I love puppies. They are cute, furry bundles of joy that are simply bursting with potential and a life yet to be lived. No two puppies are the same, and some puppies may, unfortunately, hide a dark heritage that could include a genetic disease, which will eventually cause disability for your new dog when they mature or get older.
Just like it does in humans, a disease can cause disability, which may leave your canine companion much more reliant on your care and support. Knowing which dog disease your puppy may be susceptible to can help you take preventive care and ensure your dog is healthy and able for much longer.
With this comprehensive disease guide, you can learn everything you need to know about the 15 most common canine diseases that cause dog disabilities, how to identify them, what to do to prevent them, and how to treat them for continued doggy health.
What Are Dog Diseases?
All animals can be susceptible to certain diseases. Usually, a genetic component is more prevalent among certain groups of animals, such as specific dog breeds. Even if your dog isn’t any particular breed, they may still contract diseases if they carry the markers that make them vulnerable.
Dog diseases strike dogs from a young age, but the real effects are often only seen when the dog is in their senior years. We’ve all heard sad tales of dogs that simply woke up one morning and couldn’t walk, or their spines just suddenly caved in.
While this may seem like a freak incident, it’s often a long-building process where a disease has eroded and damaged the dog’s spine, hips, eyes, or brain tissues.
Some canine diseases have no known cure, but there is preventive and supportive care that can give your canine bestie the best possible chance at a long and pain-free life.
When your puppy is young, playful, and full of life, it’s almost unthinkable to imagine they may be hiding a terrible disease in their genes that will slowly ruin their quality of life. Simply having the gene for a genetic disease doesn’t always mean your dog will suffer the worst case of the disease, but the likelihood is there, and the effects of many diseases are disability.
Why Dog Diseases Cause Canine Disabilities
Canine disabilities usually take the form of some impairment that negatively affects the quality of life for your dog. Here are the most common disabilities that diseases can cause:
- Hip, hind leg, spine, and joint issues: These ailments usually lead to the loss of movement, flexibility, balance, and motor control.
- Blindness and partial vision loss: When your dog can’t see well, develops light sensitivity, or goes completely blind, it means they will need constant support and guidance.
- Dementia and incontinence: Mental health is another type of disability your dog may suffer from due to disease. Loss of bladder control and involuntary bowel movements can also result from neurological diseases.
- Weight gain or loss: Obesity and severe weight loss may not sound like disabilities, but dogs often suffer because of these disease effects, leading to loss of power and excess pressure on already taxed joints.
15 Most Common Disability-Causing Dog Diseases
I believe that knowledge is power, so it’s important to know your dog’s disease enemies and how to take action to help your dog enjoy their best life without facing disabilities at an early age.
Here is a short list of dog diseases to watch out for to prevent your dog from facing disability. Be sure to check out the more detailed dog-friendly guide for each dog disease so you can prepare for any potential threats that may challenge your dog.
1. Hip Dysplasia
Hip dysplasia is a genetic condition in which the hip joint doesn’t fit properly into the hip socket, causing arthritis and pain. Dogs with this condition may suffer sudden hip dislocation, damaging the tendons over time and causing hind quarter weakness.
One of the main causes of hip dysplasia is genetic mutation due to inbreeding, where poor bloodlines are bred or siblings are used as breeding pairs.
Susceptible Dog Breeds: German Shepherds, Labrador Retrievers, Golden Retrievers, and Bulldogs.
Prevention and Treatment: The best prevention is to not breed dogs with hip dysplasia as this will pass the gene to their offspring. When a dog with hip dysplasia is young, it’s important to feed a joint-friendly diet and ensure safe exercise. Hip braces can also be used to stabilize the hind end and prevent falls where the hips splay open.
In severe cases, surgery may be an option. In this procedure, the ligaments are shortened and the hip capsule is replaced. It’s the canine version of a hip replacement.
Pain medication may be needed if the hip dysplasia causes accompanying conditions like arthritis.
Resulting Disabilities: Dogs with hip dysplasia may have difficulty walking, lameness, pain, and reduced mobility, and in severe cases, their balance may also be significantly reduced. When the hind quarter is affected, dogs will struggle to get up and “flop down” when lying down.
