Shar-Pei Health
Every breed of dog has health issues some more than others. The Shar-pei is rated as medium. Every effort is made by professional / responsible breeders to ensure that their Shar-pei and offspring are free from the common health issues related to the Shar-pei. Some of the most common health issues are, tight lip, entropian, amyloidosis, swollen hock syndrome, Shar-pei fever and skin allergies.
When choosing your puppy we recommend that you visit a number of breeders.
A well socialised Shar-pei makes the most superb family pet who are devoted to their owners and children. Shar-pei are loyal , playful and active yet can be very strong headed! Shar-pei are highly intelligent dogs and pick things up fairly quickly.
POAG/PLL
In the Shar Pei, both POAG and PLL appear to be caused by the same mutation.
Primary Glaucoma is a painful and blinding disease associated with high pressure inside the eye. In POAG/PLL, glaucoma results from reduced drainage of fluid from the eye, causing a build-up of pressure which then leads to pain and blindness
Most dogs become affected at approximately 4-6 years of age. The eyes become enlarged and the lens of the eye becomes wobbly and can even fall out of its normal position.
How it is inherited
The disease is described as an autosomal recessive condition. This means that a dog must inherit two copies of an abnormal gene (one from its mother and one from its father) before its health is affected. A dog that inherits only one copy of the abnormal gene (from its mother or its father) will have no signs of the disease, but will be a carrier and may pass the gene on to any offspring. Click here to read more
Tight Lip
Tight hp is where the skin from the lower lip grows over the bottom teeth making it hard to eat , drink and chew. A very small minor:operation is needed to cut away the excess skin that divides the lip from the teeth. If untreated this can cause an oVer bite.
Swollen Hock
Symptoms are swelling of the hocks and other joints. Reluctance to move Abdominal pain, vomiting and diarrhoea swollen painful muzzle.
Shar-pei fever
Shar-pei that suffer from this fever can have one or more episodes of unexplained fevers, temp usually between 103-107 during a fever, fevers can start less than 18 months old, sometimes the first fever isn't unit adulthood. Fevers can last between 24-36 hrs and in most cases without treatment. The disorder is thought to be a result from an inability to regulate the immune system. Dogs that have experienced an episode of these symptoms above should not be used/ be removed from breeding program.
Entropian / Eye tacking
When a puppy reaches 2 weeks of age their eyes should be open , if this doesn't happen then eye tacking is required . The cause of this is due to an excessive heavy wrinkle above the eyes which causes the top eye lids and occasionally the bottom to roll inwards, this causes extreme discomfort for a puppy or a dog, and if untreated can cause eve ulcers. In severe cases blindness. If your dog reaches 12 months of age before he/she suffers with eyelids rolling inwards then an entropian operation can be carried out • this is a straight forward minor procedure which 100% corrects the issue of entropian
.Dangerous foods for Shar-pei
Grapes - Raisins - Onions- Large doses can be toxic and have fatal consequences. If a large dose has been eaten seek veterinary help immediately.
Allergies
Some shar-pei like other breeds and even us humans suffer allergies from hay fever to dust allergies all of which can be kept under control by Piriton, Benadryl or Clarytin tablets . Then there are skin allergies and not every Shar-pei that has a skin allergy has Demodex mange WI So many vets- mainly Shar-pei none friendly Wrongly diagnose and treat a simple skin allergy as Demodex due to lack of knowledge about the breed. This just prolongs the situation.
Diet and supplements can help with most allergies as its usually down to a low immune systems which usually causes an allergy to flare up I use these supplements myself just to keep my dogs healthy on a day to day basis even though my dogs are all fit and healthy I feel that the added supplements really give my dogs a healthy look.
Shar-Pei specialising vets
It is sad to say, that a lot of vets have trouble with the Shar-pei dog. They do not seem to understand the breed as the would a boxer for example.
The following are Shar-Pei vets that are RECOMMENDED by other breeders around the country:
Ian Fraser
Rufford veterinary Group LTD 127 Wennington Road Southport Merseyside PR9 7AF Phone: 01704 214460 |
Sean Cleary
Beech House Veterinary Surgery Wilderspool Causeway Warrington Cheshire WA4 6QP Phone: 01925 445500 |