​BREED HEALTH

When done right, a German Shepherd Dog is a relatively healthy, hardy and sound working dog. As we continue to progress as a breed and community, we advance our knowledge and increase our criteria, all with the intention of producing strong puppies who are not drawn to illness or disease. That being said, the breed is prone to some key health issues. While we do everything within our power to ensure that your puppy is not afflicted by such things, genetic heath testing is not a 100% guarantee. Below, you will find a list of diseases and illnesses commonly observed within the breed.

Hip Dysplasia

Hip Dysplasia is the malformation of the hip joint. This can be a simple as too much laxity, in which the head of the femur has room to shift and move within the acetabulum, causing it to bump and grind against the socket of the pelvis, or it can be a malformed acetabulum, where it is too shallow to fully contain the head of the femur. In some severe cases, the hip socket can be almost non-existent, and the femoral head can simply sit outside of the acetabulum entirely. Generally, the result is a femur that has been reshaped by erosion and the body's own attempt to limit the movement within the socket, often seen as a thick, boxy shape to the femoral head, where it should be smooth and round. Depending on the severity, it can be an extremely painful, debilitating disease.

Radiographic evaluation at 1 year of age by the SV, or 2 years of age by the OFA, is the only way to diagnose Hip Dysplasia. PennHip is also accurate as early as 16 weeks of age.

Elbow Dysplasia

Elbow Dysplasia is slightly more complicated in that there are multiple forms it can take in different areas of the elbow joint. What's worse, is that it seems to be a polygenic disease, and each form of it is independent of the others. In other words, a dog with one kind of pathology can also exhibit one or both of the others. Where there is instability of the elbow joint, bony changes in the crook of the elbow, known as osteophytes, are the most prominently seen evidence of degenerative join disease on x-ray. These are generally secondary to underlying elbow dysplasia found elsewhere in the joint. This disease can present itself as on and off lameness in some dogs, or crippling in others.

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Radiographic evaluation at 1 year of age by the SV, or 2 years of age by the OFA, or a CT scan, are the only ways to diagnose Elbow Dysplasia.

Transitional Vertebrae

Transitional vertebrae (LTV) are congenital spinal abnormalities that occur at the junction between either the thoracic and lumbar junction, or the lumbar and sacral junction. Typically, a LTV is any vertebrae that takes on the characteristics of more than one section of the spine. By altering the bio-mechanics of the spine, degenerative changes can develop, and these can put the dog at risk of cauda equina syndrome. Oftentimes, the dog shows no symptoms, and many even go on to lead very successful lives and working careers, and owners will not know their dog has an LTV until they perform x-rays for hip certification.

Radiographic evidence of transitional vertebrae can be seen as early 2 months of age and can be evaluated by either the OFA or the SV for severity.

Degenerative Myelopathy

Multiple Drug Sensitivity (MDR1)
Degenerative Myelopathy is a degenerative disease of the spinal chord, rather like Lou Gehrig's Disease. It is a condition in which both the protective casing surrounding the nerve endings, and the nerve endings themselves, are eaten away, subjecting the spinal chord to stress from the pressure of the spinal column and interfering with the transmission from brain to limbs. It is often seen as a knuckling over of the dog's hind paws, at first, where they scrape the tops of their toes along the ground, before progressing into full hind end paralysis. Ultimately, it is a fatal disease, as eventually progression reaches the nerves that communicate with the heart and lungs. Our current genetic marker testing for this disease suggests it is recessive, but this, too, seems to be polygenic, or at least affected by more than one marker across multiple breeds.

Genetic testing at any age can be done, usually through a saliva sample, to verify the status of a dog's DM markers.
While MDR1 does not seem to commonly affect the German Shepherd Dog, it is still a mutation that bares discussion, if only because of the possible negative effects it can have on any dog with at least one copy of the abnormal gene. Specifically, dogs with this mutation show a higher sensitivity to certain common medications, such as Imodium (a regularly prescribed antidiarrheal) and Ivermectin (the main drug in many heartworm medications), as these drugs are not properly filtered out of the brain. As a result, normal, typically safe medications can cause a dog to suffer seizures and other severe side effects.



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Genetic testing at any age can be done, usually through a saliva sample, to verify the status of a dog's MDR1 markers.

Pituitary Dwarfism

​Congenital Idiopathic Megaesophagus
Pituitary Dwarfism is a condition in which the pituitary glands of a dog do not develop normally, and as a result, fail to produce the necessary hormones needed for growth and development. Not only does this result in a dog who is significantly undersized, it also results in a dog who never sheds out it's soft, wooly puppy coat to grow proper guard hairs, can suffer from several skin conditions, and develops kidney disease and alopecia by 3 to 5 years of age. Left untreated, dogs affected with this condition die or are euthanized for quality of life concerns by 5 years of age. 
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Genetic testing at any age can be done, usually through a saliva sample, to verify the status of a dog's LHX3 markers.
Megaesophagus, often referred to as Mega-E among the German Shepherd community, is a recessive disease that prevents the proper function of peristalsis - the movement of food from the mouth into the stomach. This results in an enlarged esophagus, frequent vomiting, occasional aspiration pneumonia, and, if left untreated, numerous nutritional deficiencies and malnutrition. Depending on the severity of the condition seen within the dog, euthanasia is often recommended, but a dog affected with Mega-E can be managed with intensive lifelong care. Currently, only one genetic marker has been found. As such, a clear result does not always mean a dog will not present with the condition. In that same vein, a dog who carries, or even has two affected copies, may show symptoms at a young age, and then inexplicably grow out of it with maturity.

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Genetic testing at any age can be done, usually through a saliva sample, to verify the status of a dog's CIM markers.

Eye Certification

Perhaps the most notable eye disease commonly seen in the German Shepherd is Chronic Superficial Keratitis, otherwise known as Pannus. It is an immune-mediated condition that causes lesions and scarring over the cornea. If left untreated, this disease will ultimately render the dog blind. A predisposition also exists for dogs that have an increased exposure to UV light or who live at higher altitudes. Oftentimes, Pannus is only caught through routine eye exams, as a dog can pass a CAER exam, and then six months later be diagnosed with the disease. Thus, yearly examinations are recommended.​

Examination by a certified canine ophthalmologist should be done starting at 1 year of age, and continuing yearly until the age of 6, when testing can be done every 2 years thereafter.
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Cardiac Disease

There are two forms of Cardiac Disease that can be tested for and monitored via yearly cardiologist examinations - congenital cardiac disease, and adult onset cardiac disease. Congenital cardiac disease is a malformation of the heart muscle itself, or it's greater vessels. This form of the disease is present at birth and often detected early, usually before they go home. Adult onset cardiac disease means precisely what it says, and is the development of cardiac disease later in life. These diseases can appear after a normal cardiac exam, and is the reason why yearly examinations are recommended.

Auscultation by a general practitioner, or an echocardiogram by a canine cardiologist, should be done starting at 1 year of age and continued yearly until the age of 6, when testing can be done every 2 years thereafter.