All About Rottweiler Common Health Problems, Care, And Treatment

Yes, raising is one thing, but adopting a healthy puppy from the right source also matters when it comes to their health concerns. A puppy adopted from a trusted Rottweiler breeder will be purebred, healthy, and properly vaccinated. Having such a perfect partner at your home can significantly reduce their chances of catching such health issues.

Most commonly, Rottweilers’ health issues are often related to the bones. For example, hip dysplasia, osteosarcoma, and osteochondritis dissecans are a few prevalent health problems in Rotties. Furthermore, Rottweilers are also prone to viral infections, such as parvovirus. In addition, adult-senior Rotties can catch eye problems like retinal atrophy and entropion.

So, the primary part of this post will consist of common health problems or issues among Rottweilers, with their symptoms and treatments. Furthermore, we will see what care methods you can implement so that you can reduce the risks of these diseases in your Rottie. However, before that, let’s get a general overview of Rottweilers, so you know what you are getting into.

An Overview Of Rottweilers

Before we learn the health problems and caring tips about Rottweilers, it’s crucial we know what this breed usually consists of. This includes their size, weight, temperament, energy level, grooming needs, and life span. Understanding this lets you know if your dog lacks any of these parts and if it concerns your puppy’s health.

Common Health Problems In Rottweilers And Their Treatment

So, now you have a general idea of how a Rottweiler looks and what are their general characteristics and behaviours. With this in mind, you should be aware of the health problems which are common in Rottweilers and what treatments the healthcare providers use to treat these issues. While there are numerous health issues in Rotties, we will discuss mainly eight common health complications in a Rottweiler.

Canine Hip Dysplasia (CHD)

Hip dysplasia happens due to the fast growth of hips compared to thigh bones, which leads to weak hip joints. If you don’t treat your dog’s condition promptly, your pup can suffer from a severe illness such as degenerative joint disease (DJD). In most cases, a disease like hip dysplasia is a genetic problem in Rottweilers. This problem can worsen if your dog lacks daily exercise or is obese or overweight.

In a few cases, dogs have not experienced any pain due to this condition. Chances are your dog will live many years without facing any of its symptoms. Some symptoms of hip dysplasia in dogs include:

• Lowered activity
• Limping or lameness
• Joint looseness
• Dislocation of the hip joint
• Narrow stance, etc.

Your Rottweiler’s veterinarian will diagnose this condition by manipulating their hind legs to spot any looseness, pain, or grating. If the doctor spots any abnormality, they may ask for a blood test and hip x-ray of your dog’s affected area.

If your Rottie case is not severe, diet supplementation and weight monitoring can help manage all these symptoms. This can further lead to the use of NSAIDs if the pain remains.

On the other hand, if your Rottie case is severe, your vet may perform a surgical procedure in order to reshape the joint or use prosthetic implants. Early diagnosis in such cases can lead to better control of symptoms. Talk to your vet if you notice any of that.

Elbow Dysplasia

This health condition is quite the same as hip dysplasia. Elbow dysplasia in Rottweilers occurs because of the displacement between the bone and the joint. Although the dislocation is not the same as patellar luxation, your Rottie can still experience pain, especially if the condition is severe.

Symptoms of this health complication are pretty similar to hip dysplasia. These symptoms are:

• Legs lameness
• Abnormal gait
• Extreme pain
• Immobility
• Struggling to straighten the arm

The treatment for elbow dysplasia can differ based on the condition’s severity. While less invasive methods are available to treat this problem, sometimes doctors have to use surgery as the last option. Surgery for elbow dysplasia helps the cases where dogs experience extreme pain or decreased mobility. In most cases, these surgeries succeed and help your Rottie live a long, healthy life.

Subaortic Stenosis (SAS)

In a condition like subaortic stenosis, the area below the aortic valve turns narrow, forcing the heart to put in additional effort in order to maintain a healthy supply of blood to the rest of the body. For those unaware, the aorta is a large artery of the heart through which the blood is pumped out.

In case the narrowing is not too much, your dog’s heart will be able to adjust to the extra workload. Furthermore, there will be no symptoms. On the other hand, if your dog’s condition gets moderate or severe, they may face the following symptoms:

• Lack of energy or fatigue
• Fainting
• Weakness after showing excitement or doing exercise
• Difficulty breathing and coughing
• Shortness of breath

As per veterinarians, the disease is part of a genetic disorder. If you see your pet acting strange or feeling weak many times a day, it’s better to call your vet. Your vet will physically examine the Rottie using a stethoscope to hear your pet’s irregular heartbeats. If the vet spots your pup is suffering from SAS, they will ask you to run tests like chest x-ray, ECG (Electrocardiogram), and Echocardiogram for your dog.

