Common Dachshund Health Issues

Dachshunds, often referred to as “wiener dogs”, are a very unique breed known for short legs and long bodies. They are one of the most popular dog breeds in the US and make loyal, charming pets.

Common Dachshund Health Problems

Below are the Top 10 Dachshund health problems, along with insights on how to identify these issues, treatment options, and last but not least–prevention.

#1: Intervertebral Disc Disease

IVDD affects Dachshunds 10 times more than any other breed. Their short legs and long backs predispose them to spinal problems, and IVDD can occur when the intervertebral discs are compressed or diseased.

This causes extreme weakness and even the possibility of complete paralysis in the dog’s hind end, including legs.

When It Develops

Typically, IVDD develops in Dachshunds once they reach middle age or become seniors. However, it can occur at any time, so with their increased risk of this health problem, Dachshund owners should be watchful for signs or symptoms.

How To Spot Symptoms

Symptoms of Intervertebral Disc Disease in Dachshunds include:

• Dragging the hindquarters
• Arched back or pulled back head
• Refusal to stand or move
• Shivering or shaking
• Weakness in the hindquarters
• Refusal to bend neck down to their food/water dishes
• Limping
• Staggering
• Crying when being picked up or petted

Treatment

Treatment is available for IVDD, which might include anti-inflammatory medications, pain management, and/or surgery.

Prevention

Here are a few preventative measures that might be taken to prevent or manage IVDD in Dachshunds.

• Healthy Weight: A healthy weight and appropriate exercise are major factors in managing or preventing Intervertebral Disc Disease.
• Vet Check-ups: Early detection of this condition is vital to a better outcome for your dog, so that treatment can begin before the spine suffers severe damage.
• No jumping: Jumping or stair climbing are not good for Dachshunds as both of these create stress on the dog’s spine.
• Nutritional Supplements: Supplements such as Glucosamine may be helpful in alleviating pain as well as preventing the condition from worsening.

#2:  Hypothyroidism

Lymphocytic thyroiditis is the most common form of hypothyroidism in this breed. It occurs when the thyroid gland malfunctions and doesn’t produce enough hormones.

As hypothyroidism causes weight gain, this issue is sometimes mistaken for garden variety obesity. With the Dachshund’s tendency to have Hypothyroidism, you should always have tests done to rule it out if your dog puts on weight.

When It Develops

Hypothyroidism in Dachshunds typically presents itself when the dog is between 1-3 years old.

How To Spot Symptoms

Here are some signs and symptoms of Hypothyroidism in Dachshunds:

• Sluggishness/sleeping a lot
• Weight gain
• Dry skin
• Severe changes in behavior
• Hair loss

Treatment

Treatment for Hypothyroidism in Dachshunds generally consists of medications along with a healthy diet and exercise plan that will keep weight gain under control.

Prevention

There isn’t a lot you can do to prevent Hypothyroidism in Dachshunds. Here are a few measures that might be helpful:

• Weight Control: Feed your Dachshund a healthy, well balanced diet and make sure it gets plenty of appropriate exercise.
• Regular Check-ups: Scheduling regular vet check-ups can be helpful in diagnosing Hypothyroidism early, so that treatment may be initiated.
• Avoid Radiation Exposure: Be cautious about exposing your Dachshund to unnecessary X-Rays as radiation may damage the thyroid gland.

#3. Obesity In Dachshunds

Becoming overweight is a common problem with Dachshunds, and it’s especially unwelcome for this breed due to their propensity for spinal issues as extra weight puts a strain on the back. Besides that, obesity can predispose your Doxie to a host of other health conditions such as heart problems, high blood pressure, diabetes and more. So it’s best to ensure it maintains a healthy weight.

When It Develops

Obesity in Dachshunds doesn’t have a set time frame for developing, although it is more  likely as a dog ages and becomes less active than during its puppyhood and middle years. The wise course for a Dachshund owner is to keep a watchful eye on your dog and adjust its diet as necessary—and exercise too—if you notice it gaining too much weight.

How To Spot Symptoms

When looking at your Dachshund from the side, obvious fat deposits will be visible over its shoulders, hips and ribs. Other signs of obesity may include:

Symptoms of obesity in Dachshunds might include:

• Heavy or frequent panting
• You can’t see or feel its ribs through the skin
• Unwilling to play or go for walks
• Decreased energy

Treatment

Basically, the only treatment for obesity in dogs is less food and more exercise. In many cases, it may not be a case of less food so much as healthier food that isn’t loaded with starches and carbs. There are special diet commercial dog foods available for weight management, or you might prefer to make your Dachshund’s food yourself.

