Puppy First, Health First
MetLife pet insurance1 month included with every puppy†
Real people, daily9AM–11PM EST(888) 729-8812
The big picture
Rottweilers typically live 9–10 years.
Most Rottweilers checked for heart problems present from birth 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.
This page covers the conditions the breed is known to be prone to, DNA tests, checkups, typical eye treatment costs and a care plan by life stage.
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.
In hip and elbow dysplasia, the joints form badly as a puppy grows, and both run in the breed.
Watch for a limp in a growing dog, which for elbows often first shows between 4 and 12 months.
Keep your puppy lean, and skip jumping and forced running while the growth plates are open. A limp in a growing dog is worth an early vet visit, where X-rays can check the joints.
Rottweilers are more likely than most dogs to get bone cancer of the legs, called osteosarcoma.
It mostly affects middle-aged and older dogs, often first as a limp that lasts or a swelling on a leg bone.
Have a lasting limp or bone swelling in an adult X-rayed promptly, rather than resting it as a sprain.
A knee ligament can weaken and tear, called cranial cruciate ligament disease, often in young adults and sometimes in both knees.
A sudden hind-leg limp is the usual sign.
Keep your Rottweiler lean, since extra weight strains the joints. Talk with your vet about spay or neuter timing, because neutering is linked to more knee injuries in the breed.
Some Rottweilers are born with a narrowing below a heart valve, called subvalvular aortic stenosis (SAS).
It is usually first heard as a heart murmur, but a mild case can be missed with a stethoscope.
Ask your vet to listen to the heart at each puppy visit. A heart scan (echocardiogram) can find a mild case that a stethoscope misses.
A cloudy patch in the lens of the eye, called cataract, runs in the breed.
It is usually found at an adult eye exam, not in a young puppy.
Keep eye exams in your dog's yearly adult checkups, so any change is tracked over time.
Less common
JLPP (juvenile laryngeal paralysis and polyneuropathy) is a nerve disorder of young puppies, and a DNA test finds it.
LEMP (leukoencephalomyelopathy) slowly makes a young adult's walk wobbly, and a DNA test finds it.
NAD (neuroaxonal dystrophy) slowly takes away a young adult's balance, and a DNA test finds it.
Bloat, when the stomach swells and can twist, is more likely in Rottweilers than in most dogs, so feed measured meals.
Some Rottweilers have eyelids that roll in or out, and your vet can check them.
An underactive thyroid is a bit more common in the breed, and a blood test can find it.
Two other cancers also show up in the breed: lymphoma, in the lymph nodes, and hemangiosarcoma, in the blood vessels.
DNA tests
A cheek-swab DNA test checks for several inherited conditions in Rottweilers, including JLPP, LEMP and NAD.
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, and some at-risk dogs never show signs. Among Rottweilers with JLPP results sent to OFA, about 13 in 100 were carriers. Owners choose which results to send in, so this describes tested dogs, not every Rottweiler. An affected puppy shows signs within its first months, so a DNA result is worth having early, and a carrier stays healthy. Tests are also available for a spinal cord disease called degenerative myelopathy and a muscle disease called X-linked myotubular myopathy. Others cover thick footpads, early deafness and an eye disease called cone-rod dystrophy. There is no DNA test for hip or elbow dysplasia, torn knee ligaments, the heart narrowing called SAS or cataract.
Checkups your dog will get
Care plan by life stage
Planning for Rottweiler vet costs
These are typical published costs for treating what a Rottweiler vet exam looks at and the conditions the breed is 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 |
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
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
Body condition and weight
Body condition score · Weight
13 Focus
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 narrowing below a heart valve that is present from birth (subvalvular aortic stenosis) is often heard early when it is moderate or severe. A mild case can be missed, so your own vet keeps listening at each vaccine visit.
The vet looks over the eyes, including for any cloudiness of the lens.
Eyelids that roll in or out (entropion or ectropion) are something to watch for as your puppy grows.
The vet checks the bite and the teeth.
In Rottweilers the bite matters for the breed standard, not for health.
In a male puppy, the vet feels for both testicles.
The vet listens to the heart with a stethoscope for a murmur.
A narrowing below a heart valve that is present from birth (subvalvular aortic stenosis) is often heard early when it is moderate or severe. A mild case can be missed, so your own vet keeps listening at each vaccine visit.
The vet looks over the eyes, including for any cloudiness of the lens.
Eyelids that roll in or out (entropion or ectropion) are something to watch for as your puppy grows.
The vet checks the bite and the teeth.
In Rottweilers the bite matters for the breed standard, not for health.
In a male puppy, the vet feels for both testicles.
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.
Customers Love Us!
Hanson · Rottweiler“The experience was a positive one. Everything went as expected. He is a little underweight but the Vets and I can come up with a good diet for him. James Teatom”
Rottweiler Puppies for Sale
Frequently asked questions
Rottweilers are known to be prone to hip and elbow dysplasia, bone cancer (osteosarcoma), knee ligament disease and a heart narrowing called subvalvular aortic stenosis. They are also prone to cataract and to three inherited nerve disorders that DNA tests can find. These are juvenile laryngeal paralysis and polyneuropathy (JLPP), leukoencephalomyelopathy (LEMP) and neuroaxonal dystrophy (NAD). A lean weight, gentle exercise while the joints grow and a prompt vet visit for any lasting limp help you stay ahead of them.
Bone cancer of the legs (osteosarcoma) is much more common in Rottweilers than in crossbred dogs, mostly in middle-aged and older dogs. Have a lasting limp or a bone swelling in an adult Rottweiler X-rayed promptly, rather than resting it as a sprain. Lymphoma and hemangiosarcoma also show up in the breed.
Hip and elbow dysplasia, where the joints form badly as a puppy grows, both run in the breed. Of Rottweiler hip X-rays graded by the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA), about 1 in 5 were rated dysplastic. Owners choose which X-rays to send in, so this describes screened dogs, not every Rottweiler. Keep your puppy lean, and skip jumping and forced running while the joints grow.
Rottweilers are among the breeds at higher risk of bloat, where the stomach swells and can twist (gastric dilatation-volvulus). Fast eating, a raised bowl and large meals add to the risk, so feed measured meals from a floor-level bowl.
Cheek-swab tests cover juvenile laryngeal paralysis and polyneuropathy (JLPP), leukoencephalomyelopathy (LEMP), neuroaxonal dystrophy, X-linked myotubular myopathy, thick footpads, early-onset deafness and degenerative myelopathy. A carrier is healthy, and an at-risk result means a higher chance of the condition, not a diagnosis.
JLPP (juvenile laryngeal paralysis and polyneuropathy) is an inherited nerve disorder that shows in young puppies, and a cheek-swab DNA test finds it. Results come back as clear, carrier or at risk. A carrier has one copy of the gene change and is healthy.
Rottweilers typically live 9–10 years. Keeping your dog lean, and having any lasting limp or bone swelling checked promptly, are good habits as it ages.
As Rottweilers age, watch for stiff joints and for any lasting limp or bone swelling, which needs prompt X-rays. Your vet can help manage arthritis with weight control and pain relief.
Studies have linked neutering to more knee ligament (cruciate) injuries in Rottweilers. When to spay or neuter is a decision to make with your own vet, based on things like sex and adult size.
Rottweiler puppies have often been found at higher risk of parvovirus, a serious gut infection, so finishing the full vaccine series matters. Ask your vet about the timing of the final booster. Until the series is done, keep your puppy away from unknown dogs and busy dog areas.
Start on a large-breed puppy food, feed measured meals and keep treats small. A lean weight matters because extra weight makes joint disease worse.
