German Shepherd - common diseases and injuries

Common reasons for veterinary visits for German Shepherds

• The locomotor apparatus
• Stomach and intestinal symptoms
• Skin

We see that the German shepherd visits the vet more often than the comparison group All Breeds. The most common reasons for the visit are symptoms from the locomotor system, stomach and intestinal symptoms and skin diseases. Skin diseases, which are number three on the list, can for example be about inflammation of the skin, bacterial infections and itching.

The German Shepherd compared to other breeds

Compared to the All Breeds group, German Shepherds have more veterinary care visits for immunological diagnoses, for example allergies. They visit the vet more often for various skin diseases, ear infections and itching. Pain symptoms from the locomotor system, which can manifest through lameness and stiffness, but also problems with the hip joints and with the back connected to the disks and vertebrae, are more common in German Shepherds than in the comparison group All Breeds. The All Breeds division is a compilation of All Breeds' combined statistics compared to the German Shepherd.

Rare diagnoses in German Shepherds

• Heart
• Lower respiratory tract
• Claw damage
• Eyes

Many breeds have diagnoses that are more common in the breed, but also diagnoses that are less common. Compared to the All Breeds group, German Shepherds visit the vet less often for diagnoses related to the heart, lower respiratory tract, claw injuries and eyes.

Statistics for German Shepherds

The German Shepherd is a popular dog breed and many German Shepherds are insured in Agria, this means that the statistics are comprehensive and reliable.

About Agria Breed Profiles

The number of veterinary visits for each dog breed is compared with how common the diagnosis is for the "All Breeds" group. The basis is based on the dogs that visited the vet and used their animal insurance during the period 2016-2021.

The frequency is calculated on dog-years-at-risk (YAR), which refers to the time that each dog was insured during the period 2016–2021. A dog that has been insured for a year generates 1.0 YAR, a dog insured for six months generates 0.5 YAR. Frequencies are given as the number of dogs that registered an event (veterinary care or death) per 10,000 YEARS. A dog that has more than one event within a diagnostic category is counted only once per category, but is counted separately within each new diagnostic category. Categories where fewer than 8 dogs suffered a compensable injury (veterinary care or death) are not reported. A breed can contain several coat type or size variants.

Agria Breed Profiles is based on data from Agria Djurförsäkring which reflects the health status of our Swedish dogs. The primary goal regarding Breed Profiles is to provide a basis for Swedish breed clubs in their health work within their breeds. The first profiles were submitted to the Swedish Kennel Club and the various breed clubs in 2002 and covered the years 1995–2002. Agria has since presented four updates; 1995–2006 (about 100 races), 2006–2011 (about 130 races), 2011–2016 (about 180 races) and this version 2016–2021 (about 180 races).