The debate over whether having a purebred dog or a mixed breed mutt as a pet will always be raging but there are some real advantages to choosing a pet of the Heinz 57 variety. Recent studies of pet insurance claims found that purebred dog accounted for the largest proportion of claims.
The reason for the problem is that purebred dogs tend to have more health problems than do mutts. Because there is less genetic variety in purebreds, genetic health problems tend to show up more frequently. Some of these problems have actually been caused by the way the dog has been bred.
Many purebred dogs have a history of genetic problems. For example, Great Danes and other large dogs suffer from hip dysplasia in greater numbers. Smaller dogs, such as Yorkies, have a bigger risk of leg injury because they can break a bone or injury their knees by jumping off the couch.
Non-purebred dogs, on the other hand, don’t have such a great risk. Because the parents of the mutt are not going to share the same genes, they will be less likely to pass on genes in such a way as to cause these problems from occurring in the first place.
Why does this information matter so much? For one, you don’t want to have a pet that needs a great deal of medical care. For another, some pet insurance companies may charge higher premiums for purebred dogs, especially those with higher than average claim proportions. That gives you another good reason to find your next pet at the local shelter.
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