2. Intervertebral Disc Disease (IVDD)
IVDD is a condition where the cushioning discs between the vertebrae of the spinal column bulge or burst into the spinal cord space.
Most often, the rupture is caused by abnormal cartilage development, which is where the breed genetics factor in, but the actual burst discs happen due to a sudden forceful event. These particular dog breeds are vulnerable to damage by suddenly jumping up or down, being picked up forcefully, and dropped carelessly.
Susceptible Dog Breeds: Dachshunds, Beagles, Cocker Spaniels, and Shih Tzus.
Prevention and Treatment: Mild cases may only necessitate medication and rest with confinement, but extreme or emergency cases could require surgery to correct the disc herniation.
Resulting Disabilities: Pain, difficulty walking, paralysis, and incontinence (due to nerve damage).
3. Degenerative Myelopathy (DM)
Degenerative Myelopathy is a progressive disease of the spinal cord, similar to ALS in humans, that affects older dogs. As the disease progresses, the dog will suffer muscle loss and develop general weakness with a lack of coordination.
Sadly, there is no cure for DM, so it’s a case of making your dog comfortable once they present with the signs of DM. Usually, the disease runs its course within 6-12 months, resulting in paralysis and disability.
Susceptible Dog Breeds: German Shepherds, Corgis, Boxers, and Poodles.
Prevention and Treatment: Treatment for DM is symptomatic, meaning the vet will prescribe medication to help keep your dog comfortable and manage the progressive muscle weakness that will inevitably occur.
Resulting Disabilities: Weakness in hind legs, difficulty standing, and eventual paralysis.
4. Canine Arthritis
When your dog suffers from canine arthritis, they have inflammation of the joints, often due to aging, injury, or genetics. Just like human arthritis, canine arthritis severely affects aging dogs, causing them extreme discomfort and serious disabilities.
With decreased joint mobility and inflammation, your dog will struggle to carry their own weight or move freely. While some joint degradation is normal with age, when your dog has canine arthritis, they will suffer a much swifter decline in joint and mobility health.
Susceptible Dog Breeds: Labrador Retrievers, Golden Retrievers, German Shepherds, and Rottweilers.
Prevention and Treatment: Supplementing with joint-forming vitamins from an early age is important to help preserve joint integrity in breeds that are prone to arthritis. When the arthritis becomes more severe, pain management routines could include prescription medications. Healthy exercise and a balanced diet that manages weight gain are also vital for continued mobility.
Resulting Disabilities: Pain, stiffness, limping, and reduced mobility.
5. Progressive Retinal Atrophy (PRA)
Progressive retinal atrophy (PRA) is a group of genetic diseases that causes the retina to gradually degenerate, leading to blindness. Sadly, there is no cure for PRA, and it’s a progressive disease.
While supplements may help alleviate some symptoms, no treatment will reverse or stop the progressive loss of sight.
Susceptible Dog Breeds: Poodles, Labrador Retrievers, Golden Retrievers, and Cocker Spaniels.
Prevention and Treatment: Managing blindness with environment management to prevent secondary injuries.
Resulting Disabilities: Loss of vision, difficulty navigating, and potential anxiety due to blindness
6. Canine Epilepsy
Just like people, dogs can also develop a neurological disorder causing recurrent seizures or epilepsy. It’s very stressful to see your dog struggle through seizures, and if left untreated, it can even lead to their death.
Susceptible Dog Breeds: Beagles, Belgian Tervurens, Labrador Retrievers, Wire-Haired Fox Terriers, and Australian Shepherds.
Prevention and Treatment: Antispasmodic medication can help manage seizures, but being present and supporting your dog through a seizure is vital to prevent injuries.
Resulting Disabilities: Seizures, disorientation, anxiety, and potential injury during seizures.
7. Patellar Luxation
When your dog has a condition where the kneecap dislocates from its normal position, they may have patellar luxation. The sudden limp can result from the kneecap moving sideways, and over time, the ligaments stretch, causing limb weakness that can lead to a permanent limp or disability.
Susceptible Dog Breeds: Pomeranians, Chihuahuas, Miniature Poodles, and Yorkshire Terriers.
