APPENZELLER'S HEALTH

The breed is generally considered healthy. The average lifespan of Appenzellers is 11-13 years. There are individuals older than 16 years. The Appenaeller is the longest-lived of all 4 Swiss dog breeds. The breed's genetic variability is very limited, resulting in increased susceptibility and the possibility of genetic developmental defects.

The following genetic defects may occur in the breed:

 

Persistent right aortic arch,

Heart defects

Pulmonary artery stenosis

Ectopic ureters,

cleft palate,

Portolateral hepatic anastomosis with hepatic encephalopathy,

protosystem valve,

Congenital defects of the kidneys - they are small and deformed - death at the age of 4 months, dysplasia, polycystic disease.

Congenital cataract,

hydrocephalus,

Entropium and ectropium,

Dermoid eyelid,

Degeneration of hip and elbow joints,

Spinal discopathy, bone deformities, supernumerary bones, missing bones or their parts.

Patella prolapse (existence of a very large number of right angles),

Microphthalmia is a condition in which the eyeball is smaller than normal.

Conjunctival corneal dermatoma

Eczema/scrotal varicose veins.

 

Therefore, it is recommended to obtain extensive information from the breeder about the parent animals, preferably confirmed by research. Recently, attention has also been paid to dental and bite problems. Overbite, defects and missing teeth, as well as cases of testicular cancer began to occur. The probability of occurrence of a given defect is 1 case in 200 individuals, according to statistics. The list of defects is quite large, which may discourage a potential buyer, although most of them are defects generally found in dogs. Compared to other breeds and their disease potential, the Appenzeller is a healthy breed. When deciding to have an Appenzeller with breeding licenses, the Polish Kennel Club requires x-ray examinations of the hip joints (HD) and elbow joints (ED) as well as entering their results in the pedigree. These tests are performed under full anesthesia, which is worth taking advantage of. Performing additional examinations of the shoulder joints (SD) under one anesthesia, mainly to exclude OCD (Osteochondrosis-osteochondrosis) and habitual prolapse of the kneecap (PL) (patellar luxation), LTV - lumbosacral transitional vertebra - incorrect number and structure of transitional lumbosacral vertebrae, or exclusion of adhesions of the spinal vertebrae.