Shiba inu: eyes, skin and hereditary conditions to anticipate
Published by Planète Pets · managing editor: Clément Lacaille · how our guides are written
The shiba inu has a reputation as a hardy, clean breed, and largely it is. But a few well-identified predispositions deserve attention: the eyes, the skin and a hereditary storage disease. Anticipating them means screening early and planning the right budget. All our pointers are in the dog care and grooming section, with the full profile on the shiba inu page.
Contents · 5 sections
Glaucoma
The shiba inu is prone to glaucoma, a painful rise in eye pressure that can lead to blindness. A study by Kanemaki and colleagues, published in 2013 in PLoS One, highlighted a susceptibility gene, SRBD1, associated with glaucoma in the shiba (see the study). A red, painful or cloudy eye warrants an emergency visit: a few hours can make the difference for sight.
Atopic dermatitis
Skin is the breed's other weak point. The shiba inu is particularly prone to canine atopic dermatitis, as a study by Thomsen and colleagues published in 2023 in Microbiome underlines, focusing on the skin and gut microbiota of atopic shibas (see the study). Chronic itching and recurrent ear infections are frequent, costly reasons for consultation over time.
A hereditary storage disease
Rarer but serious, GM1 gangliosidosis is a hereditary lysosomal storage disease of the shiba. Yamato and colleagues identified its mutation in 2002 in the Journal of Inherited Metabolic Disease (see the study). A DNA test of breeding stock is enough to keep it out of litters.
What care budget to plan
Eye monitoring and, above all, lifelong management of atopy can weigh on the budget. Our guide to pet insurance for dogs helps you decide, and our page on insuring a shiba inu points to the useful cover, notably for chronic disease.
Frequently asked questions
Is the shiba inu a fragile breed?
No, it is rather hardy, but watch the eyes (glaucoma) and skin (atopy), and favour a breeder who tests breeding stock for GM1 gangliosidosis.
How can glaucoma be caught in time?
A red, swollen, watering or suddenly cloudy eye, often with discomfort in light, should prompt a same-day emergency visit.
Does insurance cover atopic dermatitis?
If it is not already declared at subscription, yes: it is precisely a costly chronic disease where cover taken out young makes full sense.
See it in the Planète Pets shop: Stainless steel forked tick remover for dogs (€18.90) · the whole shop
This guide is part of Planète Pets’s Dogs universe. Our advice is general in nature: for any health concern, your veterinarian remains the only reference.