Puppy First, Health First
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The big picture
Like any cross, a Havapoo can inherit health problems from either side of its family, the Havanese or the Toy or Miniature Poodle.
Being a cross does not, on its own, make a puppy healthier. This page explains the conditions its parent breeds are known to be prone to, and what you can do about each one.
A few everyday habits help prevent many common problems.
Keep your dog lean, brush its teeth often, walk it on a harness and book a checkup every year.
Worth knowing
Eye, knee, hip, liver, windpipe, heart and gum problems are conditions its parent breeds are known to be prone to.
This list is not exhaustive or official. Keep asking your veterinarian as your puppy grows.
Cataracts, a clouding of the lens, run on both the Havanese and the Poodle sides. The Havanese side can also pass on extra eyelashes (distichiasis), and the Poodle side a slow loss of sight called progressive retinal atrophy (PRA).
Watch for cloudy eyes or trouble seeing at night.
Have any eye change checked, and ask your vet about a yearly eye exam by a veterinary eye specialist.
A slipping kneecap (patellar luxation) runs on both Poodle sides. Hip dysplasia, a hip joint that forms poorly, runs on the Havanese and Miniature Poodle sides. A hip problem of young dogs, Legg-Calvé-Perthes disease, runs on the Toy Poodle side.
You might see a skip or hop in the step, or a young dog limping on a back leg.
Keep your puppy lean while it grows, and have your vet check any limp.
A liver shunt (portosystemic shunt) is present from birth, and it runs on the Havanese side. A related problem with the small blood vessels in the liver, called portal vein hypoplasia, runs on the Toy Poodle side.
A puppy that grows slowly or acts oddly after meals needs a vet check.
A bile acid blood test screens for both, so ask your vet about it if your puppy is small or slow-growing.
Tracheal collapse is a weakening of the windpipe, and it runs on the Toy Poodle side. It usually shows up in middle age or later.
Listen for a honking cough.
Walk your dog on a harness rather than a collar, and keep it lean.
A heart valve disease of older dogs, called myxomatous mitral valve disease, runs on the Miniature Poodle side. In Miniature Poodles it usually starts late in life and is often mild.
It is often found first as a murmur your vet hears.
Your vet listens to the heart at every checkup, and a new murmur may lead to a heart scan.
Gum disease (periodontal disease) runs on the Toy Poodle side. Small dogs have crowded teeth, which makes dental disease more likely.
Baby teeth that stay in are common in small breeds, so look in the mouth as the adult teeth arrive.
Brush the teeth at least three times a week, and plan a yearly professional cleaning.
Less common
An underactive thyroid gland, called hypothyroidism (Havanese side): weight gain, tiredness or coat changes are a reason to ask for a thyroid test.
Short, bowed front legs, called chondrodysplasia (Havanese side): a DNA test shows whether a dog carries the gene change.
Strands of tissue left in the eye from before birth, called persistent pupillary membranes (Havanese side): the common form usually causes no problems.
Diabetes (Toy and Miniature Poodle sides): yearly vet exams help catch it.
An unstable joint at the top of the neck, called atlantoaxial instability (Toy Poodle side): it is present from birth.
An optic nerve that did not fully form, called optic nerve hypoplasia (Miniature Poodle side): the affected eye cannot see.
A form of dwarfism, called osteochondrodysplasia (Miniature Poodle side): a DNA test can find it.
DNA tests
A cheek-swab DNA test can check a dog for several uncommon inherited diseases from both parent breeds. It works at any age, even in young puppies. Each result comes back as clear, carrier or at risk. A clear dog did not show the gene change the test looks for. A carrier has one copy of the gene change and is healthy. An at-risk result means a higher chance of the condition, not a diagnosis. With a bleeding disorder called von Willebrand disease, for example, an at-risk dog may never develop it.
Tests from the Poodle side look for one form of PRA, a seizure disease of newborn puppies, a nerve disease called gangliosidosis and a form of dwarfism. From the Havanese side, tests look for a clotting disorder called hemophilia A and the gene change behind short, bowed front legs. Tests from both sides look for von Willebrand disease and a gene change that raises the risk of back disc disease. A test being available does not mean the condition is common in Havapoos.
