Health of the Devon Rex: the most common diseases of this breed


Have you adopted a Devon Rex and want to know what are the most common diseases of this breed? Let’s find out all about his health.

The Devon Rex can be affected by diseases common to the whole breed. These are pathologies that affect the joints, heart and muscles of the cat. Regularly monitoring the state of health of the cat is essential for its life to be serene and long: let’s see together how to promptly recognize and treat the most common diseases of Devon Rex.


The most common diseases of devon rex: the complete list

Among the most frequent pathologies of this breed, there are diseases of a hereditary nature.

For this reason, if you have decided to buy a Devon Rex, contact a serious and competent breeder. At this stage, it is essential that you ask to show you the parents of the chosen specimen, in order to verify its health conditions.

Among the duties of the professional, there will be the delivery of the cat’s booklet, as well as deworming and vaccination at his expense. The most common diseases in Devon Rex are:

  • Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy
  • Patella dislocation
  • Congenital myopathy

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is a genetic disorder of the cardiovascular system.

It causes an abnormal thickening of the left ventricle of the cat’s heart. This reduces the heart muscle’s regular ability to pump blood.

Such a pathology determines a consistent cardiac effort, which can cause the animal to collapse. What are the symptoms of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy? After a first asymptomatic stage, the cat will present:

  • Heart murmur
  • Difficulty breathing
  • Cough
  • Pulmonary edema

Unfortunately, to date there is no definitive cure for this disease. However, its symptomatology can be reduced by drug therapy specially formulated by the veterinarian, based on the health condition of the cat.

Patella dislocation

Among the most common diseases of Devon Rex is dislocation of the patella in the cat.

This pathology involves the escape of the patella from its rail, that is, from its natural position. This leads to a malfunction in the knee joints. Symptoms of the disease are:

  • Difficulty in movement
  • Pain
  • Sedentary lifestyle
  • Uncertain and shaky gait

As soon as you notice the first clinical signs of patella dislocation, it is essential to take the cat to the veterinarian. The situation, in fact, could worsen to the point of requiring the animal to undergo a delicate surgical intervention for the repositioning of the patella in its correct location.

Congenital myopathy

Congenital myopathy is one of the most common diseases in Devon Rex.

It is a disease of a hereditary nature, which affects the muscles of the animal. It causes chronic muscle weakening, which causes a fatigue syndrome very similar to that which can arise in humans.

Congenital myopathy is a recently discovered disease, thanks to an international team of scholars from the United States, Italy and Canada. The most common symptoms through which the disease manifests itself are:

  • Flexion of the head and neck
  • Head swaying
  • Dilation of the esophagus
  • Muscle weakness

Commonly, this pathology occurs between 3 and 23 weeks of life of the Devon Rex. Its consequences can be more or less serious, to the point of completely compromising the ability of the animal to carry out daily activities.

Unfortunately, to date there is no cure for congenital myopathy. At the same time, a drug treatment that can reduce the symptoms of the disease and improve the quality of life of the cat has not yet been formulated.

For this, it will be necessary to learn to live with the pathology, helping the cat to meet its primary needs and trying to mitigate as much as possible its sense of fatigue.


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