Affenpinscher Health Issues

Affenpinscher dogs are usually quite healthy, however, there are some issues that seem to pervade in even the most health conscious of breeders' lines.

Below is information on some of the health issues in the breed as well as some helpful links.

Hip Dysplasia:

Hip dypslasia in Affenpinschers has been noted. Once thought to be a disease only of large breeds, two distinct varieties are believed to be found and have been documented by responsible breeders. Both forms are believed to have a hereditary factor, however, the mode of inheritance at this point is not well documented. One form is in the form of shallow or absent hip sockets. This can cause poor wear of the hip joint. This anomaly in a young dog is not usually problematic and therefore goes undetected until the dog has been more active and is older. Radiographs can help diagnose a dog with shallow or missing sockets at a young age. The Orthopedic Foundation for Animals suggests that dogs as young as four months old may be examined radiographically for these anomalies.Penn Hip is also a good resource to submit radiographs for evaluation and for more information on hip socket abnormalities.

The second form of hip dysplasia is due to a disease called Leggs Calves Perthes (LCP) or Von Perthes. This anomaly is considered to be a young dog disease of several of the toy breeds. This disease can do irreparable damage to the hip joint. Read more about this disease at http://offa.org/lcpgeninfo.html. It is recommended that dogs with hip socket abnormalities not be bred.

Patellar Luxation:

Petallar luxation or knee joint problems have been documented in the Affenpinscher breed. This anomaly is very common in small breeds. The severity can vary. Some petallar luxations are believed to have a genetic or inherited component while others can be related to injury. It is suggested that caution be taken when considering using dogs with any form of petallar luxation for breeding. The Othopedic Foundation for Animals has information on this anomaly as well. This anomaly is explained at http://offa.org/patluxgeninfo.html.

Heart Anomalies:

Two heart anomalies have been documented in the Affenpinscher breed. The first is Patent Ductus Arteriosus or PDA. PDA is a birth defect that can be successfully treated by surgery if discovered and surgically corrected while the dog is young. Learn more about this at http://www.vetsurgerycentral.com/pda.htm. The other is Ventricular Septal Defect or VSD. VSD may also be corrected by surgery. You can find more information on this at http://www.vmth.ucdavis.edu/cardio/cases/case3/text.htm. VSD as well as PDA are both believed to be of genetic origin. Dogs with these anomalies should not be bred and their relatives should be examined for these anomalies as well.

Epilepsy:

As in all dog breeds canine epilepsy has been documented in Affenpinschers. In some countries it is referred to a "fits." Epilepsy is a broad medical term simply meaning seizure activity. Efforts should be made to diagnose any underlying medical conditions that may be causing the seizures, however, sometimes the seizures are idiopathic or of unknown origin. Due to the severity of the symptoms and that inheritability of some forms of epilepsy is still unknown, dogs with this condition should not be used for breeding. Learn more about this www.canine-epilepsy.net.

There are several other anomalies, though less common, that have also been noted in Affenpinschers.

Here links to sites that might be helpful:

Stenotic Nares (constricted nostrils) & Elongated Soft Palate petsurgery.com/surgicaldiseasesofairway

Alopecia (thinning or loss of hair) www.caninegeneticdiseases.net/Alopecia/mainALOP.htm

Cushing's Syndrome www.dogpro.com/cushings-disease-in-dogs.html

Eye Anomalies www.vmdb.org/cerf.html

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