Last Updated on April 24, 2024 by Dr. Julie
Illnesses manifest through symptoms, so it’s important for you to learn what are the symptoms of Rottweiler health problems. A dog can show that they’re in pain or that they’re ill in many different ways. The most appropriate reaction to any of these is taking your dog to see the vet, and in today’s article, we’ll learn how to recognize symptoms of health problems your Rottweiler might show!
Table of Contents
Rottweiler Health Problems Symptoms
There are many different illnesses that your dog might suffer from one day and we’ll go over that list in detail later. What’s important to learn now is that your dog will show you that they’re in pain if it comes down to that. These symptoms can be very obvious, like your dog whimpering, or very subtle, like them being inactive.
Make sure you recognize these symptoms if they actually arise and take your dog to the vet.
Food and digestion
Some of the most obvious and the most common symptoms are related to food and digestion. If in pain, especially if it’s internal pain we’re talking about, your dog might minimize the amount of food they eat. This usually happens if eating’s difficult for them.
They might also decide to stop eating completely, which is surely a cause for concern. Instinctively, dogs will never starve themselves and if this happens, you should definitely take it to see the vet.
This relates to digestion as well. You might notice that your dog can’t process urine or feces. You might also see blood in feces or urine or diarrhea. All of these are serious symptoms and you should take your dog to the vet urgently! It might be something as simple as indigestion or constipation, but even more serious problems are possible.
It’s also possible for your dog to start overeating and constantly requesting more and more food. This might be a sign of a hormonal change!
Body language, vocal, and behavioral symptoms
Your dog might also decide to confine themselves to an area where they feel comfortable. They do this as a defensive mechanism – a reaction to the pain they’re most likely feeling. If you notice that your dog ran off to their house and won’t leave – they could be dealing with health issues. At this stage, it’s also possible for them to whimper, especially if you touch a painful area.
It’s not uncommon for a dog to become aggressive, too. They’re not doing this because they actually consider you a threat, but because they’re very vulnerable and everything is an intrusion from their perspective. You might see them growling and showing their teeth to you, even though you’re aware that they would never bite you. This is almost always a sure sign that your dog is in pain!
If your dog is in pain, they won’t mind separating themselves from everyone else. Even if they’re usually very social, dogs in pain can quickly become asocial, refusing to spend time with people.
Mechanical symptoms
If you notice your dog bleeding, limping, being unable to walk, eat, lie down, get up – or do anything else that they would normally do without any effort properly – you should take them to the vet, especially if it persists. If your dog is limping, for example, it might go away after a few hours. Dogs sprain their legs the same way people do, and taking your dog to the vet just because of a minor sprain is a waste of your and the vet’s time, as the dog’s body will heal itself.
However, if symptoms like these persist for more than a day, you should definitely seek veterinary attention as soon as possible.
Common Rottweiler Health Problems
Every dog breed is susceptible to certain medical conditions more than others and Rotties aren’t an exception.
When it comes to Rottweiler genetic diseases, they’re more susceptible to hip dysplasia than most other breeds. This is more or less the rule for most large dog breeds. Hip dysplasia is a condition wherein the ball and the socket of the hip don’t fit the way they should.
Eventually, this will lead to arthritis and unfortunately, a painful life for the dog. However, there are ways of detecting potential hip dysplasia susceptibility in dogs before they breed, leading to the eradication of this gene.
Some other common Rottweiler medical problems are various heart problems. An example of this is subaortic stenosis, which can cause heart murmurs, fainting, and even sudden death. Luckily, the potential for this can be detected before breeding if you put your dog through proper screening tests.
Then, we have juvenile laryngeal paralysis and polyneuropathy. This scary-sounding condition is actually a progressive failure of the nerves (meaning it happens in stages). It affects the nerves which control the dog’s voice and their hind legs. Like the previous two conditions, it’s possible to take a screening test before breeding to root this problem out.
One of the more common Rottweiler health issues that aren’t talked about enough is elbow dysplasia, which is very similar to hip dysplasia. This condition causes the elbow joint to improperly fit, which leads to arthritis, just like hip dysplasia does. This form of dysplasia can also be found before breeding, however, which is why vets recommend that dog owners do the screening tests before they allow their dogs to breed.
Depending on the degree of severity, some of these conditions can be helped, while others, unfortunately, can’t.
Read more about How Common Is Arthritis In Rottweilers?
In Conclusion
Rottweilers aren’t immune to the range of illnesses and conditions a dog can develop. Luckily, you can screen test your dog before breeding to ensure that the genes that are responsible for these conditions aren’t passed on. Rottweilers can show that they’re in pain in many ways, some more obvious than others.
Because of this, it’s important to keep track of your dog’s diet and stool, as well as their exercise habits and their behavior. Some dogs can even become aggressive once they start feeling pain.