If you’re in doubt about a healthy meal regimen to follow for weight loss, ask your vet. Always get your Dachshund tested for Hypothyroidism if there’s excessive weight gain, so as to rule it out. More exercise should be geared toward getting your dog moving to aid in shedding excess pounds, being mindful of its tendency toward spinal problems and avoiding high impact activities.

Prevention

Prevention of obesity in your Dachshund rests on you, the dog’s owner, or whoever is in charge of its feeding. Dogs can’t go in the kitchen and get their own food. Not unless it’s left out for them to get into, which is inadvisable to say the least. So, under ordinary circumstances, if your dog has packed on too much weight, it’s because you have been feeding it too much, or the wrong diet.

It’s much easier to keep the weight off than take the weight off after the dog has gained it. So, start off feeding your canine companion a healthy diet that promotes optimal health without undesirable weight gain that leads to obesity.

#4 Back Sprains In Dachshunds

Back sprains in Dachshunds occur fairly frequently due to their elongated backs and spines. Not to be confused with IVDD, or Intervertebral Disc Disease, back sprains are less serious and can ordinarily be treated successfully with simple measures.

When It Develops

Dachshunds can experience back sprains at any age. That being said, they’re more likely to occur in middle aged or older dogs, especially those that are overweight.

How To Spot Symptoms

Symptoms of back sprain in Dachshunds include reluctance to move, trouble climbing stairs, jumping or walking, yelping or crying out in pain, irritability or depression, and possible loss of appetite.

Treatment

• Crate Rest: In mild cases of back sprains in Dachshunds, a week or so of crate rest may be enough to resolve the issue. However, it can take longer. Your vet can best advise you on this.
• Medications: Meds for back sprains are usually anti-inflammatories and supplements to improve muscles and joints.
• Pain Relief: Back sprains in Dachshunds can sometimes be extremely painful simply because they have a much longer back than other breeds and more area to hurt. Pain medications may be prescribed by your vet to alleviate the dog’s pain and discomfort.

Prevention

Although there is no practical way to totally prevent back sprains in Dachshunds, there are a few ways for dog owners to be proactive in helping prevent them.

• Limit or try to prevent jumping.
• Provide a healthy diet
• Don’t allow your dog to become obese
• Ensure regular, low impact exercise
• Use a harness instead of a collar
• Use ramps for stairs or elevated surfaces
• Regular vet check-ups

#5:  Lafora Disease

Lafora Disease, or (LD) is a genetic disease that primarily affects Wirehaired Dachshunds, with about 20% of this type affected. It’s a severe form of canine epilepsy that presents with characteristic brief, jerking movements of the dog’s head called myoclonic epilepsy.

Lafora Disease is progressive and over time will lead to neurological changes. There is no cure. But while it is a serious condition, it isn’t fatal.

When It Develops

Lafora Disease in Dachshunds is considered a late onset disease because it usually develops after the age of five. However, the average age when Lafora Disease is diagnosed is about seven years.

How To Spot Symptoms

Lafora Disease signs are often precipitated by flashing lights, quick movements close to the dog’s head, and loud, sudden noises. Symptoms of Lafora Disease in Dachshunds may include:

• Seizures
• Jerking, shaking, or shuddering of the dog’s head, even during sleep
• Loss of balance
• Blindness
• Dementia
• Anxious behaviors like high pitched vocalizations caused by panic
• Hallucinations

Treatment

There is no one standard of treatment for Lafora Disease in dachshunds. However, there are steps dog owners can take to help reduce the severity of symptoms.

• Exposure to sun can influence and sometimes directly LD episodes, so it’s probably best to limit sun exposure.
• Keep in mind that bright, flashing lights can trigger a seizure in your Dachshund with Lafora Disease. You need to limit or eliminate these types of things in your home or around your dog.
• Medications for epilepsy may help. Potassium bromide, Phenobarbital, and levetiracetam have all proven helpful in controlling seizures of Lafora Disease.
• Changing to a low glycemic index diet might make a significant difference for dogs who suffer from seizures.

Prevention

Regrettably, there isn’t a way to prevent Lafora Disease in Dachshunds. But since it’s hereditary, breeding dogs with this condition isn’t desirable. There is a test for this condition that can determine whether or not your Dachshund has it or carries the mutation.

