Above photograph: Tinker, munching on a bone, Spring 2011.

Alaskan Malamute Diseases, Titles

Not all Alaskan Malamutes who are bred, have a title, of any form, and some for good reasons. Alaskan Malamute diseases are widespread. Titles have nothing to do with health. Repeat - titles, of any form, have NOTHING to do with Alaskan Malamute health. They exist purely as a means of breeders and owners spending money to see if their Alaskan Malamutes can DO SOMETHING (working, obedience, behavior) or 'LOOK' LIKE THEY CAN DO SOMETHING (conformation shows). That's it.

Titles on my Alaskan Malamute dogs: Clearly I have fun putting 'titles' on my dogs - and taking them to competitive events. It is fun to try and do something with a dog, and it's why I have them. It is not fun to loose or to see the dog fail, and mine certainly have, at various things. Ernie once rolled around a weight pull chute on his back. Making noise. No pull. Ooky failed her first CGN, she wouldn't sit. But I have dogs to enjoy them, to do things with them, and to continue to learn about them. Titles on my dogs include: CKC, FCC, FCC Elite, INT, NAT CH Yukonjak's Seal of Distinction CGC, TT, HIC (Ooky) Yukonjak's Ernie, CGN, TT, HIC (Ernie) FCC CH Slushpuppy's Special Sleigher, HIC (Tinker) and Dirty Bert, CGN (Bert)

Many Alaskan Malamute breeders would not have time, energy or money to do things I do with each of my four dogs. I'm not a commercial breeder, I don't pretend to be; I have pets, a small number of dogs, to enjoy them as PETS. My pets do things, live as house pets. Not everyone can do this, particularly if they own a large number of dogs. I want my puppies going to where they will be treated as pets, first, foremost. Numerous titles are available to most purebred Alaskan Malamutes which include conformation championships, working / obedience titles, various certifications, such as for temperament, instinct and behavior. Some breeders focus only on conformation titles; a rare few on working titles; even fewer are involved in competitive sledding, weight pulling or behavioral certifications or obedience titles. Almost none are involved in everything.

A reputable, backyard and an Alaskan Malamute puppy mill breeder are different. Alaskan Malamute Breeders who are involved in Clubs, in a wide variety of activities with their dogs, and doing health checks, are generally perceived to be Reputable Breeders. They spend quality time with each dog - and it shows in their health checks and record of achievement. An excellent chart describing types of breeders can be found here. An Alaskan Malamute Backyard Breeder might do some sledding or conformation - but probably not much. They probably do own some broken equipment - from when they had time to do things with 'pets' they turned into breeding dogs - and then quickly ended up with too many dogs! And you will find broken or unused equipment in their yards. While their dogs might seem cared for, the Backyard Breeders likely don't have too much to show for their 'breeding program.' Some of the back yard breeders Alaskan Malamutes don't even look like Malamutes. Frequently the backyard breeder does perform some health checks, though the barest (such as hips and maybe eyes). Typically they own too many dogs, which do virtually nothing except breed - for a few years - before they disappear. Alaskan Malamute Puppy Millers however do absolutely nothing with their Alaskan Malamutes, have far too many, poor living conditions, few or no records of health or achievements (or maybe even pedigrees), no contracts promoting spay or neuter - and make dogs for profit. Their Web sites show pages of litters and puppies and more pages of litters and puppies - and nothing else! No titles, no major achievements and they quite frequently 'mention' various well-known show lines being in the pedigrees. A puppy mill will generally have PayPal or Credit Cards in place as a means of taking speedy payment for puppies!

Currently, the major Alaskan Malamute organizations support only 'hips  and eyes' as the two diseases to screen for in 'breeding' Alaskan Malamute dogs. There also exists several advanced physical, blood and DNA-based  tests and diagnostics to detect far more than just hip displasia and various eye diseases. Alaskan Malamutes health, like many breeds of dog, is
deteriorating as the decades go by. Diseases like cancer, thyroid, cataracts, heart, defects, dysplasia, epilepsy, coat funk beleaguer the breed. Any disease is bad, but some of the diseases actually have gene tests - genetic tests - and are one more check an owner or breeder can do (pet or breeder). Cancer, and bone cancer, cataracts, heart defects, hip dysplasia and defects, degenerative  myleopathy, polyneuropathy, epilepsy are some of the more notable, and disastrous, diseases affecting the Alaskan Malamute. They destroy the quality of life for the dog, and its owners.

