Puppy First, Health First
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The big picture
German Shepherds typically live 10–12 years.
Most German Shepherds whose hearts are checked get normal results. Like every breed, they have a few health problems that run in the family, and most are easier to manage when caught early.
A few everyday habits do a lot of the work.
Worth knowing
Each entry starts with a condition the breed is known to be prone to, then what you might notice and what helps.
This list is not exhaustive or official. Keep asking your veterinarian as your puppy grows.
Hip and elbow dysplasia are joints that develop abnormally as a puppy grows. Genes set the risk, but growth rate, weight and diet affect how severe it becomes.
Watch for front-leg limping in a young dog, or stiff hips and a bunny-hopping run.
Feed measured meals of a large-breed puppy food, keep your dog lean and skip forced running while it grows. Hip and elbow X-rays can check the joints once your dog is grown.
Degenerative myelopathy is a slowly worsening spinal cord disease that makes the hind legs wobbly in older dogs.
Watch for scuffing or wobbling hind legs late in life.
A cheek-swab DNA test shows a higher risk, not a diagnosis, and many at-risk dogs never develop it. In the senior years, ask your vet for walking and balance checks.
Exocrine pancreatic insufficiency (EPI) is a pancreas problem that runs in German Shepherd families.
Watch for weight loss with large, pale stools.
Tell your vet promptly, because the signs often show in young adults.
Pannus (chronic superficial keratitis) is an immune condition of the cornea, the clear front of the eye.
A cloudy or darkening patch on the eye is the sign to look for.
Strong sunlight and high altitude make it worse, so limit strong sun. A yearly eye exam catches it early, usually in adulthood.
Anal furunculosis (perianal fistula) is a long-lasting inflammation of the skin around the anus, mostly in middle-aged dogs.
Licking or soreness under the tail is the sign to watch for.
It often responds to medicine that calms the immune system, so see your vet early.
Less common
Fibrotic myopathy scars and tightens the rear thigh muscles, mostly in males, so have any change in how your dog walks checked.
Bloat (gastric dilatation-volvulus) is an emergency in which the stomach fills with gas and can twist.
Some German Shepherds carry a gene change that makes certain drugs riskier, and a DNA test shows it.
The heart defect from birth most often reported in the breed is patent ductus arteriosus (PDA), which a vet hears as a murmur.
Poorly formed heart valves (tricuspid and mitral valve dysplasia) can also show up first as a murmur.
A cancer of the spleen (splenic hemangiosarcoma) is linked to the breed, so get pale gums or sudden weakness in an older dog checked fast.
Pituitary dwarfism shows as poor growth and a puppy coat that stays, and a DNA test confirms it.
A narrowing at the base of the spine (degenerative lumbosacral stenosis) can make a dog slow to jump, get up or climb stairs.
DNA tests
A cheek-swab DNA test works at any age and checks for several inherited conditions.
Each result is clear (no copies of the gene change), carrier (one copy) or at risk (two copies).
A carrier is healthy.
An at-risk result means a higher chance, not a diagnosis. The Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA) keeps the DNA results that owners send in. Among German Shepherds tested there for degenerative myelopathy, about 15 in 100 were at risk. This disease starts late, and many at-risk dogs never show signs. For your dog, an at-risk result is a reason for walking and balance checks in the senior years. A drug-sensitivity test shows whether your dog carries a gene change that makes some drugs riskier. Your vet can then choose medicines with care. Panels also test for two bleeding disorders, hemophilia A and canine Scott syndrome. Other tests cover day blindness and pituitary dwarfism, among others.
Checkups your dog will get
Care plan by life stage
What the Veterinary Health Report checks
The breeder's licensed vet checks your puppy before it goes home. The vet follows PetPay's exam standards, and the results go in your puppy's Veterinary Health Report.
