Siberian Husky Health Problems

There isn't any dog breed that is completely free from inheritable genetic defects, but the Siberian Husky has the fewest health problems of all breeds. The Husky enjoys generally good health and temperament, but there are still health problems that you should look out for.

The good news is that the Siberian Husky Club of America or SHCA has kept an eye on potential genetic problems and taken positive action for the general health and well being of the breed. Since 1965 this organization has been tasked with being aware of genetic problems and alert breeders before the defects can spread. Because of the SHCA the two greatest areas of concern that have been found for the Siberian Husky is canine hip dysplasia and inheritable eye disease. However, with proper care and monitoring you can attempt to avoid these conditions in your dog and help them to live a long, healthy life.

Health Issues

Hip dysplasia is a condition where the head of the thighbone or hip joint doesn't fit into the joint socket properly. When a puppy is born the condition isn't typically present, most of the time it only develops within a dog's first two years of life. The affected hip will suffer from inflammation, pain and arthritis as the condition progresses. Strenuous exercise such as sitting up, lying down or climbing stairs can make the condition worse. Males and females are equally affected by the condition and either a single hip or both can be affected. It is an inherited health condition, which means hip dysplasia is passed on from the parent dogs.

Siberian Husky Health Problems

The Siberian Husky is one of the least affected dog breeds despite the high occurrence of hip dysplasia in dogs. The condition affects about one hundred fourteen dog breeds and the Siberian Husky is ranked one hundred eleventh for risk. This condition can easily be avoided in the breed by buying from breeders who can provide proof that both parents have passed the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals standards for breeding.

There are many eye defects that affect dogs, but only three of them are considered a concern in the few Siberian Husky health problems today. Hereditary or juvenile cataracts, corneal dystrophy and progressive retinal atrophy are the three eye conditions of the Siberian Husky that you should be aware of. Any eye color can have an eye condition and each disorder affects a different portion of the eye. Even though eye problems don't occur often in the Siberian Husky they are serious and should never be overlooked or underestimated. The Siberian Husky can develop hereditary or juvenile cataracts as early as three months of age.

If there is a mild case there will be a decrease in eyesight, but severe cases can cause complete blindness. Corneal dystrophy is a condition that affects the outer transparent portion of the eyeball. This condition is more common in females and is typically found in young adult dogs. This condition has no current treatment, but is seldom affects vision. A more serious condition is progressive retinal atrophy, which can cause a devastating loss of vision in dogs as early as five months of age and is most common in males.

Siberian Husky Health Problems

Universal Healthcare - Ethical Issues in Healthcare Reform

Universal health care seems to be a hotly debated topic whenever health care reform in the United States is discussed. 

Those who maintain that health is an individual responsibility do not want a system that requires them to contribute tax dollars to support fellow citizens who do not act responsibly in protecting or promoting their own health. They argue that they want the freedom to choose their own physicians and treatments, and suggest that government cannot know what is best for them.  These people argue that preserving the current system with improvements to provide better insurance coverage for citizens who remain uninsured or under insured for their medical care needs is the only reform that is needed.

Health Issues

Those who believe health care is an individual right support a universal health care system with the argument that every citizen deserves to have access to the right care at the right time and that a government's responsibility is to protect its citizens, sometimes even from themselves.

Universal Healthcare - Ethical Issues in Healthcare Reform

Two opposing arguments arising from two opposing ideologies.  Both are good arguments but neither can be the supporting argument for implementing or denying universal health care.  The matter must be resolved through an ethical framework.

Examination of the ethical issues in health care reform would require consideration of much different arguments  than those already presented.   Ethical issues would center on the moral right.  Discussion would begin with not "What is best for me?" but rather  "How should we as a society be acting so that our actions are morally correct?"

Ethics refers to determining right and wrong in how humans relate to one another.  Ethical decision making for health care reform then would require human beings to act in consideration of our relationships to each other not our own individual interests.

Examination of some of the common ethical decision making theories can provide a foundation for a different perspective than one that is solely concerned  with individual rights and freedoms. 

Ethical decision making requires that specific questions be answered in order to decide on whether intended actions are good or morally correct.  Here are some questions that could be used in ethical decision making for health care reform.

What action will bring the most good to the most people? What action in and of itself is a good act and helps us to fulfill our duties, obligations, and responsibilities to each other? What action in and of itself shows caring and concern for all citizens?

As the answer to all  these questions, universal health care can always be considered the right thing to do.

The United States is in the most advantageous position there is when it comes to health care reform.  They are the only developed country without a national health care system in place for all citizens.  They have the opportunity to learn from the mistakes that have been made by all the other countries that have already gone down the universal health care road. They have an opportunity to design a system that can shine as a jewel in the crown of universal health care systems everywhere. 

However, all ethical decision making is structured around values.  In order for universal health care to be embraced by all citizens in the United States, they will first have to agree to the collective value of equity and fairness and embrace the goal of meeting their collective responsibility to each other while maintaining individual rights and freedoms. That may prove to be the most difficult obstacle of all.

Universal Healthcare - Ethical Issues in Healthcare Reform