SIBERIAN HUSKY BREED HEALTH

The SHCGB is committed to preserving the Health and Welfare of the Siberian Husky. All Members are bound to participate in the monitoring of breed health issues both hereditary or non hereditary and sharing of information in signing up to the Code of Ethics when joining the Club.

The current SHCGB Breed Health Representative is Helen Taylor Morris.

KC BREED HEALTH AND CONSERVATION PLAN

The Kennel Club launched a new resource for breed clubs and individual breeders – the Breed Health and Conservation Plans (BHCP) project – in September 2016. The purpose of the project is to ensure that all health concerns for a breed are identified through evidence-based criteria, and that breeders are provided with useful information and resources to raise awareness of current health and welfare concerns in their breed, and support them in making balanced breeding decisions.

The Breed Health and Conservation Plans take a complete view of breed health with consideration to the following issues: known inherited conditions, complex conditions (i.e. those involving many genes and environmental effects such as nutrition or exercise levels, for example hip dysplasia), conformational concerns and population genetics.
Sources of evidence and data have been collated into an evidence base which gives clear indications of the most significant health conditions in each breed, in terms of prevalence and impact. Once the evidence base document has been produced it is discussed with the relevant Breed Health Co-ordinator and breed health representatives where applicable. Priorities are agreed based on this data and incorporated into a list of actions between the Kennel Club and the breed to tackle these health concerns. These actions are then monitored and reviewed on a regular basis.

CLICK ON THE LINK BELOW TO DOWNLOAD THE PLAN

SIBERIAN HUSKY BHCP

GENERAL SIBERIAN HUSKY HEALTH

As long as you get your Siberian from a responsible breeder, who has taken care with their breeding programme and used fit and healthy, eye tested and hip scored parents, you will hopefully have an active dog with few health problems. However there are a few things that crop up fairly often even in the best bred dogs.

Diarrhoea
The most common reasons for a Sibe to have diarrhoea are overfeeding or the wrong type of food. Or even both at the same time! Siberians come from a place with hardly any vegetation or cereal, and do best on a diet rich in protein and fat, with a high meat content. They often have trouble digesting cereal based foods, and a lot of them have trouble with rice. So when your vet tells you to feed chicken and plain boiled rice to a squitty Siberian for a few days, it can often make them worse! Until they get over a bug they will be fine with the chicken on its own, maybe a little tinned tuna, or boil and mash some potato to add to it. The addition of a spoonful of live yogurt can also help.
Overfeeding is another common problem with new owners. Sibes were bred to be able to work well on a small amount of good quality food, and the quantities given on dog food bags are far too much for their digestive systems to cope with. On the plus side, the foods they do well on are usually a bit more expensive, as the cheap ones are bulked up with cereal “fillers” so it’s just as well they need a bit less! Find a decent quality food with meat or fish as the first ingredient, and avoid ones with bright colours in – they are there to attract humans, not dogs! Feed adults two small meals a day, and puppies need their food divided into three or four meals daily depending on their age.
Use your judgement as to whether your dog is getting enough food. You should be able to feel his ribs through a thin layer of fat, but not be able to see vertebrae or hip bones sticking out. Many Sibes go through a teenage stage when no matter how much you shovel food into them they still look half starved, but by the time they mature, they should have filled out nicely. If you really have trouble keeping weight on them, you can supplement their diet with meat such as lamb. If your Siberian is getting enough exercise and a decent food, the opposite problem should not be an issue, but never allow them to get fat. It causes all sorts of illnesses from diabetes to heart problems, and makes joint conditions more likely and worse. You should always be able to see your dog’s waist, and a “tuck-up” at the back of his stomach.

Zinc Responsive Dermatosis
This is often called Zinc Deficiency, however it is more an adaptation to the environment they came from than an actual deficiency. Their original diet was mostly fish, and seal and whale blubber, which is high in both zinc, and vitamin A which helps them absorb the zinc. So now, even when fed a balanced diet, some of them have trouble absorbing enough zinc. The lack of this in the body tends to cause itching, and then fur loss and scabs, frequently around the eyes, nose and lips. The treatment is a zinc supplement for dogs from your vet. It can take a depressing amount of time for this to work in some cases, but please persist with it. Adding fresh oily fish can help, as can a daily small (50p sized) piece of grilled liver. Some dogs need the supplements for life, others only have flare-ups at times of stress, such as during their seasons.

Useful Links:

ZINC DEFICIENCY IN SLED DOGS

ZINC RESPONSIVE DERMATOSIS

Hypothyroidism
One of the things that Sibes do seem more prone to than most other breeds is a lack of thyroid hormone. Sled dogs may have normally lower levels of this hormone anyway, but if they don’t produce enough thyroxine, it can have serious consequences. Usually if a dog is Hypothyroid it will become fat and lose fur. Because Siberians have to be different, in some it can lead to weight loss instead, manic behaviour and an odd coarse but thick coat. If your dog is tired all the time, doesn’t want to go for walks, and suddenly feels the cold, it is worth asking your vet to do a full thyroid panel – the basic test isn’t enough for a conclusive diagnosis. Fortunately, the treatment for this condition is usually just one small cheap pill a day.

Useful Links:

HYPOTHYROIDISM

Bloat/Gastric Torsion
Although Siberians are thankfully not one of the breeds badly affected by bloat, it does seem to be more likely as they get older. It is a condition in which the stomach swells and then twists, leaving the exit blocked. The dog will be in a lot of pain, crying and pacing about. He may be drooling or attempting to be sick, usually without producing anything. He will probably look swollen, although this can be hard to spot. If you run your hand gently under his stomach, he will probably arch his back in pain. It is extremely dangerous and you must get the dog to a vet immediately if you are to save him.
Cut down on the risk of bloat by feeding two smaller meals a day, always make sure water is freely available so that he never ends up gulping a lot down in one go, and never feed him within two hours of strenuous exercise. Stress and the gulping of air while bolting food are the other main risk factors.

Useful Links:

CANINE BLOAT

BLOAT