Prevention and Treatment: Anti-inflammatory medications, joint restriction, and weight loss are the usual treatments.
Resulting Disabilities: Limping, difficulty walking, pain, and joint degeneration.
8. Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD)
Dogs that are genetically predisposed to a gradual loss of kidney function over time may have CKD. However, even if they are not in the risk group, a poor diet, infection, injury, or severe and continued dehydration may cause chronic kidney disease.
Dogs with severe kidney failure or CKD don’t expel waste products in their urine, which causes organ failure and other health challenges.
Susceptible Dog Breeds: Bull Terriers, Cavalier King Charles Spaniels, and Shih Tzus.
Prevention and Treatment: Correct hydration and electrolyte management and weight loss when obesity is the cause of CKD.
Resulting Disabilities: Increased thirst and urination, lethargy, weight loss, and potential for toxic buildup in the body.
9. Canine Cognitive Dysfunction (CCD)
A dog suffering from a condition similar to Alzheimer’s disease in humans may have canine cognitive dysfunction (CCD). Like in the human brain, aging causes the tissues to degrade, which leads to mental decline.
When suffering from CCD, the dog will gradually lose cognitive functioning. This may present as mood swings, grumpy behavior, sudden onset incontinence, and anxiety.
Susceptible Dog Breeds: Mixed breeds, Poodles, Terriers, and Beagles.
Prevention and Treatment: Supplements and medications to help manage the effects, such as anxiety, of CCD. Diet and enrichment are also vital to slow down the disease progression.
Resulting Disabilities: Confusion, disorientation, anxiety, changes in behavior, and altered sleep patterns.
10. Hypothyroidism
Dogs may suffer from hypothyroidism, a condition in which the thyroid gland doesn’t produce enough hormones, affecting metabolism. If your dog has hypothyroidism, they could suddenly gain weight, become sluggish and immobile, develop skin conditions, and struggle to regulate their own body temperature.
Susceptible Dog Breeds: Golden Retrievers, Doberman Pinschers, and Boxers.
Prevention and Treatment: Thyroid hormone replacement medication.
Resulting Disabilities: Lethargy, weight gain, hair loss, and skin issues.
11. Osteosarcoma (Bone Cancer)
Cancer sends fear into the heart of any pet owner, and if your dog has been diagnosed with a malignant tumor that develops in the bones, most commonly affecting the limbs, it is usually because of osteosarcoma. Sadly, osteosarcoma usually necessitates amputation of the affected limb, which causes instant disability and mobility challenges.
Susceptible Dog Breeds: Great Danes, Rottweilers, Greyhounds, and Golden Retrievers.
Prevention and Treatment: In rare cases, surgery may remove the tumor without amputation, and radiation therapy can be considered, but the long-term prognosis of the current care options isn’t great.
Resulting Disabilities: Lameness, pain, and potential fractures may lead to amputation or reduced mobility.
12. Wobbler Syndrome (Cervical Spondylomyelopathy)
Seeing your dog struggle to get up and become unsteady on its feet is not easy to bear. Wobbler syndrome is a neurological disease caused by compression of the spinal cord and nerve roots, primarily in the neck region. While injury may cause it in rare cases, it’s usually a combination of genetics and diet that’s to blame.
Susceptible Dog Breeds: Doberman Pinschers, Great Danes, Mastiffs, and Basset Hounds.
Prevention and Treatment: Cervical or neck surgery is recommended but is not always safe. Treating the effects with anti-inflammatory medication and movement restriction may also improve the condition.
Resulting Disabilities: Wobbling gait, neck pain, paralysis, and difficulty walking or standing.
13. Laryngeal Paralysis
You may not consider the throat to be a part of your dog’s body that can cause disabilities. However, when they suffer from a condition where the nerves controlling the larynx fail, causing difficulty breathing, it can negatively affect their mobility and health. The generic name for this is laryngeal paralysis, but it can be caused by several diseases, such as laryngitis, tumors in the throat, and even infections.
Susceptible Dog Breeds: Labrador Retrievers, Golden Retrievers, and Siberian Huskies.
Prevention and Treatment: Laryngeal tie-back surgery, environmental control and restrictions, and avoiding tight-fitting collars.
