Health Issues
Some health issues affecting the Dogue De Bordeaux are as follows:
1) Hip Displaysia
This is a condition which affects can affect one or both hip joints. The growth of the muscle takes longer than that of the bone, thereby causing a pulling apart of the ball from the socket. Hip Displaysia (HD) can range from mild to severe culminating in a dislocated joint.
Causes:Inherited, rapid weight-gain in puppies, over-exercising puppies, trauma or rough play.
Diagnosis, Treatment & Prognosis: Xray should be taken when the puppy is between 12-14 months of age. Several surgical options can be performed. Exercise of affected dogs should be limited and weight-gain kept to an absolute minimum. All breeding stock should be x-rayed as one cannot always tell if a dog has HD by looking at them. Affected dogs should not be part of any breeding program.
2) Osteochondritis Dissecans (OCD)
This is a condition which usually affects the shoulder joints, but can also affect the stifle and hock joints. In OCD there is a disturbance of the maturing cartilage of the affected joint. The head of the bone and the affected cartilage are deprived of essential nutrients and the cartilage becomes thickened and the bone fails to mature properly, causing flattening. Age of onset is usually 4-9 months. Males appear to be affected more than females.
Cause: Inherited - the problem is accelerated by mineral over-supplementation and over nutrition. Trauma - i.e. over-exercising of puppies.
Diagnosis, Treatment & Prognosis: Xray should be taken and the puppy given complete rest or surgery. Following surgery the dog should make a full recovery.
Even after surgery, affected dogs should not form part of any breeding programme.
3) Demodectic Mange
All dogs are born with demodectic mite on them. A couple tend to drop off the mother on to the puppies when they are born. Most dogs live their life never affected by the mite. However some can develop prolific skin problems where the hair falls out. This can be a localized patch on the dog or be much more generalized. In puppies it can be treated successfully and the problem never reoccurs however if they are still afflicted with the problem in adulthood then it is much more serious. Certain bloodlines can tend to be affected more than others and is a possible indication to a weak immune system.
Diagnosis, Treatment & Prognosis: Skin scrapings can be done by your local vet to identify the presence of demodectic mite. Generally the vet will prescribe an intense course of treatment over a period of weeks. Maybe several injections a week or more accompanied (in more serious cases) by a special wash solution. In maturity, puppies may never be affected with the condition again however, adult dogs suffering with the problem should not form part of any breeding program.