Breed Pre-dispositions to Disease
Siberian Huskies come with pre-dispositions to many diseases and issues.
When purchasing a Siberian Husky of considering breeding one then the below should be or have been tested for to ensure no genetic issues are passed down to future generations. This is an essential part of being a good responsible breeder.
If any breeder attempts to sell puppies without testing then they have not put the required effort or safety into breeding and could not be classed as a good breeder.
When purchasing a Siberian Husky of considering breeding one then the below should be or have been tested for to ensure no genetic issues are passed down to future generations. This is an essential part of being a good responsible breeder.
If any breeder attempts to sell puppies without testing then they have not put the required effort or safety into breeding and could not be classed as a good breeder.
Cardiovascular conditions
Essential hyper-tension • Middle-aged to older dogs affected • Males may be predisposed • Hereditary essential hyper-tension has been reported in a line of Siberian Huskies Onychodystrophy Skin tumours • See under Neoplastic conditions Endocrine conditions Congenital nephrogenic diabetes insipidus (NDI) • One report of familial NDI in a litter of Husky puppies Gastrointestinal conditions Oral eosinophilic granuloma • Breed predisposition • Seen in young dogs Neoplastic conditions Basal cell tumour • Reported to be at increased risk Sebaceous gland tumours • Possiblebreed predisposition to sebaceous epithelioma • Seenin older dogs (average age 10 years) Haemangiopericytoma • Occursat a mean age of 7–10 years Perianal (hepatoid) gland adenomas • Breed predisposition suggested in one survey of 2700 cases • Average age was 10.5 years • Entire males were predisposed Testicular neoplasia • Believed to be a breed at increased risk Physiological conditions Hereditary cardiac hypertrophy • Maybe an adaptation favouring endurance Increased platelet aggregation • Maybe an adaptation favouring endurance Renal and urinary conditions Ectopic ureters • Congenital anomaly; higher incidence reported in this breed • Usually presents • More commonly diagnosed in females Reproductive conditions Testicular neoplasia • Believed to be a breed at increased risk Respiratory conditions Laryngeal paralysis • Idiopathic Neurological conditions True epilepsy • Inheritance suspected • Age of onset: 6 months to 3 years Degenerative myelopathy • Reported in this breed • Adults affected |
Dermatological conditions
Discoid lupus erythematosus • No age or sex predisposition • Accounted for 0.3% of skin diseases at one referral institution Canine uveodermatological syndrome • Also known as Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada-like syndrome • See also under Ocular conditions Follicular dysplasia • May affect multiple dogs in a litter • Clipped areas tend not to regrow Post-clipping alopecia • Relatively uncommon Nasal de pigmentation • Also known as Dudley nose • Cause unknown Mucocutaneous hypo-pigmentation • Nasal form common in this breed Zinc-responsive dermatosis • In this breed, skin lesions develop despite adequate levels of zinc in the diet Canine eosinophilic granuloma • Rare • Idiopathic • Young males predisposed • Siberian Huskies account for 76% of cases Ocular conditions Entropion (usually lower lids) • Breed predisposition; polygenic inheritance likely Chronic superficial keratitis (pannus) • Breed predisposition • Age of onset: 1–3 years Corneal dystrophy • Recessive inheritance with variable expression has been suggested • Lipidstromal dystrophy • Age of onset: 5 months to 8 years Primary glaucoma/goniodys genesis • Inheritance suspected • Age of onset: 1–2 years • Schedule 1 of the BVA/KC/ISDS Eye Scheme Persistent pupillary membranes • Inheritance suspected • Schedule 3 of the BVA/KC/ISDS Eye Scheme Uveodermatological syndrome • Also known as Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada-like syndrome • Breed predisposition • Young adults (1.5–4 years) Cataract • Autosomal recessive inheritance suspected • Localisation: posterior sutures • Age of onset: 6–18 months • Schedule 1 of the BVA/KC/ISDS Eye Scheme Generalised progressive retinal atrophy (GPRA) • Autosomal recessive inheritance, possibly X-linked • Clinically evident by 2–4 years • Males more frequently affected Optic nerve colobomas • Congenital defect; not known if inherited Microphthalmia • Inheritance suspected • Often associated with other ocular abnormalities, e.g. micro cornea, cataract and retinal detachment |