Poodle Health Problems

Common Poodle Problems

Poodle health problems, although rare, do happen.  Some diseases show up more frequently in poodles than other breeds of dogs.

Here is a list of more common poodle health problems:

Addison's Disease

This is a disease of adrenal gland insufficiency. 

Cataracts

This is a condition where the lens of the eye appears to turn white.  This condition results in decreased visibility and in severe cases blindness in poodles.

Congential Heart Disease

Commonly the defect is in the mitral valve in poodles resulting in regurgitation of blood back into the left atrium.

Chronic Active Hepatitis

This is an inflammation of the liver either due to a virus or an unknown etiology.

Cushing's Syndrome

This is an endocrine disorder due to an adrenal gland problem.

Distichiasis

This is a condition where a stray hair grows into the eye irritating it.

Entropion

Entropion is a drooping eyelid that overturns and results in hair from the eyelid scratching the cornea.

Epilepsy

This is a neurological condition resulting in episodic seizures.

Glaucoma

This is a condition of the poodle's eye.  Fluid normally produced in the eye cannot drain out resulting in a build up of pressure in the eye which is very painful and can result in blindness.

Intervertebral Disc Disease

This a painful condition of the spine where the spinal discs that are between every vertebrae for cushion become dislodged resulting in a lot of pain and in sever cases paralysis of the poodle.

Legg-Calve-Perthes Syndrome

For these poodle health problems the head and neck of the femur essentially have a poor blood supply resulting in a weakening of the this bone.  Surgery is needed to remove these parts of the femur. 

Progressive Retinal Atrophy

This a condition of the poodle eye where the retina essentially whithers due to lack of blood supply.  It is seen in middle aged poodles and results in total blindness.

Patellar Luxation (Toy and Miniature)

Poodle knee problems happen in the smaller types.  The patella or kneecap does not stay in place resulting in pain and limping one the hind legs.  This condition sometimes results in the need to have surgery.

Hip Dysplasia (Standard)

Hip dysplasia in poodle is a problem with the hip socket.  The hip socket is either not fully formed or the ligaments do not hold the femur in place.  This can lead to arthritis in poodles.

Gastric Torsion

This is a twisting of the stomach on it self that sometimes can progress to gastric dilatation.

Sebaceous Adenitis

Poodles with this condition have a genetic defect of the sebaceous glands.  This could be due to infection or inflammation of the glands, resulting in hair loss and a bad odor. 

Gastric Dilatation-Volvulus (Standard)

This is where the stomach twists on itself resulting in gas being trapped in the stomach.  The stomach bloats and it results in an incredibly painful condition for the poodle.  Emergency surgery is required.

Von Willebrand's Disease

Von Willebrand's disease is a problem in poodles that results in an inability to clot blood.  There is a missing factor in the clotting cascade.  This could result in the poodle bleeding to death due to lacerations or due to surgery.  This is a rare condition.

As you can see there are several poodle health problems to be aware of.  But remember in general poodles are very healthy and rarely have health issues.  Listed here are some dog health issues that are seen at a slightly higher incidence than other breeds.