A new study finally answers whether mixed-breed dogs are healthier than purebreds, and now that whole question has been settled.
According to new research from the Royal Veterinary College, the debate on whether mixed breed dogs are healthier or less healthy that purebreds has been answered. Here's what we know.
On August 28, 2024, research findings were published in PLOS ONE that looked at how the physical health of "designer-crossbreed" dogs compares to "purebred progenitor breeds," and it's hopefully going to settle the question.
Related: New Study Busts Long-Believed Myth About the Health of Purebred Dogs
The research wanted to challenge the belief that certain designer dog breeds are overall healthier than purebred dogs.
'Designer Breed' Dogs vs 'Purebred' Dogs
According to VCA Animal Hospitals , designer breed dogs are defined as "registered, pure dog breeds" that have been 'mixed' on purpose to create designer breeds." The idea behind this is that the mixing of the breeds "optimizes the best characteristics of each parent."
VCA Animal Hospitals adds that 'sometimes the dog may have more than two pure breeds in his bloodline, but unlike a mutt, his lineage can be identified."
DogTime defines purebred dogs as "dogs who belong to a specific breed and have a documented pedigree that traces their lineage back several generations."
For a while, it's been believed that designer-breed dogs are healthier than purebred. The theory notes that "crossbreed designer dogs are more genetically diverse, so are less likely to suffer the health issues plaguing purebreds."
The New Study Shows Designer Breeds Aren't Healthier Than Purebred Breeds
A research team from the Royal Veterinary College sought to find out if this long-held belief was true. To do this, they sent a survey to 9,400 dog parents.
Some dog parents in the survey owned designer or cross-breed breeds, such as Cockapoos, Cavapoos, or Labradoodles.
The others in the survey were parents of purebred dog breeds, such as Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, Cocker Spaniel, Labrador Retriever, or Poodle.
"The authors tested the assumption that designer crossbreeds have less chance of suffering common disorders compared to their founder breeds," Science Alert explains.
"They compared odds for the 57 most common health disorders across the three designer crossbreeds with each of their founding (progenitor) breeds. In all, 342 comparisons were made."
The findings showed that the odds "did not differ statistically significantly between the designer crossbreeds and their relevant progenitor breeds in 86.6% of health comparisons."
This study's findings note that there are "limited differences in overall health status between the three designer-crossbreeds and their purebred progenitors, challenging widespread beliefs in positive hybrid vigor effects for health in this emerging designer-crossbreed demographic."
This study shows a similar result to a separate study that challenged "the common belief is that purebred dogs are more prone to disease than mixed-breed dogs." In that study, done by the Texas A&M School of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences ( VMBS ), it was also found that there wasn't a significant between mixed-breed and purebred dogs " when it came to their health.
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