OES'health

The OES is a country dog not too keen on vet examinations.

One important thing needs to be known: the frailty of his intestinal flora. An OES is a dog who can’t stand sudden changes in his food habits very well. The “aside” treats should also be banned. He is much better off with his dog food only and his masters’ leftovers can have embarrassing consequences because they most often end up in diarrhoea.

It is also important to know that, just like every other large breed, the OES can be subject to:

Coxo-femoral dysplasia (that is to say hip dysplasia) which –if at an advanced level-can cause disabling arthrosis. This affection can have two origins: hereditary (the French OES club (Bobtail club de France) includes an official hip X-Ray reading to obtain quotation 2 or more of the dogs, and recommends stage A or B for the parents) and by accident, for example when the dog was overweighed during his growth or had to climb a lot of stairs.

Gastric torsion which in fact is a reversal of the stomach, and which can (most of the time) cause the death of the dog if he doesn’t have surgery in the next couple of hours after the first symptoms appear.

But once more, these problems do not only exist with the OES, but with all the large breeds.

We will conclude by saying that the Old English Sheepdogs like everybody but vets! (At least when they are in function, when not, they love them!)