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Is Your Mutt Tougher Than My Purebred? Study Of 27,000 Dogs Weighs In
The "tough mutt" phenomenon is well known among dog owners. The thinking goes that a dog with one or more breeds mixed into its genetic recipe is going to be healthier and more able to fight off a range of health woes than purebred dogs, which sometimes have a more precious reputation.
A new study led by researchers at Texas A&M University examined this common perception to see if … well … that dog could hunt.
The researchers used data from more 27,000 dogs participating in the Dog Aging Project, a citizen science effort that is seeking to track the health metrics of tens of thousands of canines over the course of 10 years. The study focused on the top 25 most common breeds. What they found was that the idea of mixed-breeds being somehow more disease-resistant than purebreds is simply not true.
A look at the top 25 dog breeds on which the study focussedAubree Herrold, Texas A&M University School of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences
While there were some differences in health issues between the two types of dogs, the data indicated that overall, both mutts and purebreds suffer from about the same number of health woes. The top 10 conditions most reported for purebreds were: hardened dental plaque; bites from other dogs; extracted teeth; giardia; osteoarthritis; seasonal allergies; ear infection; heart murmur; fractured teeth; and cataracts.
For mutts, the top 10 conditions were nearly the same and occurred at roughly the same frequency, but the cataract and heart murmur categories were replaced with torn/broken toenails and chocolate toxicity. Also, purebreds had more extracted teeth and bites from other dogs, while mixed-breed dogs got more ear infections. Reports of dental plaque and osteoarthritis occurred with pretty much the same frequency for both types of dogs.
Purebreds healthier than muttsOverall, out of the 53 medical conditions reported, 26 had no noticeable difference in frequency or type between mutts and purebreds. Perhaps most interestingly, owners of purebred dogs actually reported their best friends having no medical conditions at all at a higher rate (22.3%) than mixed breed owners (20.7%), meaning that the purebreds were actually healthier overall than the mutts.
"Dental disease, allergies and osteoarthritis are among the most common conditions for all dogs," said study co-author Kate Creevy. "Owners should work with their primary care veterinarians on a plan to manage dental health. Regular exercise and maintaining lean body weight may help delay, prevent or lessen the impact of osteoarthritis." Creevy is the chief veterinary officer of the Dog Aging Project and a professor in the VMBS Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences.
MisconceptionsThe reason the misconception about the health of purebreds vs mixed-breeds exists, say the researchers, is likely due to the fact that certain breeds of dogs have specific, well-known health issues. German Shepherds, for example, are known to suffer from hip dysplasia, beagles are prone to epilepsy, and poodles get glaucoma at a higher rate than other breeds. When it comes to mutts, it's nearly impossible to classify specific health concerns because of the sheer numbers of cross breeds. This knowledge of breed-specific illness, and its corresponding lack in the mixed-breed world, has no doubt added to the idea that purebreds are more delicate medically than mutts.
The study was led by researchers at the Texas A&M School of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical SciencesJacob Svetz/Texas A&M University Division of Marketing and Communications
Creevy says one of the most important take-aways from the research is that prospective dog owners shouldn't use medical resiliency based on a dog's purebred status or lack thereof as a basis for choosing their next pup.
"People should consider many factors when choosing a dog, including environment, lifestyle, social interactions and physical activity that will be available to the dog," she said. "Planning for both preventive veterinary care and medical care as the dog ages is also prudent. Dog owners should also talk with their primary care veterinarians about the kinds of medical problems to which their new dog might be particularly prone based on breed, size, sex, etc."
Creevy additionally added that she and her colleagues were surprised by the high level of dog bite cases reported in the study. More research is needed, she said, to find out if scientists can isolate particular factors that could up a dog's risk of being bitten.
The study has been published in the journal Frontiers in Veterinary Science.
Source: Texas A&M University
Study Finds Purebred Canines Are Not More Prone To Health Problems
Investigators examined owner-reported condition data for more than 27,000 dogs, and found the health of mixed-breed and purebred canines to be similar.
Photo: Viktoriia/Adobe Stock
Investigators at the Texas A&M School of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences (VMBS) have found the frequency of health condition diagnoses of purebred and mixed-breed canines are mostly equal. Results of their new study were recently published in the Frontiers in Veterinary Science.1,2
According to the investigators, it's a common belief that purebred dogs are more prone to disease than mixed-breed dogs, but their study results debunked this myth. Research also found that certain canine breeds are prone to specific diseases, despite frequency equality in purebred and mixed-breed health condition diagnoses.1,2
"There are several well-known diseases that frequently occur in specific dog breeds," Kate Creevy, DVM, MS, DACVIM (SAIM), chief veterinary officer of the Dog Aging Project— a collaborative, community scientist-driven data-gathering research initiative—and a professor in the department of small animal clinical sciences at VMBS, said in a news release.1 "This has helped perpetuate the misconception that all purebred dogs are more prone to disease, but that is not the case."
