Over at Canine Genetics and Epidemiology, published by BioMed Central, they review German Shepherd Dogs under primary veterinary care and in the VetCompass Programme data base in the UK.
The study found that the most common causes of death for GSDs were joint disorders (16.3%), inability to stand (14.9%), spinal cord disorder (13.6%).
To put it another way, nearly half of all German Shepherds are dying from structural problems.
4 comments:
How dog shows ruin a good working breed. They are neurotic disasters as well. Tragic.
ooooh yes. the German Shepherd is a prime example of what happens when the AKC and UKC organizations get a hold of a breed, and breeders start breeding ''Champions''. Golden Retrievers are another example, but the damage is less visible: they are walking immune system cancer factories...
I've always found the sloping backs & skulking gaits of the German Shepherds rather disturbing, blows my mind that these characteristics are actually cultivated.
People should really acknowledge all the good working line German Shepherd breeders and dogs out there as well. There seems to be a trend to simply say the breed is ruined.
It should be stated imo that it is Show lines which suffer these extremities and strong healthy Working lines do still exist.
Post a Comment