Focus
Heart
Heart murmur, and how loud it is (grade)
02
Breathing
How open the nostrils are · Coughing or congestion
03
Temperature, pulse and breathing rate
Temperature · Pulse · Breathing rate
04
Eyes
Discharge · Vision problems · Eyelash problems · Cherry eye
05
Ears and hearing
Debris or discharge · Ear mites · Signs of infection · Hearing
06 Focus
Mouth and bite
Teeth and jaw alignment · Bite (overbite or underbite)
07
Skin and coat
Fleas and ticks · Hair loss · Signs of infection
08
Kneecaps
Kneecaps that slip, and how much (grade)
09
Hips
Hip pain
10
Hernias
Belly-button (umbilical) hernia · Groin (inguinal) hernia
11
Soft spot on the skull
An open soft spot, and its size
12 Focus
Body condition and weight
Body condition score · Weight
13
Reproductive organs
Both testicles in place (males) · Extra skin folds around the vulva (females)
14
History of vomiting or diarrhea
Any history of vomiting or diarrhea (reported, not examined)
15
Stool test for parasites
Fecal flotation test, with any treatment given
16
Past surgery and notes
Any past surgery · The vet's explanation of anything abnormal
The vet listens to the heart with a stethoscope for a murmur.
A murmur is often followed up with a heart scan (echocardiogram). The heart defect present from birth that is most often reported in German Shepherds is patent ductus arteriosus (PDA).
The vet looks at how the upper and lower teeth meet (the bite) and at the teeth coming through.
Missing adult teeth can only be confirmed once the permanent teeth are in.
The vet weighs the puppy and compares its size and growth with its littermates.
A German Shepherd puppy that grows much more slowly than its littermates and keeps its puppy coat is looked at more closely, and a DNA test can confirm pituitary dwarfism.
The vet listens to the heart with a stethoscope for a murmur.
A murmur is often followed up with a heart scan (echocardiogram). The heart defect present from birth that is most often reported in German Shepherds is patent ductus arteriosus (PDA).
The vet looks at how the upper and lower teeth meet (the bite) and at the teeth coming through.
Missing adult teeth can only be confirmed once the permanent teeth are in.
The vet weighs the puppy and compares its size and growth with its littermates.
A German Shepherd puppy that grows much more slowly than its littermates and keeps its puppy coat is looked at more closely, and a DNA test can confirm pituitary dwarfism.
Puppies grow and change quickly, and their immune systems are still developing, so no exam can find everything. The Veterinary Health Report is a strong early look at your puppy and a written starting point that your own vet builds on.
Health guarantee
Every Pawrade puppy comes with a health guarantee administered by PetPay, independent of the seller. The terms are on the health guarantee page.
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Frequently asked questions
The conditions that run in the breed are hip and elbow dysplasia, degenerative myelopathy, exocrine pancreatic insufficiency (EPI), anal furunculosis, pannus and fibrotic myopathy. A lean weight, a yearly exam that covers the eyes and heart, and knowing the signs of bloat help you stay ahead of them.
Hip dysplasia is one of the conditions the breed is known to be prone to, and it is not fixed at birth. Growth rate, body weight and diet affect how severe it becomes, so a large-breed puppy food and a lean puppy help.
Large, deep-chested breeds such as the German Shepherd have a higher risk of bloat (gastric dilatation-volvulus), and the risk rises with age. Restless pacing, retching that brings nothing up or a swollen belly is an emergency. Your vet can discuss a preventive stomach surgery (gastropexy).
Pannus is an immune condition of the cornea, the clear front of the eye, that strong sunlight and high altitude make worse. It usually appears in adulthood, so a yearly eye exam and less strong sun are the practical steps.
Degenerative myelopathy is a slowly worsening spinal cord disease of older dogs. A cheek-swab DNA test can be done at any age. An at-risk result does not mean the dog will develop it, and a carrier is healthy.
Cheek-swab DNA panels test for degenerative myelopathy, drug sensitivity, bleeding disorders such as hemophilia A, pituitary dwarfism and several other conditions. A carrier is healthy, and an at-risk result is a higher chance, not a diagnosis.
Some are, because some German Shepherds carry a gene change that makes certain drugs riskier. A cheek-swab or blood test shows whether a dog has it. Approved heartworm-preventive doses tested safe.
German Shepherds typically live 10–12 years. From about 8 years, senior wellness visits with bloodwork every 6–12 months help catch problems early.
Book senior wellness visits with bloodwork and a urine test, and ask for walking and balance checks. Keep gentle daily exercise, such as walks and swimming, and have hind-leg scuffing, sudden weakness or collapse checked promptly.
Keep your German Shepherd lean, book a yearly exam that covers the eyes and heart, and limit strong sun. Learn the signs of bloat, and avoid big meals and hard exercise around mealtimes.
German Shepherds are not a flat-faced breed, but the thick double coat copes only moderately well with heat. Exercise in the cooler hours on hot days, and never shave the coat, because it insulates the dog.
