Have you ever wondered why some breeds of dog are more prone to certain medical conditions than others? In this short clip from our friends at Pooches at Play, Dr Melissa discusses the different ailments associated with breeds like pugs, cavaliers, staffies, daxons and labradors and offers her advice on how to protect our fur-kid's health.
Video Transcription
Dr. Melissa Meehan: Dogs have been domesticated by humans for centuries. So most breeds these days they have a particular look very specific to their function. Needless to say, most of these are very far removed from their original wolf ancestors. So it shouldn’t come as a surprise, that with these altered physical characteristics, we are also finding some common conditions prevalent across certain breeds.
Whilst not all dogs of a certain breed will experience these conditions, it's vital that owners understand what they may need to be covered for, and at what level to ensure they are covered for any treatment or surgery that may be required.
Little pugs can be prone to oversized palpebral fissure syndrome, in other words having excessively large eyelid openings. This can lead to blindness, so it needs to be monitored constantly by your vet.
Cavaliers’ on the other hand can be prone to dry eye and also cardiac disease. These can both be treated, but again, they need to be monitored.
Staffies’ can be prone to dermatitis, whilst Daxons’ with their long backs can suffer with intervertebral disk disease.
Labradors’ can be prone to hip and elbow dysplasia as well as ear problems, but his are looking ok. Thats why its important with these and all the other problems we’ve mentioned, to take out a pet insurance policy as early as possible, before any of the symptoms present themselves.
Dr Chris Preston: I often refrain from screening them, have you got insurance or not? But it's a deal maker and a deal breaker every single time. In fact we’ve got a case in this morning. I was dealing with a cat, not a dog, but it's got a seemingly trivial injury. It’s got a lactated knee and I've been through the options multiple times over two phone calls with a very stressed male owner, and they've actually elected to Euthanize.
One of the options was to amputate and I said amputation is actually more expensive than fixing it. But, they've made the decision to let the cat go. It's a four year old cat and everything else is normal. That’s devastating for them, the cat and the veterinary personnel.
Dr. Melissa Meehan: I know how I feel when I am put in that position. How do you feel?
Dr Chris Preston: I am a bit of a sucker for a deal, so often I will offer them a discount on surgery and a lot of surgeons will do that. Come to the party so to speak.
I would euthanise less than ten animals a year in that predicament. That’s fortunate, but it’s not why you go to vet school to train to euthanise animals that can be fixed. It's a fixable problem. The surgical solution is not the barrier, it’s the client's finance and also in this particular case, the fear of post surgical complications.
Their not only budgeting for the fixed costs of the surgery but what else might go wrong if it doesn't work. So they almost need a built in plan B and obviously pet insurance is the answer to all this.
Dr. Melissa Meehan: That's why it’s so important to understand your dog's breed and to make sure that you have the right level of pet coverage that they may need throughout their life.
Pet Insurance by HIF
We all love spoiling our fur-kids, yet only 26% of dogs and 19% of cats in Australia have pet insurance - and that could be very hurtful when the vet bill arrives! With HIF Pet insurance, you'll enjoy affordable cover for cats and dogs of all ages. Plus, claiming is easy thanks to our online member Pet Pawtal!