Checkups your dog will get
Care plan by life stage
Planning for Havapoo vet costs
These are typical published costs for treating what a Havapoo vet exam looks at and the conditions its parent breeds are known to be prone to. Each range shows where it comes from and when, and your own vet's estimate will differ.
| Item | Typical cost | Per | Source | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Specialist's first exam (consultation fee only) | $198–$350 | per visit | at US veterinary teaching hospitals (Michigan, Missouri, Tennessee) | 2023–2026 |
| Eye tests before cataract surgery (ERG and eye ultrasound) | $500–$1,300 | per workup | at US veterinary teaching hospitals (Missouri, Tennessee) | 2025–2026 |
| Cataract surgery, one eye | $3,800–$5,500 | per eye | at one US veterinary teaching hospital (Missouri) | 2023–2025 |
| Cataract surgery, both eyes under one anesthetic | $5,600–$6,700 | at one US veterinary teaching hospital (Missouri) | 2025 |
| Item | Typical cost | Per | Source | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dental disease care in the first 30 days after diagnosis (80th percentile of insurance claims) | $1,284–$1,420 | per 30 days after diagnosis | US pet insurer claims data (US) | 2024–2025 |
| Item | Typical cost | Per | Source | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Specialist's first exam (consultation fee only) | $198–$350 | per visit | at US veterinary teaching hospitals (Michigan, Missouri, Tennessee) | 2023–2026 |
| Item | Typical cost | Per | Source | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liver shunt workup (before any surgery) | $1,622–$3,937 | per workup | at one US veterinary teaching hospital (Tennessee) | 2026 |
| Liver shunt surgery, shunt outside the liver (workup and surgery) | $5,408–$7,571 | per procedure | at one US veterinary teaching hospital (Tennessee) | 2026 |
| Liver shunt surgery, shunt inside the liver, open surgery (workup and surgery) | $6,685–$9,605 | per procedure | at one US veterinary teaching hospital (Tennessee) | 2026 |
| Liver shunt closure with coils through a vein (workup and procedure) | $10,600–$12,309 | per procedure | at one US veterinary teaching hospital (Tennessee) | 2026 |
| Item | Typical cost | Per | Source | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Collapsing trachea workup (before a stent) | $2,000–$3,500 | per workup | at one US veterinary teaching hospital (Missouri) | 2023 |
| Tracheal stent placement | $3,200–$3,600 | per procedure | at one US veterinary teaching hospital (Missouri) | 2023 |
| Tracheal stent, workup and placement together | $5,900–$6,500 | per procedure | at one US veterinary teaching hospital (Missouri) | 2023 |
Planning for pet insurance
When you are ready to compare plans, here is one option for Pawrade buyers.
Only with Pawrade, you receive a pet insurance policy with no waiting period included for immediate accident or illness coverage, 1 month, with every puppy.† You activate it by calling MetLife; instructions arrive with your travel details. Continuing MetLife coverage after the first month is strongly recommended.
View the MetLife 30-day offer →†NH, NY, RI, SC and TN residents excluded. Activated by calling MetLife; coverage begins immediately following policy activation. See the offer for full terms.
Whichever plan you look at, read the policy before you buy. Check the waiting periods, how it defines a pre-existing condition, and its deductible, reimbursement percentage and annual limit.
A waiting period is how long after you buy a pet insurance policy before a claim counts.
| Policy | Accidents | Illness | Joints |
|---|---|---|---|
| MetLife policy included with your Pawrade puppy† | None | None | None |
| MetLife, bought directly | None | 14 days | Not listed |
| Industry standard | 0–14 days | 14–30 days | 6–12 months |
| Nationwide | 14 days | 14 days | Not listed |
| Trupanion | 5 days | 30 days | 30 days |
| Embrace | 2 days | 14 days | 6 months |
| Figo | 1 day | 14 days | Not listed |
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 Focus
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 Focus
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 present from birth.
