These Popular Breeds in India Have Medical Issues – Adopt Desi Dogs Instead!
Right now, millions of Indian dogs are fighting for survival on the streets and in shelters who need to be adopted and welcomed into loving, permanent homes. So in honour of International Dog Day on 26 August, pledge to adopt companion dogs instead of buying foreign purebreds from irresponsible breeders and shops that make the animal overpopulation and homelessness crisis worse.
The dog breeds around today aren’t natural – humans created them because they valued certain genetic traits and types of appearance, but our “playing god” also created excruciating and complex health problems, which no dog deserves to endure and can be devastating for their guardians. An article featured in Time magazine estimated that as many as one in four purebred dogs is afflicted with a serious genetic problem. Some of the health issues found in the popular foreign breeds bought in India include the following:
1.Pugs
Breathing problems, diabetes, obesity, recurrent or chronic brain inflammation, dislocated knees, spina bifida (caused by the breeding standard that the tail curls as tightly as possible over the hip), and pug dog encephalitis – a fatal brain disease
2. Labrador Retrievers
Bone cancer, joint pain, skin allergies, and eye cancer
3. German Shepherds
Gastric cancer, degenerative myelopathy (a spinal cord disease that can lead to paralysis), chronic hip pain and immobility, blindness, at least eight different heart conditions, knee pain, and persistent skin infections that are painful, itchy, and smelly.
4. Doberman Pinschers
Sudden death from cardiac disease, von Willebrand disease (a genetic condition that causes blood-clotting issues), gastric torsion or bloat (a potentially fatal inability to expel gas from the digestive system), and wobbler syndrome, which is a result of compressed spinal cords in their neck cervical vertebrae that can cause them to wobble and fall over
5. Boxers
Several types of cancer, respiratory problems, inflammatory bowel disease, eye ulcers, and dilated cardiomyopathy, which decreases the heart’s ability to pump blood
Do your part to help every Indian dog find a lasting, healthy home – and to help combat animal overpopulation and homelessness – by adopting a lovable Indian companion dog from your community or local animal shelter. You’ll avoid the heart-breaking and expensive health problems that plague purebreds and you’ll have a best friend for life – it’s a win-win situation!
