Health Conditions in the Estrela
Whilst generally considered to be one of the healthiest and long-lived giant breeds, there are some conditions which the Estrela suffers from, to a greater or lesser extent, so when considering purchasing a puppy, always ask about health conditions in the parents and their lines. Listed below are the conditions which seem to us to be the most common:
1. Dilated Cardiomyopathy ("DCM")
A genetic, fatal condition of the heart, we believe DCM poses one of the biggest threats to the Estrela, in part because many fail to acknowledge that the problem even exists; please click here for more.
2. Joint Problems (Hip Dysplasia, Cruciate Ligament tears)
Please click here for more information on this.
3. Epilepsy
4. Addison's Disease
5. Skin conditions
It is generally accepted that Estrelas suffer from "hot spots", a hot spot being a type of lesion on the skin caused by itching and resultant chewing/scratching by the dog, since they can damage the skin very quickly with their teeth; however, in our experience, this problem is largely caused by an inappropriate diet, and can be eradicated by feeding a raw diet and eliminating anything that the individual dog may be allergic to (for instance, we have found that both wheat and lamb make ours itchy and more irritated by fleas).
A final note: any health condition in your dog's family history may well be exacerbated if there has been much in-breeding (or line-breeding, as some call it) in your dog's ancestry. Check your puppy's Coefficient of Inbreeding ("COI") on the Kennel Club website here (or if the dog/parents are registered abroad, please ask us, we may have the information in our own database) or, for a rudimentary overview, look at the pedigree to check that the same names don't crop up over and over again in the parents' histories; if you have doubts, your breeder should be able to fully explain the basis for the match. For more information about COIs, please click here.
A final note: any health condition in your dog's family history may well be exacerbated if there has been much in-breeding (or line-breeding, as some call it) in your dog's ancestry. Check your puppy's Coefficient of Inbreeding ("COI") on the Kennel Club website here (or if the dog/parents are registered abroad, please ask us, we may have the information in our own database) or, for a rudimentary overview, look at the pedigree to check that the same names don't crop up over and over again in the parents' histories; if you have doubts, your breeder should be able to fully explain the basis for the match. For more information about COIs, please click here.