Hereditary Diseases..

Each breed of dog has certain hereditary defects, which should be kept in mind when purchasing a new dog. It doesn't mean all dogs have these defects but forewarned is forearmed. Also just because a dog is shown or a Champion does not mean the dog is better quality or healthlier and has never encountered these problems, worse still the dog could have got their CCS because the owner knew the judge!! be aware it does happen!! So make sure you do your own research on the breed yourself and ask your own vet the problems associated with the breed you are interested in for your own peace of mind, any good responsible breeder will be more than happy to explain everything what can and does go wrong but the dishonest ones will be glad to see the back of their puppies with no questions asked.

Bullmastiffs can have these health problems:

Hip dysplasia

Hip dysplasia is a hereditary disease that, in its more severe form, can eventually cause crippling lameness and painful arthritis of the joints. It is caused by a combination of genetic and environmental factors. It can be found in many animals and occasionally in humans, but is most commonly associated with dogs, and is not uncommon in many dog breeds, particularly the larger breeds.  Therefore anyone looking for a new family memeber should try to go to breeders who hipscore their dogs! The mean score for the Bullmastiff is 29, anything over this means the dog this depending on the score has mild, moderate or even servere hipdysplasia. Dogs which have been hipscored will be shown as eg 6/4 you then add the two up and that gives you the hipscore which is in my example 10, which would be a good score, the lower the hips the better they are.

Entropion

Entropion is a medical condition in which the eyelids fold inward. It is very uncomfortable, as the eyelashes rub against the cornea constantly. Entropion is usually caused by genetic factors and may be congenital.

Bloat

The technical name for bloat is "Gastric Dilatation-Volvulus" ("GDV"). Bloating of the stomach is often related to swallowed air (although food and fluid can also be present). It usually happens when there's an abnormal accumulation of air, fluid, and/or foam in the stomach ("gastric dilatation"). Stress can be a significant contributing factor also. Bloat can occur with or without "volvulus" (twisting). As the stomach swells, it may rotate 90° to 360°, twisting between its fixed attachments at the esophagus (food tube) and at the duodenum (the upper intestine). The twisting stomach traps air, food, and water in the stomach. The bloated stomach obstructs veins in the abdomen, leading to low blood pressure, shock, and damage to internal organs. The combined effect can quickly kill a dog.

OCD

OSTEOCHONDROSIS AND OSTEOCHONDRITIS DISSECANS

Osteochondrosis is a generalised disease in which there is a disturbance of normal cartilage formation during the growth of an animal. Osteochondritis dissecans is the result of normal stresses or an injury to a joint that is affected with osteochondrosis resulting in cracks and fissures developing in the cartilage. This causes inflammation in the joint and to the underlying bone and separation of a flap of cartilage. This cartilage may be calcified and shows up on an XRay as a "joint mouse" . Later osteoarthritis (also called degenerative joint disease) develops in the joint.

Distichiasis

abnormal position of eyelashes on a lid margin that result in irritation of the eye.

Lymphoma Sarcoma

Some Bullmastiff breeders are seeing an alarming trait in some lines with the development of lymphoma sarcoma. You should talk with the breeder to make sure that this trend did not exist in past litters of both parents and grand-parents