Portuguese water dog: inherited diseases and health
The inherited conditions below have been documented in this breed in published research. That does not mean your dog has them or will get them – but it helps to know the names when you talk to a breeder or a vet.
Portuguese water dog and chocolate: how much is dangerous?
Typical adult weight: 16–25 kg. Grams of chocolate at which signs can start (20 mg/kg) and at which severe signs are reported (40 mg/kg):
| Dog weight | Milk | Dark 70–85% | Baking / unsweetened |
|---|---|---|---|
| 16 kg | 160 g signs 320 g severe | 40 g signs 80 g severe | 23 g signs 46 g severe |
| 25 kg | 250 g signs 500 g severe | 62 g signs 125 g severe | 36 g signs 71 g severe |
Based on published doses: signs from about 20 mg/kg, severe signs from 40 mg/kg (US FDA, Cortinovis & Caloni 2016, Swedish Poison Information Centre). An estimate, not a diagnosis.
Inherited conditions documented in the breed
Conditions documented: 7
A gene variant is known for 4 of the conditions below, so a DNA test may exist. Ask your vet or the breed club.
| Condition | Body system | Inheritance | Gene variant known |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cardiomyopathy, dilated[1] | Cardiovascular system | Multifactorial | No |
| Gangliosidosis, GM1[1] | Lysosomal storage disease | Autosomal recessive | Yes |
| Microphthalmia with haematopoietic defects, DNAJC21-related[1] | Vision / eye | Autosomal recessive | Yes |
| Multiple ocular defects[1] | Vision / eye | – | – |
| Progressive rod-cone degeneration, PRCD-related[1] | Vision / eye | Autosomal recessive | Yes |
| Retinal atrophy, progressive, CCDC66-related[1] | Vision / eye | Autosomal recessive | Yes |
| Transitional lumbosacral vertebrae[1] | Skeleton (incl. short stature & teeth) | Multifactorial | No |
What this list means
- “Documented in the breed” means at least one published case or study – it says nothing about how common the condition is.
- Many of these conditions are rare. A responsible breeder can tell you which health tests the parents have had.
- Where the gene variant is known, a DNA test may exist – ask your vet or the breed club.
- If your pet shows signs of illness, contact your vet. This page cannot tell you whether your pet is ill.
About the breed
- Origin
- Portugal
- Height
- 43–57 cm
- Weight
- 16–25 kg
- FCI number
- 037
Not sure how serious it is?
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Sources
How this page was made: the list is taken directly from the sources below; nothing on it was written by AI. Names of conditions may be machine-translated. It is information, not a diagnosis. How we write our pages