Resulting Disabilities: Noisy breathing, coughing, exercise intolerance, and risk of aspiration pneumonia.
14. Brachycephalic Obstructive Airway Syndrome (BOAS)
If your dog has a genetically shortened face with a compressed nose, they may also have difficulty breathing. This genetically caused syndrome is called brachycephalic obstructive airway syndrome (BOAS) and it causes serious health challenges. In severe BOAS cases, the dog’s nostrils may even collapse when they can’t handle the breathing process.
Susceptible Dog Breeds: Bulldogs, Pugs, French Bulldogs, and Shih Tzus.
Prevention and Treatment: In severe cases, surgery may be needed, but weight management and restricted exercise are vital to keep the dog calm and prevent hyperventilating.
Resulting Disabilities: Labored breathing, snoring, exercise intolerance, and potential for respiratory distress.
15. Luxating Shoulder (Shoulder Instability)
One minute your dog is romping about, then a sudden cry of pain, and they’re limping like crazy with their front leg. They may have suffered an injury causing a condition where the shoulder joint becomes loose or dislocated. A luxating shoulder can be caused by genetic weakness or injury, but it can seriously affect your dog’s front leg mobility.
Susceptible Dog Breeds: Border Collies, Shetland Sheepdogs, and Jack Russell Terriers.
Prevention and Treatment: Your vet’s diagnosis will determine if surgery is needed or if immobilizing the shoulder and a course of anti-inflammatory medication may help the shoulder recover.
Resulting Disabilities: Pain, limping, reduced range of motion, and potential for arthritis if left untreated.
How Genetics Contribute to Diseases in Dogs
Disease is often thought of as an external factor, like an infection. However, your dog’s genetics contribute to how they deal with life’s wear and tear. If your dog has a predisposition to arthritis, it means they are more likely to develop the painful disease.
Genetics are the starting blocks your dog enters the world with, and while a great diet and the best care will give them a fighting chance, they are more likely to develop certain conditions. Knowing your dog’s genetics can help prepare you, and preventive care can definitely make a big difference in ensuring a longer and longer-term pain-free life.
Your dog’s genetics are affected by one important factor: the genetics they received from their parents. This is why supporting backyard breeders is such a bad idea! Instead, I advocate supporting only registered breeders or adopting from shelters.
Poorly bred dogs will have a high likelihood of poor genetics and a future filled with disease and disease-caused disability. Of course, a shelter dog may also have poor genetics, whether they are purebred or mixed breed, but at least you aren’t perpetuating the problem by supporting an unscrupulous “breeder.”
Disease-Related Disability FAQs
What are the most common disabilities in pets?
Pets, such as your trusted dog, can develop disabilities too, and loss of mobility is the most common type of disability. Dogs usually suffer immobility following arthritis, amputation of a limb, or some other degenerative condition.
Can dogs have mental disabilities?
Dogs can also suffer from disabilities due to the loss of their cognitive functioning. Dogs also get a form of dementia, and various types of canine cognitive dysfunction affect older dogs and dogs with genetic predispositions to mental decline.
What does PTSD look like in dogs?
When dogs are exposed to extreme conditions that may damage their ability to self-regulate, they can begin exhibiting anxiety, aggression, poor sleep patterns, incontinence, and loss of appetite – which are all typical of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). PTSD is considered a type of disability as it affects your quality of life (whether you’re human or not).
More Jack’s Dacks Articles
- How to Safely Support Your Visually Impaired Dog
- Mobility Aids For Dogs: Dog Wheelchairs Vs Dog Drag Bags and Dog Scooters
- How to Use a Dog Sling to Help Your Disabled Dog Potty
Final Guidance
Knowing what diseases could affect your dog helps you prepare and gives your canine bestie the strongest chance at long-term survival and health. When a disease goes unmanaged, the result is usually disability and pain. So take the steps to manage your dog’s conditions before they become serious.
Something as mild as a limp can potentially snowball into a serious disability and loss of mobility. You definitely don’t want to look back and wish you had acted sooner, do you?
Check out the detailed descriptions of each disease to help you better identify which one your dog may have. Help protect your dog today.