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Pembroke Welsh Corgis are generally sturdy, long lived dogs, but the breed is known for a handful of problems: back disc disease, hip dysplasia, degenerative myelopathy, some inherited eye conditions, a bleeding disorder called von Willebrand disease, and a strong tendency to gain weight. Most can be screened for, managed or made less likely, and knowing them helps you choose a puppy and spot trouble early.
Backs
Intervertebral disc disease, or IVDD, is the back problem to know about. The discs between the vertebrae act as cushions. In Type I IVDD a disc hardens early and can burst or bulge into the spinal cord. Cornell's veterinary college lists both Corgi breeds as predisposed, and a gene variant called CDDY raises the risk whether a dog carries one copy or two.
Most Pembrokes carry it: in Embark's sample of tested Pembrokes, fewer than 4 percent were clear. Carrying the variant raises risk but does not mean a disc will rupture, and keeping your Corgi lean, using ramps and limiting repeated jumps off furniture all reduce strain on the spine.
Signs include back or neck pain, a hunched posture, crying when picked up, reluctance to jump or climb, wobbling, knuckled paws or weak back legs. Call your vet the same day, because early treatment gives the best outcome.
Hips
Yes. Hip dysplasia is a loose, poorly formed hip joint that can wear into arthritis. Of more than 10,700 Pembroke hip X-rays sent to the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA) through 2010, 16.5 percent were graded dysplastic. Owners choose which X-rays to submit, so the true rate is probably higher.
Corgi hips are unusual, though. A study of 399 Pembrokes measured with the PennHIP method found looseness in every dog, yet only 6.8 percent had arthritis on X-ray, a far lower rate than that looseness predicts in large breeds. Keeping a Corgi lean is still the best protection for any hip.
Watch for stiffness after rest, a bunny hopping gait, or reluctance to climb stairs or jump. A hip evaluation by OFA or PennHIP is one of the two screenings the breed club asks of breeding Pembrokes.
Spinal cord
Degenerative myelopathy, or DM, is a slow, painless disease of the spinal cord. It usually starts with scuffed toenails and wobbly back legs, often on one side first, and over roughly six months to two years moves to weakness, dragging hind legs and, in advanced cases, front leg weakness and loss of bladder control. In Pembrokes, signs usually appear between 8 and 14 years, at an average of about 11.
There is no cure. Physical therapy, a healthy weight, non slip floors and later a cart can keep a dog mobile for longer. Other spinal problems look similar, so diagnosis means ruling them out, and DM can only be confirmed by examining the spinal cord after death.
A DNA test looks for a mutation in the SOD1 gene. Dogs with two copies are called at risk, but most never develop the disease: in figures cited by the Pembroke Welsh Corgi Club of America, about half of the Pembrokes tested had two copies, while only around 1 in 100 of those dogs was diagnosed with DM. A second test, for a modifier gene called SP110, sharpens the estimate in Pembrokes.
Eyes
Breeding Pembrokes should have their eyes examined by a board certified veterinary ophthalmologist, with results recorded through OFA's CAER program. These are the findings that matter most in 3,809 Pembroke exams recorded from 2016 to 2020. Dogs examined for the registry are not a random sample of the breed, so treat the figures as a guide rather than a breed wide rate.
Thin strands left over from the eye's development, and the most common finding, in about 21 percent of exams. Most ran from iris to iris and pose little threat to vision. Strands reaching the cornea, seen in about 1 percent, can cloud it, and specialists advise against breeding those dogs.
A cloudiness of the lens that ranges from a tiny spot to a fully clouded lens. About 4.8 percent of exams found cataracts considered significant. Specialists advise treating them as inherited unless another cause is clear, and complete cataracts in both eyes cause blindness.
Folds in the retina showed up in about 4 percent of exams. In puppies, folds can partly or fully resolve with age, and their effect on vision is unknown, so the ophthalmologists' college leaves breeding these dogs to the breeder's judgment.
PRA causes gradual blindness, often starting with poor night vision. It is rare in Pembrokes: one case of generalized PRA appeared in those 3,809 exams. A DNA test for one inherited form is offered for the breed.
Bleeding
Von Willebrand disease is an inherited bleeding disorder caused by a shortage of von Willebrand factor, a protein that helps blood clot. Pembrokes have Type 1, the form with low levels of a normally built protein, and severity varies a lot. Many affected dogs never show a sign.
When it does show, it looks like bleeding that lasts longer than it should: after surgery, an injury or losing baby teeth, or as nosebleeds, bleeding gums or easy bruising. A DNA test identifies carriers and dogs with two copies, and in Embark's sample under 1 percent of Pembrokes had two copies. If your Corgi has not been tested, ask your vet about checking clotting before surgery.
Other issues
A few more conditions are worth knowing:
Buying a puppy
The Pembroke Welsh Corgi Club of America recommends two screenings for breeding Pembrokes, and they are also the requirements for a CHIC number: a hip evaluation by OFA or PennHIP, and an eye exam by a board certified veterinary ophthalmologist. Many breeders add DNA tests for DM and vWD. These questions help you tell a careful breeder from a careless one.
Ask about hips, eyes, DM and vWD, and when each was done. Eye exams need repeating, so an old one tells you less than a recent one.
Ask for the parents' registered names and look them up on the OFA website, or ask to see the certificates and lab reports. Be cautious if all you hear is that the parents were vet checked.
So many Pembrokes carry the SOD1 mutation that the breed club's genetics guidance warns against breeding only clear dogs, which would shrink the gene pool. A thoughtful answer about how results guide pairings is a good sign.
No family line is perfect. A good breeder knows the health history of their dogs' relatives and will tell you what has come up.
Ask about the vet exam, vaccines, records, health guarantee and support after pickup. The parents of our puppies are screened for DM, hip health, CAER eyes, PRA and vWD1, and every puppy leaves with a one year health guarantee. Our health and care page lists the rest.
Warning signs
Call your vet the same day for sudden back or neck pain, a hunched back or crying when picked up; wobbling, knuckled paws or weak back legs; collapse or weakness with exercise; a squinting, red or suddenly cloudy eye; or bleeding that will not stop.
Book a prompt appointment for slower changes: scuffed back toenails, stiffness after rest, a bunny hopping gait, bumping into things, blood in the urine, unexplained weight gain or loss, or a new lump. A breeder or a website cannot diagnose a dog, but we are glad to help you think through what to ask your vet.
Questions
No. Most Pembrokes carry the CDDY variant linked to disc disease, but it raises risk rather than guaranteeing a problem, and other genes and lifestyle play a part. Keeping your Corgi lean, using ramps and steps, and avoiding repeated jumps off furniture all reduce strain on the spine. Our guide on how to take care of a Corgi has more.
Not on its own. A dog with two copies of the SOD1 mutation is at risk, but most at risk Pembrokes never develop DM, while a dog with two normal copies should not develop it. In Pembrokes, adding the SP110 modifier test gives a better estimate of risk. Only a pathology exam of the spinal cord confirms the disease.
It depends on the condition. Disc disease is usually first recognized in young adult dogs, von Willebrand disease often shows itself while teething or at a first surgery, and hip problems can appear in a young dog or later as arthritis. DM belongs to older dogs, with signs at an average of about 11 years in Pembrokes.
The two breeds live about as long, with medians of 13.1 years for Cardigans and 13.2 for Pembrokes in a 2024 UK study, and both are predisposed to disc disease. Some inherited conditions and tests differ between them, so ask about the screening that fits the breed you choose. Our Cardigan vs Pembroke guide compares them.
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Read our guides on how long Corgis live and Corgi size and weight, or meet the puppies available now.