For mild cases, your doctor will only monitor your dog continuously. If the condition is moderate or severe, the vet will use medication to manage your pooch’s heart rate. On the other hand, for extreme conditions, your vet may run surgery to eliminate the fibrous malformations.

Cancer

While you may not know this, cancer is said to be a common cause of death in Rottweilers, especially lymphoma. But there are a few other cancers, like bone, spleen, and liver cancer, which your dog is also prone to. However, what causes cancer in dogs is still an unknown factor.

Like how cancer can be treated in humans, dogs’ cancer can also be cured by destroying or removing the tumor using chemo or radiation therapy. Surely you would not want your pet to suffer because of this condition. However, even if your puppy develops cancer, you should know it can be treated successfully.

The cancer symptoms in Rottweiler can vary greatly. But, you must ensure you take your pet for a regular examination so there is no scope for tumor formation. In fact, a few vaccines are available for some dogs to help prevent cancer from forming.

Also Read: When Do Rottweilers Stop Growing? How To Ensure Good Health For Them?

Retinal Dysplasia

For those unaware, the retina is your Rottweiler’s rearmost part of the eyes. It comprises several receptors that help transform the data into electrical signals so your dog can interpret it. In some cases, a Rottweiler may not have the genes vital for the retina’s healthy development. And for that reason, the symptoms of this disease can vary based on the lacking genes.

The term retinal dysplasia is used to define all these abnormal retina growths. Now, talking about this ailment’s symptoms, it cannot be generalized as this disease has types too. The most common retinal dysplasia in Rotties is known as multifocal retinal dysplasia. When your dog’s condition is in this form, it will have defective receptors grouped in circles, streaks, or dots, which can lead to multiple visual impairments.

When the problem is in a mild state, your pet’s vision will be normal, with only some blind spots. However, if your pooch suffers from its aggressive form, which is total retinal dysplasia, in that condition, your Rottweiler will turn completely blind. This is because this health complication leads to complete retina detachment.

To tackle this disease, your vet will diagnose your dog’s condition using an ophthalmoscope. However, it is required that your dog is at least 12 to 16 months old so that a proper diagnosis of the retina can be made. For now, there is no cure for retinal dysplasia. But, whatever the case, your pet’s symptoms will not get worse after the retina matures.

Progressive Retinal Atrophy (PRA)

While we have discussed retinal dysplasia, we must also be aware of PRA (Progressive Retinal Atrophy). In this condition, the receptors of your retina start deteriorating as time passes, which leads to a slow pace of vision loss.

Other than that, Rottweilers can develop two types of PRA: GPRA (Generalized progressive retinal atrophy) and CPRA (Central progressive retinal atrophy). Out of these, GPRA is more common in Rotties, where all the receptors start deteriorating, leading to complete blindness. This condition is usual in old-age Rottweilers.

Meanwhile, in CPRA, the Rottie will only lose its ability to see in low-light surroundings. However, their general vision stays pretty sharp. A few symptoms of PRA include:

• Low vision at night
• Cataracts formation
• Struggling to follow hand commands
• Regular bumping into furniture and walls
• Hesitation to travel down the stairs

This disease can worsen as time passes. Therefore, if your Rottweiler has any of these symptoms, ensure you contact your vet.

The vet will diagnose PRA in your Rottweiler by running an ophthalmic examination that evaluates light responses. But, if you want a proper diagnosis for your pet, it is highly recommended that you go to a veterinary ophthalmologist, as they can perform an ERG (Electroretinogram). This test helps in precisely measuring your pooch’s retina’s electrical activity.

There is currently no cure available for PRA. However, a few vets may prescribe vitamins or antioxidant supplements to prevent any future complications. Although there is no science backing up using these products for your pet, it may still help them in the long run as they have no side effects.

Osteochondritis Dissecans

This condition is more common in canines that are of large size. As Rottweilers are also part of medium-large size dogs, osteochondritis dissecans occur throughout their joint areas. A Rottie becomes more prone to this condition when they are at the age of four to six months.

This is the age when their bones start stretching, and their cartilage turns into a joint. However, in a few cases, these bones grow faster or start growing without maintaining good alignment. Thus, this leads to bones breaking, pressing of bones against each other, or abnormal formation of joints.

Mostly, this health complication’s symptoms are similar to hip and elbow dysplasia. However, this condition can be more painful in case breaks or dislodging occurs when the bone pieces sit in open spaces or sockets.

Your vet may use an X-ray to detect these misalignments or breaks; in most cases, surgery is only open to correcting this problem. However, sometimes this OCD in dogs can worsen to a point where this treatment cannot be performed on them. And, due to this reason, a canine has to live with its wrongly formed bone frames.