Investigators with the Dog Aging Project surveyed the owners of 27,541 companion dogs of which 50.6% were mixed-breed dogs and 49.4% were purebred dogs.2 The research revealed that some of the most common diagnoses such as ear infections or osteoarthritis (OA) occur in both purebreds and mixed-breed dogs. "Out of the 53 medical conditions that owners reported, 26 did not differ significantly between mixed-breed and purebred dogs," Creevy said.1
According to the study data, 25 breeds make up about 60% of the purebred dog population within the Dog Aging Project. Those breeds include, in order of popularity in the study, Labrador retriever, golden retriever, German shepherd, poodle, Australian shepherd, dachshund, border collie, Chihuahua, beagle, Pembroke Welsh corgi, boxer, Shi Tzu, miniature schnauzer, pug, Havanese, Cavalier King Charles spaniel, Great Dane, greyhound, Boston terrier, Siberian husky, Shetland sheepdog, English springer spaniel, Australian cattle dog and Doberman Pinscher.1,2
Fifty-three unique medical conditions make up the top owner-reported medical conditions within the top 25 breeds in the study. "The medical conditions reported by owners of purebred dogs varied considerably," Creevy said.1 "However, some conditions appeared frequently in the top 10 reported health conditions by breed."
Across the 25 most popular breeds, those 10 conditions were: dental calculus, dog bites, extracted teeth, Giardia, OA, seasonal allergies, ear infection, heart murmur, fractured teeth and cataracts.1,2
For mixed-breed dogs, the most common reported conditions were highly similar, with cataracts and heart murmur being replaced by torn or broken toenail and chocolate toxicity. Additionally, some conditions, such as dental calculus and OA, appeared with roughly the same frequency in both purebred and mixed-breed dogs. Other conditions were more common in one than the other; extracted teeth and dog bites were more common in purebreds vs ear infections in mixed-breed dogs.1,2
Ultimately, one of the most important findings from the study is that dog breed is only one aspect of pet health to consider when creating a pet's care plan or researching what kind of dog to adopt. "People should consider many factors when choosing a dog, including environment, lifestyle, social interactions and physical activity that will be available to the dog," Creevy said.1 "Planning for both preventive veterinary care and medical care as the dog ages is also prudent. Dog owners should also talk with their primary care veterinarians about the kinds of medical problems to which their new dog might be particularly prone based on breed, size, sex, etc."
The study also showed that some of the most common reasons owners take their dogs to the veterinarian have little or nothing to do with breed. "Dental disease, allergies and osteoarthritis are among the most common conditions for all dogs," Creevy said.1 "Owners should work with their primary care veterinarians on a plan to manage dental health. Regular exercise and maintaining lean body weight may help delay, prevent or lessen the impact of osteoarthritis."
Although the study is one of the largest cross-sectional studies of canine health, researchers at the Dog Aging Project are not finished with examining its findings. "We were surprised by the number of owners who reported that their dogs had experienced a bite from another dog," Creevy said.1 "More investigation is needed to determine what this means and what particular factors might put an individual dog at risk."
References
A Timeline Of Kate Beckinsale's Recent Health Issues
Kate Beckinsale has been sharing a bit about her recent health issues.
Since March 11, the English actress has posted a handful of photos and videos about her recent visits to the hospital on Instagram, however, she has yet to disclose the reason for her various medical visits.
News of Beckinsale's health troubles was first made public in a tribute post on Instagram when she shared a couple of teary-eyed photos of herself sitting in a hospital bed while celebrating her mother's birthday and Mother's Day in the U.K.
The Underworld actress mentioned being "sick" in the caption but didn't reveal any further information. She continued to share photos from the hospital, some of which included shots with visitors like her dog and friend.
On April 7, Beckinsale shared a post from her home and a few days later, she deleted all of her hospital content from her Instagram.
About a week later, she hinted at her health issues in a social media carousel as she sported a T-shirt that reads, "Tummy Troubles Survivor,"
Read on for a complete timeline of Kate Beckinsale's recent health concerns.
