Health Issues in the German Shepherd Dog

German Shepherds, as with other breeds, are susceptible to several health problems, some of genetic nature, others of viral nature. To ensure your German Shepherd's good health, he should be innoculated on a regular basis.

These vaccinations are usually given as a series to the young pup, at 6, 9 and 12 weeks of age, at 6 months, at one year of age, and then annual boosters given thereafter. Rabies vaccination is also done after four months of age, with an annual booster (although there is a 3 year shot available).

Such potentially deadly disease such as distemper or parvo-virus, can be prevented with a simple vaccination. Please make sure your dogs are up to date on all their boosters!

Although the German Shepherd is a hardy breed, it has, as all pure breed dogs, its share of hereditary diseases. Among the most serious genetic diseases that may occur in the breed are degenerative myelopathy, bloat, exocrine pancreatic insufficiency, canine epilepsy, and hip and elbow dysplasia.

Degenerative Myelopathy (DM).

DM is a slow progressice disease of hte thora-columbar spinal cord, (the part of the spinal cord that tells the brain where the hind legs are).
First signs of Dm are progressice hind legs uncoordination. Eventually, the disease progress to the point where the dog cannot walk properly and falls. Although there is no cure for DM, there are now some drugs that are available that will slow the progression of the disease.

Bloat

Bloat (gastric dilation and volvulus) is a acute life-threatening disease characterized by a rapid accumulation of air in the stomach, frequently accompanied by a rotation of the stomach. Clinical signs of bloat are varied from dogs to dogs and are not always obvious. The dog will usually appear unconfortable (pacing, laying down, then getting up again), he may unsuccessfully attempt to vomit, and he may experience intense salivation. As the bloat progresses, the dog often will become weaker and prostrate as it goes into shock. The gums will turn white and later grey.
Any dog suspected of bloating should be taken to a vet immediately, since time is of the essence. Emergency treatment consists of the decompression of the stomach to relieve dilation and if the stomach has rotated, surgery to reposition the stomach, remove any dead parts of the stomach, and fix the stomach in place by tacking it to the rib wall to prevent it from twisting again. Let untreated, bloat is fatal.

Exocrine Pancreatic Insufficiency (EPI)

EPI is a disease of the pancreas in which cells that produce digestive enzymes are destroyed by the disease. Affected dogs can no longer digest and absorb the nutrients in their food. EPI usually affects dogs between 1 and 5 years old.
The first signs of EPI is flatulence, rumbling intestinal sounds, a lack of appetite, a gradual weight loss and changes in the stools. Treatment for EPI is fairly simple. Pancreatic enzymes are mixed with the dog's food. Untreated dogs suffer from progressive starvation and die.

Canine Epilepsy

Epilepsy is a functional abnormality in a neuron that causes an abnormal neurologic excitation that generalizes to the whole brain. It is an overload of the brain circuits, similar to a lighting strike on the electrical system of a house.
The main sign of epilepsy is seizures, which can be categorized in three ways. Intracranial causes of seizures have detectable defects, such as a tumor, inside the brain. Extracranial causes of seizures have metabolic or toxic changes that are outside the brain but affect the brain to cause a seizure. Seizures of unknown cause form the third category, called idiopathic epilepsy.
Recognizing a seizure is important and may be difficult if the seizure is minor and shows only as a slight loss of muscle control (partial motor seizure). If the seizure is severe, (grand mal seizure), there is no problem recognizing it: the dog will fall on the ground and will have jerky, repeated movements of his legs. Some dogs will lose control of their bladder and bowel either during the seizure or at the end of it, they will have no awareness of their surroundings during the seizure and will appear abnormal for sometimes after the seizure.
Although there is no cure for the disease, it can be treated by controlling the seizures with a barbiturate, usually phenobarbital. Other drugs may be administered if the dog does not respond to phenobarbital. Left untreated, epilepsy will get progressively worse and eventually cause death.

Hip Dysplasia and Elbow Dysplasia

All large breed dogs , including German Shepherds, can suffer from hip and/or elbow dysplasia. Hip dyslasia is a malformation of the pelvic socket making the thight joint not fit properly in the pelvic socket. Elbow dysplasia is a malformation of the elbow bone caused by any of several abnormalities. Both hip and elbow dysplasia are diagnosed by radiography of the joints (X-Ray). There are degrees of severity in both hip and elbow dysplasia. Treatment may range from drugs to lubricate the joints, such as Cosequin) to surgery. Two surgical methods are available for hip dysplasia:
The femoral head and neck osteotomy, which involves the surgical removal of the head and neck of the femur, leaving the muscles of the hind leg can compensate to form a 'muscular joint'.
The total hip replacement in which the head and medullary cavity of the femur is removed and an implant made of cobalt chrome stainless steel is put in its place. The acetabulum is replaced by a high-polymer plastic cup. Together they form a new joint that can function almost as well as a natural joint.
The surgical procedures for elbow dysplasia is arthroscopic surgery to remove joint fragments or arthrotomy where an actual incision is made into the joint capsule.

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