Allergies (Folliculitis)

Rottweilers are generally not allergic to different things around them. However, dog coats are usually sensitive to products like shampoos as well as external factors such as dust, pollen, etc. For example, suppose you notice your Rottweiler is itching too much or there is a formation of red rashes on their body. In that case, chances are they may be suffering from folliculitis and canine allergies.

Folliculitis is a common skin condition that occurs when fungi or bacteria invade your dog’s tiny hair follicles. This health complication is visible to the eyes as red bumps, which are pretty similar to acne. You can spot them near your Rottweiler’s abdomen, armpits, and groin. As time passes, these red bumps can become bigger, leading to pus formation.

Furthermore, your pet may suffer from hair loss around the affected area and even some dark spot formation scattered around them. Folliculitis can occur in dogs who have come under contact with parasitic fungi or staph bacteria.

In addition, a Rottweiler is at more risk of developing this condition if they already have problems like other fungal or viral infections. Not only that, trauma can even play a role in it. Depending on this situation, a Rottie can face the following symptoms:

• Redness
• Hair loss
• Pigmented spots
• Pain and itching to touch
• Swelling

If you notice such symptoms in your pup, isolate them from other pets in your house and take them directly to the vet.

As physical examination cannot diagnose skin conditions properly, your vet may request tests like skin biopsy, scraping, etc., for your canine. They may prescribe ointments, topical creams, and shampoos that consist of antifungal and antibiotic medications for the treatment. Furthermore, the vet may use supportive treatment and oral medications if your Rottie’s condition is severe.

Rottweiler Care: Exercise, Diet, And Routine Care

Now, you are aware of what are the common health problems in Rottweilers. However, you cannot do much for your canine by simply knowing about these health issues. So, what are the best ways you can help your Rottie in order to prevent these health issues? Well, the most obvious route you can take is taking care of their diet, ensuring they perform regular exercise, and their body needs are fulfilled, such as brushing their teeth, coat, and bathing timely.

Other than that, make sure to take them for regular examinations to their vet and see if they are getting adequately vaccinated whenever needed. Regular check-ups are highly essential for Rottweilers as they help spot if there is any scope of a disease developing in the body.

Developing routine care for your dog can help them immensely in keeping them healthy, happy, and having a long-lasting life. Regular exercise and proper diet are critical factors in keeping your dog healthy and disease-free. This is because obesity can make your pet prone to arthritis, cancer, and various other problems. Here are the things you can do to maintain the proper health of your Rottweiler:

• Brush your dog’s teeth at least three times per week. 
• Try to maintain an appropriate diet; avoid giving them human foods.
• Provide them with a quality diet as per their group age and recommend diet by vets.
• Make sure to create a daily exercise plan for your dog without overdoing it.
• Avoid giving them tennis balls, ice cubes, bones, or hooves to chew on.

Things To Look Out For…

While we have mentioned what things you need to perform to maintain a healthy lifestyle for your Rottweiler, there are a few things you must look out for specifically. If you notice any of these things, ensure to give a call to your vet:

• Chronic diarrhea or vomiting
• Hair loss
• Unexplained weight loss or weight gain
• Itchy skin (licking or scratching)
• Lumps, moles, and bumps
• Wobbly or Unstable hind legs
• Lameness or limping
• Change in water consumption or appetite
• Pot-belly appearance
• Cloudiness, itching, or redness related to the eyes
• Shaking or scratching the head, or ear discharge
• Straining or inability to urinate
• Difficulty breathing or coughing
• Excessive sleeping or mental dullness
• Behavioral changes or aggression

These are a few signs and symptoms which can lead to various health problems in Rottweilers. Therefore, calling your vet as soon as possible is good if these symptoms exist in your Rottweiler. Quick action by you and early diagnosis can help your Rottweiler greatly in preventing the condition from worsening. So, these were some caring tips for Rottweilers, which can help prevent the occurrence of health complications in them. Try following them without fail for the best results. 

Conclusion

Adopting a Rottweiler is only part of the starting journey of caring for it. In order to confirm your Rottie’s health and safety, you must be sure of what things you can expect in the future. Health problems are common in dog breeds, and Rottweilers are no exception. However, even if they are prone to health issues, you can still manage them with the proper care and diet. Therefore, if you have already adopted a Rottie or are thinking of adopting one, ensure you are aware of these facts so you can prepare yourself wholeheartedly.

A good pet care journey always starts with adopting a healthy and purebred Rottweiler puppy from the right source. At Vom Hause Stan, you can experience this as we have Rottweiler breeders with over ten years of experience. Our puppies are disease-free, wormed, vaccinated, and come with all the papers confirming all this. So, why wait when you can experience our puppies’ paws on your palms by contacting us at (425) 329-9996 or VomHauseStan@yahoo.com.