Seem generally healthy?

[Does Your Doodle ........?]

I thought they were pretty healthy dogs and Grayson has been for the most part...but in less than a year he has had an ear infection and right now is limping for he second time.

The first time he must have sprained or stoved his paw.  I am thinking the same this time, just a different leg. I called a vet and he said as long as he is putting weight on it when he walks that it is okay for me to give him a few days to see how it goes.  Last night he was actually limping with each step, but today he is walking fine, just won't bear much weight when standing still. There is no swelling and he doesn't whimper or pull away when I touch it.

I think his problem is that he is SO BIG and so hyper---his legs are huge and long---and I think that he sort of lands funny when he is jumping around...or they get away from him and he bumps them.

I have had my yorkie for 5 years and he has only been sick once---never been hurt.  I just wondered what your opinions were.

[Kim]

My 2 1/2 year old doodle has a lifetime Vet file thicker than my 11 year old Son's (with Asthma) lifetime Doctor file.  It makes me ill when I look at that file!

[Suzann, Rosey & Bandit]

We have had a few issues along the way.  Both have had kennel cough, Rosey has had an ear infection, I opened the front door at daycare and caught Rosey leg which led to her limping but more tears by me than her!! LOL!  Bandit has had raw paws a couple of times... but overall nothing major..

 

Grayson doesn't have anything stuck between or in his paw like a a bur or splinter does he?  They are very active dogs and can probably just get a bit sore from lots of activity. 

[Suzann, Rosey & Bandit]

Poor Grayson!! Hopefully nothing serious.  You must have nerves of steel to deal with doodle stink eye!! LOL!!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I don't think doodles are any more or less healthy than any other breed or mix...there are so many variables affecting health, besides breed or breed mixes. The parents, the enviornment in which the puppies were raised, the food they're fed, the vet care they receive. The biggest factor would be genetics, I think. That's why it's so important to research the backgrounds of your dog's parents.

Jackdoodle is not a healthy dog. He has a genetic immune system disease, bad feet, bad teeth, and had to have a benign but unusual growth removed last year. But he was originally purchased in a pet store, so he's from a puppy mill, and has lousy genes. I also don't know what kind of care he received during his first year before I adopted him.

Things like ear infections go hand-in-hand with non-shedding breeds...but even there, genetics play a role, in addition to proper ear care and diet.

With a limp, if it's from a strain or sprain, that really doesn't have much to do with the dog's general health. Anyone can hurt a muscle or ligament, even superbly conditioned professional athletes. But you'd need to know what caused it. if it has to do with the dog's skeletal structure, that might be a different story.

[Allyson, Peri & Taquito]

I am lucky, well I guess not totally lucky, because I did research the breeder and parents long before I got Peri.  She has had kennel cough, but that is because of daycare and to be expected from time to time.

Otherwise (knock on wood), she is great. Good teeth, appetite like a pig, active, happy, etc....she is 2 years old.

 

My non-doodle is so unhealthy though. He has always had stomach issues and more importantly almost died from recalls a few years ago. We are now battling kidney issues and his vet files are too thick for words.  I have probably spent 3x as much on him as my doodle Peri, who was quite pricey on the front end.  Taquito is 7 and I only paid $100 for him as a rescue.

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

Ned has been to the vet for shots and seasonally he itches.  About once a year he needs an injection.  Clancy had ear infections last year when we got him and got them again this year - so seasonal again.  Clancy also had a cut between his toes.  That is it for both of them.  Our non-doodle has had multiple ear infections, tore his CCL ($4,800 surgery), gets fatty tumors, was in a study as a puppy because he had joint problems.  It isn't that doodles are unhealthy; it really is the dog itself.