An Overview of Some of the Health Problems Common to the Little Havanese Dog From Cuba

Photo courtesy of Candy Gaudry, Q-BinHavanese http://www.qbinhavanese.com

The Havanese is the National dog of Cuba. He was once called the Havana Silk Dog or the Spanish Silk Poodle mainly because of the coat being like raw silk floss, profuse but extremely light and soft. In its native country of Cuba the coat was never clipped and the hair never tied into a topknot. The Cubans believed the hair falling over the eyes of the Havanese protected them from harsh sun.

The Havanese was brought to Europe in the 18th century where it found favor in the courts of Spain, France and England. By the mid-eighteenth century Queen Victoria owned two Havanese and Charles Dickens had one. In Cuba during this same time period the Havanese became the family dog, playmate of children, a watchdog, and herder of the family poultry flock. Only a handful of Havanese found their way to the United States after the Cuban revolution. All the Havanese in the world today, except those from the iron curtain countries and those remaining in Cuba come from those 11 Havanese immigrants. Havanese type has remained almost unchanged from that of the dogs painted in the 18th century.

Health Problems of the Havanese

Cataracts in Havanese can develop early or late. They can cause blindness or be slow in growth and not progress to blindness. To date, all the early onset, blinding cataracts have been found in Havanese with chondrodysplasia. Surgical correction of cataracts (removal) is best done before they become mature. For this reason, annual CERF exams are highly recommended for the Havanese. Orthopedic abnormalities such as Chondrosysplasia are literally "faulty cartilage." It can be manifested in a variety of ways: * By premature closure

Read on at: About Toy Dogs