Puppyhood is a good time for this first heart check.
With a light and magnification, the vet looks for extra eyelashes and any cloudiness of the lens.
Leftover strands of tissue in the eye (persistent pupillary membranes) are another eye finding to ask your own vet about.
The vet checks the bite, looks for crowded or retained baby teeth and, in males, feels for both testicles.
The vet feels both knees to check that the kneecaps stay in place.
A slipping kneecap (patellar luxation) runs in Toy and Miniature Poodles.
The vet compares your puppy's size and growth with its littermates.
A puppy that grows slowly or acts oddly after meals may have a liver shunt, which a bile acid blood test checks for.
The vet listens to the heart with a stethoscope for a murmur present from birth.
Puppyhood is a good time for this first heart check.
With a light and magnification, the vet looks for extra eyelashes and any cloudiness of the lens.
Leftover strands of tissue in the eye (persistent pupillary membranes) are another eye finding to ask your own vet about.
The vet checks the bite, looks for crowded or retained baby teeth and, in males, feels for both testicles.
The vet feels both knees to check that the kneecaps stay in place.
A slipping kneecap (patellar luxation) runs in Toy and Miniature Poodles.
The vet compares your puppy's size and growth with its littermates.
A puppy that grows slowly or acts oddly after meals may have a liver shunt, which a bile acid blood test checks for.
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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Lucy · Havapoo“I was very happy with the entire process. Your communication was wonderful. The puppy is happy and healthy! The transport team did an excellent job and were again amazing with communication. Every one was kind and friendly. I highly recommend!”
Havapoo Puppies for Sale
Frequently asked questions
A Havapoo can inherit conditions its parent breeds are known to be prone to, from the Havanese and the Toy or Miniature Poodle. The ones most worth knowing about are eye problems such as cataracts, slipping kneecaps, hip problems, a liver shunt, a weak windpipe, heart valve disease and gum disease. Less common ones include an underactive thyroid, diabetes and a neck joint problem present from birth.
Copy link to this questionNot automatically, because parent-breed conditions can pass to crosses. For many disorders, mixed-breed and purebred dogs show few health differences.
Copy link to this questionA slipping kneecap (patellar luxation) runs on both the Toy and the Miniature Poodle sides. It shows as a skipping or hopping step, and your vet can feel the knees at puppy visits.
Copy link to this questionA liver shunt (congenital portosystemic shunt) is present from birth, and it runs on the Havanese side. A puppy that grows poorly or acts oddly after meals needs a vet check, and a bile acid blood test screens for it.
Copy link to this questionCheek-swab DNA tests check for several uncommon inherited diseases from both parent breeds. They include one form of progressive retinal atrophy (PRA) and a bleeding disorder called von Willebrand disease. Each result is clear, carrier or at risk. A carrier has one copy of a gene change and is healthy, and an at-risk result means a higher chance of the disease, not a diagnosis.
Copy link to this questionYour vet can check the knees, eyelids and lashes at the first puppy visits. Many inherited eye problems appear later, so a yearly eye exam by a veterinary eye specialist is worth asking about once your dog is grown.
Copy link to this questionOlder Havapoos do best with checkups twice a year, with the heart listened to at every visit. Watch for a new heart murmur, a cough or tiring, worsening vision and stiffness from hip or knee arthritis.
Copy link to this questionKeep up dental care, gentle joint-friendly exercise and a lean weight. If your vet hears a new murmur, a heart scan (echocardiogram) is the usual next step.
Copy link to this questionEveryday habits do most of the work: keep your dog lean, brush its teeth often, walk it on a harness and book a yearly checkup.
Copy link to this questionA harness is the better choice, because it keeps pressure off the windpipe. A weak windpipe (tracheal collapse) runs on the Toy Poodle side.
Copy link to this questionFeel rather than look, because the coat hides weight gain, so check body condition with your hands. Keep a growing puppy lean, too.
Copy link to this question
