Happy Healthy Puppy

Knowing the risk of developing a gastrointestinal disorder is relatively easy for a purebred dog. The risk of genetic gastrointestinal disorders is well understood for many breeds.

However, the risk of a gastrointestinal disorder for a mixed breed dog is hard to determine, since the exact breeds that make up a mixed breed dog aren't often known.

However, mixed breed Dog DNA tests now provide a way to find out the breeds that make up a mixed breed. Once a dog's parents or grandparents breeds are known, a vet can determine if a mixed breed may be at risk of a genetic gastrointestinal disorder.

Disorders of the gastrointestinal system include:

• Chronic hepatitis
• Cleft lip
• Cleft palate
• Copper-associated hepatitis
• Copper toxicosis
• Exocrine pancreatic insufficiency
• Gastric dilatation-volvulus (bloat)
• Gluten (wheat)-sensitive enteropathy
• Histiocytic ulcerative colitis

Inherited eye disorders are common in many purebreds. Some disorders can be predicted with genetic testing, but others can only be diagnosed with health testing, which will tell you if the dog has the disorder at a specific point in time.

Knowing if your dog is at risk for genetic eye disorders is relatively easy for purebreds, since some diseases are well known to exist within certain breeds. However, it's much harder to determine if a mixed breed dog is at risk of a genetic eye disorder, since most owners don't know the exact breeds that make up their mixed breed dog.

Mixed breed Dog DNA tests now offer a quick, at home, way to determine the breeds that make up a a mixed breed dog. Once the breeds of a dog's parents or grandparents are known, a vet can tell if a mixed breed is at risk for a genetic eye disorder.

Veterenarians today are armed with a great deal of knowledge about the genetic risks of disease for purebred dogs. Unfortunately, the risk of developing a genetic disorder for mixed breed dogs is much more difficult to determine. To know a dog's risk of getting a genetic disorder, a vet must know the breeds of any of the dog's purebred ancestors. In the past, this was almost impossible to determine.

Mixed breed Dog DNA tests now offer a relatively quick, at home method of determining if a mixed breed dog has a purebred parent of grandparent. Once this information is known, a vet can determine if a mixed breed is at risk of specific genetic disorders.

Skin disorders
Disorders of the skin with an inherited component include:

• Acanthosis nigricans
• Acral lick dermatitis
• Acral mutilation syndrome
• Atopy/allergic inhalant dermatitis
• Bullous pemphigoid
• Canine acne
• Colour dilution alopecia

Today, vets know with a great deal of certainty if a purebred dog is at risk of developing a genetic disorder. However, determining the risk to a mixed breed is much more difficult. Most of the time, owners of mixed breed dogs don't know with any certainty if their dog has purebred parents or grandparents.

Mixed breed Dog DNA tests have changed all that. These tests can tell owners and their vets if a mixed breed dog has a parent or grandparent that was a purebred. By knowing a dog's purebred ancestry, a vet can then help determine if the dog is at risk of developing genetic disorders.

Endocrine disorders
The endocrine system produces hormones that have a wide-ranging effect on the dog's body and brain.
Inherited endocrine disorders include:

• Diabetes mellitus
• Growth-hormone responsive and adrenal sex-hormone dermatoses
• Hyperadrenocorticism (Cushing's syndrome)
• Hypoadrenocorticism (Addison's disease)

Problems with the skeletal and muscular systems are among the most common disorders among purebred dogs.

However, owners of mixed breed dogs with a purebred ancestry often have no idea if their dog is at risk of developing disorder of the skeleton or muscle. This is because many mixed breed owners do not know if their dog has a purebred parent of grandparent.

Mixed breed Dog DNA tests, only available in the past few years, can tell if a mixed breed dog has parent or grandparent that was a purebred. Your vet can determine if your dog is at risk of inheritied genetic disorders once your vet knows the purebred ancestry of your mixed breed dog.

Common disorders include hip and elbow dysplasia, and patellar luxation. Other disorders of the muscular and skeletal system include:

• Cervical vertebral instability (Wobbler syndrome)
• Craniomandibular ostopathy (lion jaw)

It can be extremely difficult to tell if a mixed breed dog has a genetic tendency to develop a cardiovascular or nervous disorder. This is because most owners don't know the exact breed makeup of their mixed breed, and genetic disorders are well linked to specific breeds.

Today, mixed breed Dog DNA tests can help erase that inequality. Mixed breed dog DNA tests can determine a mixed breed dog has a purebred parent or grandparent. Once you know the purebred makeup of your dog, your vet can determine if your dog is at risk of inheritied genetic disorders.

Inherited cardiovascular disorders include:

• Aortic Stenosis
• Atrial Septal Defect
• Cardiomyopathy
• Mitral Valve Dysplasia
• Patent Ductus Arteriosus
• Vascular Ring Anomaly
• Portosystemic Shunt
• Pulmonic Stenosis
• Sick Sinus Syndrome
• Tetralogy of Fallot
• Tricuspid Dysplasia
• Ventricular Septal Defect

Genetic disorders, including disorders of the blood and lymphatic system, in dogs are well linked to specific breeds. If your dog is a purebred, it is relatively easy for your vet to determine if the dog is at risk of a specific genetic disorder.

In the past, owners of mixed breed dogs had had a harder time determining if their dog was at risk for an inherited genetic disorder. That's changed now that mixed breed Dog DNA tests have come on the market. These tests can help you determine if your dog has a parent or grandparent that was a purebred. Understanding the purebred makeup of your mixed breed dog can help your vet determine if your dog is at risk of inheritied genetic disorders.

In dogs, problems with the blood and lymph systems that have an inherited component include:

• Autoimmune hemolytic anemia
• Basset hound thrombopathia
• Coagulation (bleeding) disorders
• Cyclic hematopoiesis
• Hemophilia
• Histiocytoma

If your dog has a purebred ancestor, it may be susceptable to genetic disorders specific to purebreds. A mixed breed dog with a purebred ancestor can inherit a genetic disorder from its purebred parent or grandparent.

Unfortunately, owners of mixed breed dogs often have no idea if their dog is at risk of a genetic disorder. Until very recently, there was no way owners of mixed breeds could determine if their dog's parents were purebreds (other than finding out directly who the parents were). Unfortunately, many dog owners have no information on the parents of their dog.

In the past couple of years, mixed breed Dog DNA tests have come on the market that can help you determine if your dog has a purebred parent or grandparent. Knowing your dog's purebred ancestry can help you to determine if your dog is at risk of an inheritied genetic disorder.

Do dogs really need a life vest?
Most people believe that dogs are naturals in the water. This is a common misconception; some dogs hate the water and will panic if they fall in unexpectedly. Some dogs like greyhounds have almost no body fat, and so don't float well, and get cold in the water quickly. Breeds like labs love the water, but can run into trouble as they become older or overweight. Even fit water dogs can become tired when overexerting themselves in the water, and can drown from this fatigue.

Dogs are also just as vulnerable as people in a boating accident. A dog can be injured during a boat accident, making it difficult for the dog to swim. Dogs can also jump off boats when you're not looking, and drown while waiting for you to rescue them.

Besides, a dog life vest is ridiculously cute. Your dog will be the hit of the party in snazzy new waterwear.