Your dog is finally ready to be bred, but suddenly the dog begins to cough or scratch excessively, and you realize, to your shock and horror, that your dog has probably developed allergies. Can you still breed your dog, or should you give up that dream for them at this point?
You can breed a dog with allergies; however, you need to consider how bad the allergies are and the fact that some allergies can be passed down to the puppies. Some allergies can also worsen in a female dog as the pregnancy puts a strain on the dog’s body.
Certain dogs can be predisposed to any allergy, and dogs that are predisposed to allergies and react to one type of allergen are more likely to develop even more allergies as time goes on. These allergies can also get worse.
Things To Consider Breeding A Dog With Allergies
Although you can breed dogs that have allergies, is it a good idea? Is there anything that can go wrong? Can this cause any harm to the dog and the puppies?
There are a few things to go through before you make your decision about breeding your dog with allergies. The following are essential to consider as they may impact your dog’s health later on or the health of your dog’s litter too.
Allergies are an indication that your dog has a lowered immune system. This could lead to further complications at a later stage in your dog’s life. You must keep a close watch on such aspects of your dog’s health as this leaves your dog prone to developing more allergies or an even more severe, chronic condition.
A dog that is being bred with a lowered immune system declines the physical resilience as well as the ability to overcome or even resist an illness within the dog’s breed. This could cause the litter to develop immunity problems at a later stage in life too.
If your dog is a female and depending on the type of allergy your dog has developed, this could cause complications during the female dog’s pregnancy. For example, Atopic Dermatitis (eczema) could be made worse for the female dog during the pregnancy.
This can cause the female dog to scratch excessively, which could create lesions on the dog’s skin. If they aren’t treated could lead to an infection.
Allergies that can be exacerbated by pregnancy can lead to more health risks for the dog and make the dog’s pregnancy high risk. This could mean that the female dog could need special care throughout the pregnancy, which could end up being quite expensive.
If your dog has an autoimmune disease, breeding could also make this worse, especially in female dogs. Male dogs with an autoimmune disease may also be prone to any illness that could be passed on from breeding with a dog that has not been appropriately vaccinated.
Are Allergies Passed Down?
Some allergies in dogs are inherited. A few owners that have dogs with allergies are discouraged from breeding their dogs to prevent allergies from being passed down to the next generation through their litter of puppies.
Skin allergies are particularly prone to being passed down from generation to generation. However, in some dog breeds, it is impossible to find a dog without that specific allergy as almost all the lines carry it.
For this reason, most breeding dogs are screened and vetted thoroughly before they are bred. The breeders look at the dog’s health, particularly as they do not want to get complaints later on from someone who bought a puppy that then developed problems.
Breeders are very particular about the dogs that they will and will not use to breed. They want to make sure that they breed the best of the best to keep the bloodline as good as possible. So if your dog has allergies, you may find it challenging to find someone who is willing to let their dog breed with yours.
Should You Breed A Dog With Allergies?
This question really depends on personal preference. If you want to become a full-on dog breeder and want to make sure that your dogs have strong bloodlines and be healthy with no issues, then it is not a good idea to breed a dog with allergies.
Being a dog breeder of a specific breed of dogs means you need to find the best of the best and make sure that only beneficial traits are passed on from each generation. Allergies are not one of these traits as they can lead to more severe problems down the line.
If you are not inclined to be a full dog breeder, and you just want to breed your dog for whatever reason, then please take your dog to the vet to make sure that the process of breeding will not put your dog in danger or increase their health risks.
What Allergies Can Dogs Have
There are a few categories of allergies that dogs can have. Some of these categories are allergen, for example, food allergies or flea bite allergies. Then there are inhalant forms of allergies, such as atopy or seasonal allergies. Clinical signs are allergic dermatitis or bronchitis. There are also contact allergies.
An allergy to an insect bite is caused by an exaggerated inflammatory response from the dog’s body. This will cause severe itching in the same area that the dog was bitten.
Inhalant allergies are often referred to as atopy. This allergy is likely to be more seasonal as it is caused by pollens. This allergy is mainly in the upper respiratory system. However, it could develop into bronchitis, which is a clinical sign and must be treated by a vet as soon as possible.
Contact allergies are the most common type of allergies in dogs. Such contact allergies are a result of direct contact with an allergen, for example, grass or pesticides used on the lawn or synthetic carpets. Dogs can develop contact allergies to almost anything and at any age.
These are only a few allergies that dogs can have. However, all of them can develop into quite severe forms, and they should all be monitored and treated accordingly by your local vet.
Some of these allergies can be dangerous for your dog during breeding. If your dog has an issue with his/her lungs, then it is probably not a good idea to breed them. Not only could it worsen their health, but it could be a hereditary allergy that could cause problems with their puppies too.
Common Dog Breeds Prone To Allergies
Different types of dogs are more susceptible to allergies. The following dogs are a list of just a few dogs that are genetically more prone to developing allergies of any kind.
- American Hairless Terrier
- Boxer
- Bulldog
- Chinese Crested
- Dalmatian
- German Shepherd
- Irish Setter
- Labrador Retriever
- Golden Retriever
- Maltese
- Poodle
- Pug
These are some of the dogs that you need to keep a close eye on if you want to breed them. Make sure you get the full go-ahead from your vet before you even try to breed them. This is to make sure that the dog is well enough and does not have any severe allergies that breeding could exacerbate.
Conclusion
You can breed a dog that has allergies. This is a personal decision, though, as many people have varying opinions on this matter.
First things first, you must ensure your dog is happy and healthy and that their own health will not decline because of the breeding. Then you can look at if their allergies are likely to be hereditary or not, and if they are, are you willing to look after puppies that have the same issue?
With some dog breeds, allergies are just a part of who they are, and there is no getting away from it. However, with other breeds, you may not want to continue that gene that has hereditary allergies associated with it, as this may weaken the bloodline of that breed.
Breeding your dog is a personal preference. If you keep your dog healthy and are alright with whatever the puppies’ outcome may be, you can breed your dog if you so choose.