March 10, 2024: Kate Beckinsale shares a teary-eyed photo from a hospital bed Kate Beckinsale Instagram. Instagram Beckinsale's first post on March 10 had fans worried — it was a teary-eyed photo of herself in a hospital bed. She shared it as part of a tribute to her "incredible" mom in honor of her birthday and Mother's Day in the U.K. She captioned the post in part: "Thank you to those that love us and support us when it's s— and try to make sure there are some bits that aren't. And for looking after our dogs when we can't, and lead us to remember happy things when we can't. And turn up when we are sick and sit with us . . And send balloons and check in and pull us out of wells with love." "Thank you for loving us, those who do, and for the amazing, kindest Nick, and especially for my mother's capacity for joy. It is so inspiring and beautiful," she continued. "Happy everything mama. Your fight for joy despite also welcoming tears is the experience of watching a warrior up close. I love you x." March 12, 2024: Kate Beckinsale shares an update from her hospital bed kate Beckinsale/Instagram Shortly after sharing that she had been admitted to the hospital, Beckinsale uploaded another photo from her hospital bed. On her Instagram Stories, she posted a photo of her snuggling with her cat Willow. The actress was pictured lying down in the photo wearing a pink sweater, while the feline sat in her arms. March 13, 2024: Kate Beckinsale shares a photo with another 'visitor' in the hospital Beckinsale was paid another visit from a furry friend during her hospital stay — this time, from her Pomeranian Myf. She wore blue pajamas with dogs on them and a black velvet hair bow in the snap shared on her Instagram Stories. Writing "visitor" over the snap, the photo featured the actress smiling as she held her dog, who looked up at the camera. March 20, 2024: Kate Beckinsale posts a selfie from her hospital bed Nine days after revealing her visit to the hospital, Beckinsale shared a captionless selfie from her bed on her Instagram Stories. She was pictured resting her head against a pillow while wearing blue pajamas paired with a giant black hair bow. March 25, 2024: Kate Beckinsale reveals new tattoo amid her health concerns Beckinsale showed off a new tattoo on her upper arm, done by West Hollywood artist Endry Stymest, which featured a bird and a message addressed to "My KB." The actress didn't go into further detail about the ink on her Instagram Stories post, but she did share a note about heading "off to a mythical land where people don't say dumb s--- like 'it was their time' in response to grief." The post came after she remembered her late dad, Richard Beckinsale, with an emotional Instagram message featuring multiple throwback photos a few days prior. Richard was 31 years old when he died in 1979 of a heart attack. March 31, 2024: Kate Beckinsale celebrates Easter from the hospital Kate Beckinsale Easter socks. John Salangsang/Golden Globes 2024 via Getty; Instagram/katebeckinsale Beckinsale posted a photo from her hospital bed showing off her festive bunny socks on Easter. "Happy Easter 🐰🐇🐣," she wrote in a caption alongside two snaps of her black pajama pants with white bows as well as bunny socks as an ode to the holiday. April 4, 2024: Kate Beckinsale's friend visits her in the hospital In early April, Beckinsale was visited by her friend, Jonathan Voluck, in the hospital. She shared a photo of them together in a series of snaps with the caption, "🥜🥜🌈🌈🖕🏻😢🌈🌈🥜🥜." The duo appeared to be wearing peanut headbands, while a collagen supplement could also be seen on the star's nightstand. Beckinsale then shared an image of a rainbow in the sky before posting a jar full of wooden words that featured the label, "F---s to give." April 7, 2024: Kate Beckinsale posts from home after her hospital stay Beckinsale shared footage from home of her pet pooch, Myf, on her Instagram Stories. In one video, Beckinsale's dog was seen jumping around excitedly on a bed as she was joined by another Pomeranian. "Pom chumps, chumping," she wrote in the caption. Another video showed the dogs sniffing each other's snouts indoors. "Thank you Ashley and Cleo for looking after Myf 🤍," she added in a short message, appearing to refer to the minders of her pet pooch. April 10, 2024: Kate Beckinsale deletes her Instagram photos from the hospital The week of April 7, Beckinsale deleted all of her Instagram posts from her various hospital stays, nearly one month after first revealing that she was "sick." April 17, 2024: Kate Beckinsale wears "Tummy Troubles" shirt in Instagram photo Kate Beckinsale on Instagram. Kate Beckinsale/Instagram One week after deleting all of her hospital photos from her Instagram, Beckinsale hinted at the medical reason behind her stay. In the new post, she was seen sporting a T-shirt that says "Tummy Troubles Survivor." "💪🏼 🤍," Beckinsale captioned the carousel post.
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