The Labrador Retriever is one of the most beloved dogs of all, and they are endearing creatures with a big heart. Labradors love to receive attention and be hugged by everyone, especially children.
Although Labrador Retrievers are very he althy dogs that do not usually get sick, there are some diseases of the breed and pathologies of the hereditary type that must be known and taken into account in order to have a better understanding of the life of your pet.
If you have a Labrador or think about having one at home in the future, we invite you to continue reading this article on our site where we explore the most common diseases of the Labrador Retriever.
Eye problems
Some Labradors suffer from eye problems. The pathologies that could develop are ocular defects, cataracts and progressive retinal atrophy. They are hereditary diseases that impair the dog's vision system. Problems such as cataracts are important to correct in time as they can worsen to the point of producing glaucoma, uveitis or dislocation. They can even suffer total blindness if left untreated. There is treatment to correct them or even surgeries to eliminate them completely, depending on the case.
Retinal dysplasia is a deformity that can cause anything from reduced visual field to total blindness, this disease being an untreatable condition. It is important that you consult your veterinarian first because many eye diseases cannot be cured, but they can be delayed with good treatment and the inclusion of foods and products with antioxidant properties.
Tail myopathy
This pathology, which can scare many owners of Labrador Retrievers, is also known as "wet tail" and usually occurs in Labrador retrievers, but it is not exclusive to this breed. Myopathy in this area is characterized by a flaccid paralysis of the tail
Myopathy can occur when a dog is overtrained or physically stimulated. Also when, for example, they are taken on a long trip inside a kennel or in the case of taking baths in very cold waters. The dog feels pain when touched in the area and it is important to give him rest and anti-inflammatory treatment to recover all his faculties.
Muscular dystrophy
Muscular dystrophies are hereditary diseases. These are problems that occur in the muscle tissues, deficiencies and alterations in the dystrophy protein, which is responsible for keeping the muscle membranes in the correct state.
This condition in dogs is found more in males than in females, and symptoms such as stiffness, weakness when walking, refusal to exercise, increased thickness of the tongue, excessive drooling and others, They can be seen from the tenth week of the Labrador's life, when he is still a puppy. Serious symptoms would be if you have difficulty breathing and muscle spasms.
There is no treatment as such to cure this disease, but veterinarians who are experts in the field are working to find a cure, and have carried out studies where it seems that muscular dystrophy could, in the future, be treated with stem cell administration.
Dysplasia
This is one of the most common illnesses among Labrador Retrievers. It is a completely hereditary condition and is usually transmitted from parents to children. There are several types of dysplasia but the most common are hip dysplasia and elbow dysplasia. It happens when the joints do not develop properly causing, in many cases, degeneration, cartilage wear and dysfunction.
Those dogs that present pain, ditches in their hind legs or injuries (primary or secondary) in one or both elbows, should have a correct physical analysis and an X-ray to determine if they suffer from any dysplasia and what stage of the disease it is in. The basic treatment is anti-inflammatory drugs and rest, but if it is a very advanced case, surgery could be performed.
