Do Swedish Vallhunds have health problems?
Swedish Vallhunds are mostly healthy, robust dogs with a relatively long average lifespan, but they may experience some health issues, including:
- Joint issues: Though Swedish Vallhunds are not affected as much as other breeds, they may develop patellar luxation and/or hip dysplasia. Patellar luxation occurs when slight abnormalities cause the knee joint to slide in and out of place. This can lead to pain and occasional lameness. Surgical treatment is available for severe cases, although many dogs lead normal lives without treatment. Hip dysplasia is the most common skeletal disease seen in dogs. It occurs when the hip joint grows abnormally or is misshapen. The abnormal shape prevents the joint and socket from properly meeting one another, resulting in rubbing and grinding instead of sliding smoothly. Over time, the rubbing from dysplasia can cause a variety of issues, such as pain, lameness, and secondary osteoarthritis. Surgery can be done to fix the joint if diagnosed before the onset of arthritis.
- Eye disorders: Swedish Vallhunds are prone to genetic progressive retinal atrophy, a progressive degenerative disease affecting the retina that eventually leads to blindness. Around 35 percent of Swedish Vallhunds are affected by some type of blindness by the time they are 10.