Alaskan Malamute Health

_A key point to remember with Alaskan Malamute health checks is the more, the better, though only one or two are ever performed by most Alaskan Malamute breeders, unfortunately. Mine have had health testing, both physical and DNA tests for Alaskan Malamutes. New tests come out yearly - please see their pages.

Both the 'show dogs' and 'neutered pets' have had basic health testing. The most basic checks anyone breeding ANY breed of dog can do is hips and eyes. While some breeders use OFA, www.offa.org others use Pen Hip or OVC. You would simply ask for a copy of the health records. If they can't provide it, then they aren't doing them or they're out-of-date. Canine Eye Registration Foundation (CERF) is the standard for eye certification.

The Good, Bad, and the Alaskan Malamute Breeders ...Most breeders strive to produce as healthy a dog as possible. In spite of best efforts, some dogs are unhealthy. When dealing with living things, there is always a chance their dog will end up with a disease. Most devastating diseases in the breed include bad hearts, cancer, bone cancer, polyneuropathy, ocular diseases (ie cataracts which cause blindness or eyes to dislodge from the socket), bloat and epilepsy. These diseases ruin, if not destroy, the quality of life for the animal. Less destructive diseases in the include coat funk, bad thyroids, and mild hip dysplasia. These are less destructive mainly because they can live 'almost' normal lives with minimal treatment. OF COURSE no disease is best, but if your dog is going to end up with one, pray it's a less destructive one! You should be told - right up front - WHAT the breeder will do for ANY diseases your dog might end up with.

Alaskan Malamutes and DNA Tests: Why am I interested in DNA tests? I've known purebreds, rescues - or owned - Alaskan Malamutes with most of these diseases listed above. They do exist in the breed and they exist in a wide variety of families. They can be costly, time-consuming and heart-breaking. Pet Malamute owners (and breeders) can perform these DNA tests - and should - to see if they actually have a healthy dog if something is wrong.

All pets - NOT just breeding dogs - should have their hips certified, their eyes checked (and also hearts assessed if there are known heart defects in the line or the owner has no idea).As soon as your 'pet' is 'acting tired' or losing his coat, add thyroid check to the list. Many, many diseases are easy, cheap and simple to treat and NOT costly but ONLY if they are detected early enough. Again, this applies to pet owners, not just breeders!

Alaskan Malamutes and Cardiac Disease: Specialized certification is available via Orthapedic Foundation fro Animals (OFA) an ECHO diagnostic ($250), a heart specialist ($60) or general practitioner vet (free). A general practitioner can MISS low grade heart defects and so a cardio specialist is considered more accurate. My dogs were certified by a cardio specialist. The OLDER the dog, the more accurate the results.

Alaskan Malamutes and Aesthetic Tests: Additionally, there are Aesthetic Tests (and which have NOTHING to do with health) available for the Alaskan Malamute: DNA - B Locus (brown); DNA - D Locus (dilute); DNA - E Locus (white); DNA - Long Coat Test. They do not cost much but can preserve or eliminate certain coat colors or traits.

Alaskan Malamutes and Chondrodysplasia Certification (also known as dwarfism and CHD): Causes severe and visible deformities in the front end of a Malamute, namely bent and twisted legs. While it's been around for a long, long time, it is a very rare thing to occur. Many are certified via the Alaskan Malamute Club of America due to unbroken certification of ancestors through a combination of test breeding, blood testing and pedigree examination. The dogs are never 'clear' unless the result of DNA-tests, though test-breeding has reduced the chance of producing one, and are thus deemed 'low probability'.

Unfortunately, every once in a while a CHD Malamute turns up in a normal breeding program, with, and without, the CHD Certificate. Others cannot get the certification due to no test breeding (breeding to a known carrier of the disease), failure of historic Malamute breeders to secure the certificate of ancestors in a timely manner or disregard, disgust for the entire process. Any puppy I produce would be guaranteed to not demonstrate the defect, for life. My dogs have for the Alaskan Malamute Club of America (AMCA) CHD certificate and the Australian CHD certification.