Rottweiler: inherited diseases and health

Updated 2026-09-30 · 3 sources

Based on: OMIA (University of Sydney), Science for Animal Welfare (UFAW), Wikidata

Breed 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.

Conditions this breed is prone to

Veterinary charities list this breed as more likely than others to get these conditions. Read the signs and what to do:

Rottweiler and chocolate: how much is dangerous?

Typical adult weight: 42–50 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
42 kg	420 g signs 840 g severe	105 g signs 210 g severe	60 g signs 120 g severe
50 kg	500 g signs 1000 g severe	125 g signs 250 g severe	71 g signs 143 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.

Check the exact amount with the chocolate calculator →

Inherited conditions documented in the breed

Conditions documented: 33

A gene variant is known for 15 of the conditions below, so a DNA test may exist. Ask your vet or the breed club.

Condition	Body system	Inheritance	Gene variant known
Ciliary dyskinesia, primary, generic^[1]	Respiratory system	–	No
Cranial Cruciate Ligament Rupture^[2]	–	–	–
Deafness, LOXHD1-related^[1]	Hearing / vestibular / ear	Autosomal recessive	Yes
Degenerative myelopathy^[1]	Nervous system	Autosomal recessive	Yes
Dilated Cardiomyopathy^[2]	–	–	–
Elbow Dysplasia (fragmented medial coronoid process)^[2]	–	–	–
Haemophilia B^[1]	Haematopoietic system	X-linked recessive	Yes
Histiocytosis, malignant^[1]	Neoplasm	Multifactorial	No
Hyperkeratosis, palmoplantar, DSG1-related^[1]	Integument (skin)	Autosomal recessive	Yes
Hypothyroidism and dwarfism, TG-related^[1]	Growth / size / body region	Autosomal recessive	Yes
Inflammatory bowel disease^[1]	Digestive / alimentary	–	–
Krabbe disease^[1]	Lysosomal storage disease	Autosomal recessive	Yes
Laryngeal paralysis, generic^[1]	Respiratory system	–	–
Leukocyte adhesion deficiency, type III^[1]	Immune system	Autosomal recessive	Yes
Leukoencephalomyelopathy, NAPEPLD-related^[1]	Nervous system	Autosomal recessive	Yes
Muscular dystrophy^[1]	Muscle	–	–
Muscular dystrophy, Duchenne type^[1]	Muscle	X-linked recessive	Yes
Myelopathy, fibrocartilaginous embolic^[1]	Nervous system	–	–
Myotubular myopathy 1^[1]	Muscle	X-linked recessive	Yes
Narcolepsy^[1]	Behaviour / neurological	Autosomal recessive	Yes
Nephropathy^[1]	Renal / urinary system	–	–
Neuroaxonal dystrophy, VPS11-related^[1]	Nervous system	Autosomal recessive	Yes
Neuronal vacuolar disorder^[1]	Nervous system	–	–
Osteochondritis Dessicans of the Hock^[2]	–	–	–
Osteochondritis dissecans^[1]	Skeleton (incl. short stature & teeth)	Multifactorial	No
Osteosarcoma^[1]	Neoplasm	–	No
Osteosarcoma^[2]	–	–	–
Polydactyly^[1]	Skeleton (incl. short stature & teeth)	Autosomal dominant	Yes
Polyneuropathy, generic^[1]	Nervous system	Autosomal recessive	No
Polyneuropathy, RAB3GAP1-related^[1]	Nervous system	Autosomal recessive	Yes
Rupture of the cranial cruciate ligament, predisposition to^[1]	Skeleton (incl. short stature & teeth)	Multifactorial	No
Spinal dysraphism^[1]	Skeleton (incl. short stature & teeth)	Autosomal recessive	Yes
Spinal intradural arachnoid diverticulum^[1]	Nervous system	–	–

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: Germany
Height: 56–68 cm
Weight: 42–50 kg
FCI number: 147

^[3]

If your pet is struggling to breathe, has collapsed, is having a seizure or can't stand up: go to the nearest vet now.

Not sure how serious it is?

OkPaw asks a few quick questions about your pet and tells you in 30 seconds whether it can wait. Free on Google Play for Android.

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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