[Aliantha]

Genetic defects occur in non pure bred animals too.

We have a large dog which is about 1/4 ridgeback. She's a beautiful dog, but the ridge area of the dogs can be susceptible to developing cysts, and if your dog has this issue, it's normally ok when the dog is younger, but as the dog gets older, the cysts will get worse and will likely become cancerous which will most likely lead to a shorter life span.

Our Cleo gets cysts in her ridge area which normally just go away after a couple of weeks if we lance and drain them, but we've had to face the fact that we'll probably lose her way before we're ready to, and also that she needs to be desexed in order to do our bit towards not promoting this problem which has been sad too. We didn't want to breed her often. Just once so that Max could have the joy of playing with a litter of puppies when he's young. Anyway, not going to happen now, but that's life.

It's sad because we never have pure bred pets for the very reasons that have been mentioned above. Apparently no animal is safe really. You just have to take your chances if you're an animal lover, and then deal with the outcomes.