a health survey. About half the dogs were mixed breeds.
The question. Owners ticked every condition their dog had ever had. The researchers listed the ten most common for each of the 25 most popular breeds.
Funding. The Dog Aging Project is funded by a US government ageing research grant and private donations. The authors declare no commercial or financial conflicts.
2. What owners reported
| Condition | Breeds with it in their top ten (of 25) |
|---|---|
| Tartar on the teeth | 24 |
| Bitten by another dog | 23 |
| Pulled teeth | 21 |
| Osteoarthritis | 15 |
| Giardia | 15 |
Bites stand out. The authors note that most bite studies count people bitten by dogs. There are no recent US figures for dogs bitten by other dogs.
→ Bitten by Another Dog: Wounds, Antibiotics, and Waiting Too Long
→ Dental Disease in Dogs: What Brushing Can and Can’t Do
3. Purebred or mixed
No clear winner. Of 53 conditions, after allowing for age, 14 were more common in purebreds and 13 in mixed breeds. The other 26 showed no difference.
No conditions at all. 22.3% of purebreds and 20.7% of mixed breeds had no conditions reported.
Breeds with fewer problems. Border Collies, Australian Shepherds, Poodles and Golden Retrievers were among the breeds more likely than mixed breeds to have nothing reported.
Greyhounds. Only 8.8% had nothing reported. The authors suggest many were retired racing dogs, often retired because of injury.
Our note: The abstract says purebreds didn’t have higher lifetime prevalence, but 14 conditions were more common in purebreds. That’s why we say there’s no clear winner.
4. A few breeds
Labrador Retrievers. Ear infections topped the list, followed by dog bites, osteoarthritis and Giardia.
Golden Retrievers. Ear infections, Giardia and recurring hot spots came first.
German Shepherd Dogs. Seasonal allergies, ear infections and Giardia came first, with hip dysplasia fifth.
Mixed breeds. Chocolate poisoning made the top ten.
Our note: The other breeds’ lists are in the paper’s tables, which we haven’t checked row by row.
→ Giardia: Does a Healthy Dog Need Treating?
5. What the study can’t tell you
Owner memory. The authors say owner reports carry “an inherent risk of recall bias and reporting bias”. No vet records were checked.
Who signed up. The survey leans toward older dogs, older owners and neutered dogs, so sex and neutering weren’t analysed.
Designer crosses. Doodles and other crosses were counted as mixed breeds.
Our note: The gap in dogs with nothing reported (22.3% vs 20.7%) is small, though statistically significant. It may not matter in practice.
6. What we could not verify
| Commonly said | What we found |
|---|---|
| “Mixed breeds are always healthier” | Not shown. About as many conditions were more common in mixed breeds as in purebreds. |
| “Breed problems are mostly inherited diseases” | Not in this survey. Teeth, bites, joints and parasites topped most breeds’ lists. |
| “Owner surveys match vet records” | Not tested. The authors say no large study has checked this in dogs. |
Sources
- Forsyth KK, McCoy BM, Schmid SM, Promislow DEL, Snyder-Mackler N, DAP Consortium, Creevy KE. Lifetime prevalence of owner-reported medical conditions in the 25 most common dog breeds in the Dog Aging Project pack. Front Vet Sci 2023. ⚠️ survey, owner reports for 27,541 US dogs. US government-funded
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