Health
Pembrokes have an average life expectancy of 11-12 years. Like people, every animal can be susceptible to certain physical problems as they get older. Pembroke owners must not indulge their dogs by feeding them too much, which can be a hard task to accomplish. Other health problems may include degenerative myelopathy, hip dysplasia, and Von Willebrand's disease if their parents suffered from the same problems. Other top genetic disorders are progressive retinal atrophy, retinal folds, persistent pupillary membranes, cataracts, cancer and autoimmune system problems, uterine inertia during whelping, and sterility in males. A responsible breeder will have tested the parents for hips, eyes and vWD, all of which can be verified by checking the parents on the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA) site at www.offa.org.
Many domestic Pembrokes are prone to obesity and gradual weight gain, and some have problems with chronic seizures.
Pembrokes descend from the line that is the northern spitz-type dog (examples include that of the Siberian Husky).
Read more about this topic: Pembroke Welsh Corgi
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