These are questions I am often asked in regard to the Neapolitan Mastiff in particular.
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Q: I know all breeds can have problems often unique to the breed what
are the most common or most unique problems should I expect from a Neo.
A: Depends on the type of Neo you buy how MUCH trouble you can expect but all are prone to Cherry eye, can be fixed easily CUT IT OUT do not be talked into sewing it back in
Q: Why say it depends on what type I buy?
A: many breeders, weather they know it or not (many do not know it) are breeding dogs with recessive traits that most breeders try to breed out of dogs, not in, this includes huge amounts of thick wrinkles and very loose skin. These thick wrinkles can only be as thick as is liked if a substance called glycosaminoglycans is present under the skin, this substance can only be produced by dogs with low thyroid function the more 'typy' he is the lower his thyroid function will be, this is probably why pups lose their wrinkles for a time as they get to around 3 to 4 months old, wrinkles often just disappear and do not come back fully until the dogs is twelve to 18 months old and in the typy Neo they will continue to get thicker and more profuse as he gets older, if he has normal thyroid function this will not happen he will remain plainer with a few wrinkles but not the thick heavy ones which can only exist if the underlying or subcutaneous tissue has been infiltrated with glycosaminoglycans which are a gelatinous sugar protein substance not found in a healthy dog with normal thyroid function.
Another offshoot of this hypothyroidism is lower immune system also exacerbated by inbreeding, bad hearts skin problems, fertility problems, you may test a young dog and be told the levels are right, but this in a typy dog, will only be temporary, ongoing tests will show a decrease as the dog gets older and the thyroid function decreases.
Q: do they tend to get hip and or elbow dysplasia.
A:They do, but take care before jumping to the conclusion that your dog is a cripple here, they have loose joints and care must be taken in rearing, many vets will x ray a limping pup and diagnose dysplasia,when they see this looseness: Leave it alone, by the time the dog is grown there is frequently no problem!! never make any decision about dysplasia until the dog is at least 18 months old or a bit more no matter what a vet may say, looseness does not mean crippled with these dogs. Keep your dog lean also give Sea Tone green lipped muscle extract, glucosamine and fish oil capsules to help his bones do not give extra calcium but do feed a diet rich in it and do NOT throw balls ect. the sudden stops and turns are bad for those loose joints and soft growing bones. Also read the list at the end of this page of other conditions which may affect giant or large breeds.
Few Neos actually suffer crippling dysplasias if handled right, although very large dogs may not be able to get about for long due to their sheer bulk.
Q: Why are they so loose.
A: I do not think this is known for sure but roughly due to selecting breeding stock who are showing signs of recessive genetic faults to start with, most breeders would cull dogs with to much excess skin or shortened leg bones or tissues so loose that they often seem to want to let all his bits fall apart! Neapolitan Mastiffs have been likened to people with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome such people have very loose connective tissue and can do the most amazing things with joints which are loose and often will not even stay in sockets! their skin also hangs in folds. Over all it is a very undesirable condition.
Q: Will a less typy dog not have these problems.
A: He may or may not have some of them, the percentage of less typy Neos who make it through to old age is far higher and their vets bills generally far lower than the typy dog, you need to decide if you want a dog who has a hope of being around for a long time or a so called romantic icon. Personally I see no benefit in loosing a great companion early simply to comply to fashion.
Q: Why breed a dog so fraught with problems that seem to be bred into it then.
A: Because there is nothing, but NOTHING you will find with character to beat him,unless it descends from him, he is not just a guardian, he has a character and a personality quite unlike any dog you ever saw or owned before, it is only in the last 60 years that he has been turned into such a massive dog with these undesirable side effects, the idea being spread that he MUST look so massive and have so many wrinkles that, at times dogs have had to be operated on to enable them to see, that he should be expected to limp that you should expect low thyroid function at some stage of his life is crap.
,Many will have their dogs tested at the optimum age for them to give a normal thyroid reading then claim that their dogs do not have low thyroid function yet are very typy, either they are NOT very typy or they WILL as older dogs, suffer low thyroid function, those desired heavy wrinkles will not fill out to hang so thickly without the glycosaminoglycans which cause them to look as the show enthusiast thinks they should in the 'correct' Neapolitan they imagine they are breeding.
Why a dog who is promoted as being a recreation of the Old World Molosser who followed his humans into war, when dogs often called the correct type in this recreated dog are incapable of running several miles without knocking up severly is beyond me, the show Neo is NOT a recreation of the Molosser physically. Mentally he does share traits with those early dogs.
Mario Zacchi wrote so many years ago when the first of the 80 kg dogs were starting to be seen that he saw no benefit in this striving for extra size, he also saw no harm in it, as long as the dog was properly proportioned and still fit, this last bit has gone out the window in so many kennels that the unfit and dis-proportioned is being bred and sold as the most desirable form of the dog.
Away from that the dogs can have, or not have, anything that the normal run of dogs may get, if you decide to stick to the currently largely accepted look and type, then expect to spend a lot trying to keep him alive and walking, and be happy if you get one who is relatively fit and lasts for a few years, if you do choose the hope of longevity over this fashionable 'look', you may expect less trouble and a longer life for your dog, this can of course still be cut short by wrong handling or feeding or the dog may still get some nasty condition in spite of your care but it is far less likely, and that is the best any breeder can honestly offer, no breed can be truthfully said to be fault free. Below are some other bone related problems which may affect all large dogs at times and the bigger the dog the more likely they are to be affected by one or more of these conditions,in the main they are not 'Neo only' conditions any large dog pure or cross may be affected by most of them.
Hypertrophic Osteodystrophy: Puppies who start limping at 3-4 months of age. may have this it will cause mild to severe lameness and they often recover with no treatment, it causes swellings around the joints in mild cases but in severe cases, it can cause bowing of the legs, weight loss, not eating and diarrhoea.
Panosteitis: Most likely to be seen between 6-18 months of age, but older dogs can be affected. It causes a 'shifting lameness' from one leg to another, sometimes more than one leg affected at once. Can last up to 9-12 months. Pain relief and restricted exercise will cure this.
Osteochondrosis: Usually affectes the large joints, ie shoulder, elbow, stifle and hock, it causes often ocures between 6-9 months of age. It affects the cartilage within the joint, causing inflammation and pain. It can lead to Osteochondritis dissecans (OCD) if a small piece of cartilage dies and either flaps back or dislodges, becoming a fragment within the joint.This can be sugically removed with good results
Hygroma: Almost always seen on the elbow joints, this unsightly fluid swelling is often blamed on sleeping on hard surfaces, but it can just happen for no known reason. It will cause no lasting health issues in the dog, the best thing to do is to leave them to resolve on their own.
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An Abcalert male at two years of age,well grown, but not overly typy, his body will thicken with middle age as it should be expected to, he is not crippled from the start, and can leap in and out of the ute now that he is past one year old and allowed to jump, he is powerfully built and muscular, his hip and elbow scores are good. His temperament is just right. Many breeders would consider him a poor type of Neo. I love him, this is the type I look for and strive to breed.