There is a constant belief that mutts are healthier than purebreds dogs. The basic idea behind this is that one breed’s genetics will cancel out issues from another breed, referred to as “hybrid vigor.” The puggle is a great example of this: the beagle genes reduce the issues normally associated with the pug’s brachycephalic structure and related diseases. Unfortunately, creating a dog with a genetic grab-bag doesn’t guarantee good health. Whether a doodle mix is healthier than a purebred actually depends on several factors.
Good Breeding is the Greatest Health Indicator
The best indicator of health in a doodle mix will be genetic testing performed on the parent breeds. Each purebred dog should have a national parent club with information on common health concerns and recommended health checks and tests. The Orthopedic Foundation of America and Canine Health Foundation will also list genetic problems and associated health tests.
Ethical dog breeders will provide a clean bill of health with proof of no genetic issues for each puppy. They will also disclose any genetic issues in the breeding lineage and, if present, how likely it is that a litter will suffer these same issues. All prospective owners should ask for evidence of and transparency into each litter’s medical information.
Doodle mixes may be less likely to inherit breed-specific diseases that plague their parents’ breeds or purebred lineages. However, they can still inherit diseases from either parent breed or the specific blend of breeds may make them more susceptible to different health issues.
Goldendoodles are a good example of this. Despite being a designer mutt, these dogs still have a high risk of developing common canine cancers like Hemangiosarcoma, Osteosarcoma, and Lymphoma thanks to their Golden Retriever origins. Similarly, Labradoodles often suffer from hip dysplasia, which is a genetic problem that impacts both Labrador Retrievers and Poodles.
Generational Crossbreeds Can Impact Health
All ethical dog breeders strive to weed out genetic issues in their dogs. While this isn’t always possible, the best breeders will use a sire and dam with clean bills of health to produce each successive litter. From there, the healthiest pups can continue to be cross-bred with other healthy dogs to reduce the chance of genetic and hereditary problems. Over the successive generations, dogs (and doodles) can feasibly be made genetically healthier.
However, the opposite is also true. If either the sire or dam have genetic problems and are bred regardless, the litter may be impacted. With each successive generation, the chance of serious hereditary disease is increased. Irresponsible and unethical breeding also impacts the age at which a dog may suffer from certain conditions. So instead of just senior dogs having hip dysplasia, young adults and even adolescent puppies may suffer from this condition as well.
Unfortunately, designers mixed-breeds (e.g., mutts) do not usually have national parent clubs or a consensus surrounding appropriate genetic tests. This is just one of the several reasons why breeding doodles is controversial in some circles. The lack of breed standards make doodle mixes more prone to both unethical breeding and reduced genetic predictability. Instead of doodle mixes becoming healthier across generations, they can easily become worse.
Veterinary Care Plays a Role in Health
While preventative veterinary care can’t actually prevent genetic diseases, it can keep your dog otherwise healthy and reduce co-morbidities. Getting your dog vaccinated and taking them in for annual checkups are two examples of how you can directly influence your dog’s health. Similarly, investing in flea and tick control and heartworm prevention can keep your dog free of external and internal parasites, which can weaken your dog and exacerbate underlying hereditary conditions.
Veterinary care is also essential to proactively managing genetic issues. Consider an example from earlier: you own a Goldendoodle and notice swelling on their leg. You schedule vet appointments and testing, which reveals that the swelling is actually a sign of Osteosarcoma. The vet swiftly schedules chemotherapy. Without this quick intervention, your dog might have required an amputation or, if the Osteosarcoma was advanced, hospice care.
Even Food Can Exacerbate Health Issues
Purebred poodles often suffer from digestive diseases like pancreatitis and hemorrhagic gastroenteritis. While mixing poodles with other breeds may reduce the likelihood of these diseases, it will not prevent them entirely. Feeding your doodle mixed fatty foods (either low-quality dog food or table scraps) can exacerbate these issues, causing them to flare up unexpectedly.
Prospective owners should also research the parent breeds of their desired doodle mix to assess the probability of food allergies and sensitivities. Unlike genetic and hereditary diseases, food-related issues are much harder to breed out and predict. A bernedoodle puppy may therefore be allergic to grain, even if the sire and dam are not.
Overfeeding is another way food can seriously impact your doodle’s health. Even if your doodle is not prone to any breed-specific diseases, obesity in all dogs increases the risk of diabetes and heart disease. Exercise plays an important role in this: a dog may eat the recommended amount of food daily but still become overweight due to lack of exercise.
