About the Poodle

The kneecap slips out of its groove, causing an intermittent skipping gait that can progress to lameness and arthritis if severe. A TOY and MINIATURE Poodle CHIC requirement. In a Japanese study of puppies examined at about six weeks old, 38.1% of 318 Toy Poodles had some degree of patellar luxation, mostly the mildest grade, the highest of nine breeds examined.

A raised risk of premature disc degeneration and disc herniation from the FGF4 retrogene insertion on chromosome 12 (CDDY) also implicated in Dachshunds; one copy is enough to raise the risk. How common it is depends sharply on the variety: in a large screen nearly nine in ten of 3,544 Miniature Poodles carried it (about two in five had two copies) and almost all of 94 Toy Poodles did (about two in three had two copies), against only about one in 300 of 4,185 Standard Poodles, so the practical risk is far higher in the smaller varieties.

A progressive disease of the spinal cord in older dogs that starts as hind-leg weakness and ends in paralysis; there is no treatment. The SOD1 variant behind it is found in all three sizes. In a study of 533 Standard Poodles about one in eight carried at least one copy, and the disease was confirmed by examining the spinal cord of a Standard Poodle with two copies. In a later large screen roughly one in thirteen of 4,203 Standard Poodles and one in ten of 3,555 Miniature Poodles carried it, and one copy was found among 94 Toy Poodles. Not every dog with two copies develops the disease.

An inherited, blinding degeneration of the retina's rod and cone cells; night vision fails first, then daytime vision, with signs usually appearing in early adulthood and no treatment. It is recessive. It is common in the smaller varieties: in a large screen roughly one in six of 3,547 Miniature Poodles carried it, and one in six of 200 Toy Poodles sampled at random in Japan did, against about one in 100 of 4,197 Standard Poodles. This is the TOY and MINIATURE Poodle's CHIC-required eye test; it is not a Standard Poodle CHIC requirement.

A raised risk of premature disc degeneration and disc herniation from the FGF4 retrogene insertion on chromosome 12 (CDDY) also implicated in Dachshunds; one copy is enough to raise the risk. How common it is depends sharply on the variety: in a large screen nearly nine in ten of 3,544 Miniature Poodles carried it (about two in five had two copies) and almost all of 94 Toy Poodles did (about two in three had two copies), against only about one in 300 of 4,185 Standard Poodles, so the practical risk is far higher in the smaller varieties.

An inherited, blinding degeneration of the retina's rod and cone cells; night vision fails first, then daytime vision, with signs usually appearing in early adulthood and no treatment. It is recessive. It is common in the smaller varieties: in a large screen roughly one in six of 3,547 Miniature Poodles carried it, and one in six of 200 Toy Poodles sampled at random in Japan did, against about one in 100 of 4,197 Standard Poodles. This is the TOY and MINIATURE Poodle's CHIC-required eye test; it is not a Standard Poodle CHIC requirement.

Autoimmune destruction of the adrenal cortex, causing loss of the hormones that regulate salt balance and stress response; untreated, an adrenal crisis can be fatal, and lifelong medication is needed once diagnosed. Reported specifically in the STANDARD Poodle, where it is estimated to be highly heritable.

A mild-to-moderate inherited bleeding disorder from low von Willebrand clotting factor; many carriers show no signs, but affected dogs can bleed excessively after injury or surgery. The DNA test is validated across all three Poodle varieties, though the Standard Poodle's parent club specifically recommends it for that variety. In a large screen roughly one in 45 of 4,202 Standard Poodles carried it, against about one in 270 of 3,555 Miniature Poodles and none of 94 Toy Poodles.