White German Shepherd Health Issues - Family - Pets

The White German Shepherd is an exquisite animal. German Shepherds excel in the areas of agility, herding and tracking. This breed needs physical activity and proper nutrition to be healthy. Aside from good care, these canines need to be challenged. They are eager to learn and adapt to new training techniques quite readily.

As with all pets, certain health ailments are universal such as dog skin conditions. Dog skin can be affected by allergies, infections, environmental factors, nutritional deficiencies, parasites and neurogenic problems. Natural remedies can help with mild cases. For example, hot spots from a bug bite can be treated with black tea bags which contain tannic acid.

Grooming such as brushing and thoroughly drying a wet dog after a bath or swim are great preventative measures for skin ailments. Another grooming tip is to clean the ears of the White German Shepherd. Ears are in fact an extension of a dog's skin. This is quite important for dogs with white coats as is sunscreen to protect the lighter exposed areas of skin. Severe skin problems such as mange or a yeast infection should be addressed by your pet's doctor.

German Shepherds and larger breed dogs are subject to bone or joint dysplasia. Hip dysplasia, for example, occurs in the hip joint where the socket and ball do not quite fit together. Later in life, this condition can become extremely painful, and the dog may have trouble walking. As puppies, the White German Shepherd should not be overfed. A rapid growth rate contributes to dysplasia. The cause of hip dysplasia stems from genetics. Make sure the recent ancestors of your pet is free of this condition.

Allergies from food account for roughly ten percent of cases in the dog kingdom. The symptoms can present themselves as itching and stomach distress. To diagnose a food allergy, your veterinarian may change your dog's diet to food types that have not been eaten previously. However, there are some foods that should never be ingested by any canine. These are chocolate and grapes. Chocolate is made of bromine which cannot be metabolized by dogs. Grapes and raisins can cause renal failure. It is safe to give your dog certain foods as treats. Healthy choices are cooked turkey, chicken and beef. Canned tuna packed in oil is very nutritious. Even raw broccoli, cauliflower and peaches are acceptable (if they will eat them).

The White German Shepherd needs a lot of exercise, both mental and physical. Along with proper diet, the activities of walking, playing and learning new things such as tracking will help prevent major health issues. These include diabetes, heart and liver problems and obesity.

The German Shepherd with the white coat has evolved from working class dogs. Having a keen sense of intelligence, companionship and protective qualities, these dogs are remakable animals. By keeping your White German Shepherd healthy, they will realize their full potential as a devoted family member.