Friday, March 09, 2018

The Not So Great Danes at Crufts


What a wonderful thing it would be if the dog show announcers told the whole truth!

When the Great Danes are paraded around the ring, the voice over would tell the audience that the Kennel Club's own breed health survey says these dogs are dead, on average, by age 7, with over 30 percent dying of inheritable heart issues, 15 percent from bloat (gastric torsion), and 5 percent being put down for temperament.

And what about costs? 

Embrace Pet Insurance puts the cost for diagnosis and treatment for bloat at $1,500-$7,500, the cost for diagnosing and treating heart issues at $500-$1,500, and the cost of treating hip dysplasia at $1,500-$6,000. As Embrace Pet Insurance notes:

Pet insurance for Great Danes costs more than for mixed breed dogs. This is because Great Danes are much more likely than mixed breed dogs to make claims for hereditary conditions that are expensive to treat.

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