One thing any dog owner wants is for their pet to live a long and happy life where the dog can be as healthy as possible for as long as possible. While natural occurrences such as disease or injury are down to chance, there are in fact a lot of dog breeds that are susceptible to poor health.

Many breeds face high rates of genetic diseases, injuries related to their body size or shape, or conditions or ailments that are due to their coats or skin. This can not only be a great cause of pain for the dog, especially in later life, but the owner too. Nobody wants to endure seeing their pet suffer for any prolonged time, and the fact that regular trips to vets can prove costly only add to the stresses.

For these reasons, many prospective dog owners hope to find a breed of dog that is naturally healthy, making sure that long-term health problems are kept to a minimum.

Take a look at what many regard as naturally the healthiest dog breeds:-

Foxhound

As a working dog breed, the foxhound has traditionally been bred to be the most effective dog for the job at hand – which means a healthy dog was more important than an attractive looking one. So with function being the key factor to a good foxhound, disease and illness tends to bred out.

Their lifespan is usually between 11 and 13 years, so they get a nice long life, which is perfect for those seeking a family pet. With no genetic health problems to worry about, infrequent visits to the vet can be expected with the foxhound.

Border Collies

With some life expectancies as high as 14-15 years, the Border Collie is a very healthy dog for the most part. Full of energy and incredibly intelligence, with enough regular exercise and training, a Border Collie can expect a long and healthy life.

They aren’t immune to illness, and in later life they could be more prone to seizures and hypothyroidism. Other than that though, health concerns are pretty low.

Mixed Breeds

Mixed breeds are quickly being recognised as naturally healthy dog breeds than pedigrees. This can firstly be credited to the fact that they are bred without any sort of inbreeding, which is a leading cause of genetic health conditions in dog breeds.

With more than one breed of genetics, a more unique genetic makeup can be found in mixed breeds. This will result in lower levels of genetically based diseases found in many dog breeds. One study has claimed that mixed breeds could face as many as ten fewer genetic diseases than pure breeds.

This means common diseases such as hypothyroidism, skeletal ailments, and several heart diseases can be avoided with mixed breeds. In general this can lead to mixed breeds having much longer lives filled with fewer trips to the vet.