#6: Alopecia

Alopecia, or hair loss, is not uncommon in Dachshunds, and may be relatively mild or severe. Dachshunds whose coats are diluted colors, like chocolates and blues, are more susceptible to severe cases of alopecia.

While alopecia may look bad, depending on its severity, it actually doesn’t affect a dog’s health. Not directly, anyway. But, Dachshunds with severe alopecia have a lower tolerance for cold and will also sunburn if they are exposed to direct sunlight for extended periods.

When It Develops

Color Dilution Alopecia: Generally develops in Dachshunds between six months and three years of age. This type of alopecia is a result of breeding out solid coats and diluting the color to get fawn or blue.

Pinnal Alopecia: Pinnal Alopecia in Dachshunds is normal pattern baldness that affects the pinna, which is the area behind the dog’s ears. This type of alopecia typically starts when the dog is about six months to one year old.

It is progressive and worsens as time goes on. By the time your Dachshund is 8-9 nine years old, its ears may be completely hairless.

How To Spot Symptoms

The main symptoms of alopecia in Dachshunds are:

• Patchy hair loss
• Thinner fur
• Bald spots
• Skin irritation
• Licking, chewing or scratching body parts
• Folliculitis, or inflamed hair follicles that are infected

Treatment

Treatment for alopecia in Dachshunds consists of topical as well as oral medications to alleviate discomfort and itching, special shampoos to help prevent hair loss, and hormone therapy.

Prevention

Color dilution alopecia in Dachshunds is hereditary. This means that dogs with the condition really shouldn’t be bred as it can cause secondary skin infections. Pinnal alopecia is also hereditary and it’s also inadvisable to breed these dogs. Otherwise, there is nothing to be done as far as preventing alopecia in Dachshunds.

#7:  Dental Problems

Dental problems, including gum disease as well as tooth decay, is a common issue in Dachshunds due to the unique structure of their jaw and the number of teeth they have as relative to their overall size. Dental problems can cause pain and discomfort, besides sometimes affecting your dog’s ability to chew its food.

This can lead to poor overall health and condition, so these problems don’t need to go untreated. Periodontal disease is the most prevalent issue. Plaque buildup can harden over time, becoming tartar, which leads to inflammation of the dog’s gums. This is known as gingivitis and if untreated, periodontitis.

When It Develops

Dental problems tend to occur most frequently in middle aged or senior Dachshunds. However, dental injuries can occur at any time throughout the dog’s lifetime, and will need to be treated.

How To Spot Symptoms

Signs of dental problems in Dachshunds include:

• Difficulty chewing
• Bad breath
• Swollen gums

Treatment

Once dental problems appear, you should take your Dachshund to the vet for appropriate treatment. If a tooth is abscessed, for example, the veterinarian will prescribe antibiotics to fight the infection.

Sometimes a broken or diseased tooth will need to be extracted. After dental work is done, be sure to feed your dog a soft, bland diet for a few days until the area is no longer sore or inflamed.

Prevention

The lack of regular dental care and inadequate dental hygiene can contribute to dental problems in your Dachshund. Dental check-ups, regular tooth brushing, plus a dental- healthy diet are critical for the prevention of dental problems in Dachshunds. Dental toys designed for dogs can also be quite useful in preventing problems with gums.

#8: Corneal Ulcers

Dachshunds as a breed are prone to corneal ulcers of the eye. These ulcers may appear suddenly with no warning and should receive immediate care from a vet as they can worsen quickly and affect your dog’s vision.

When It Develops

Dachshunds may develop corneal ulcers at any stage throughout their lives.

How To Spot Symptoms

Here are some typical signs of corneal ulcers in Dachshunds:

• Red eyes
• Weepy eyes
• Scratching at eyes
• Squinting eyes
• Holes in surface of eyes

Treatment

Corneal ulcers can ordinarily be treated with medication, or in rare cases, surgery. Keep in mind that surgery is normally only necessary if the condition has gone untreated for too long. Most of the time, these ulcers can be successfully treated in a short time with medications like  antibiotics and eye ointments or drops.

Prevention

Corneal ulcers in dachshunds might develop due to different things, such as red-eye, eye infections, viral or bacterial eye infections. Make an effort to protect your dog from irritants that might bring on an eye infection, such as very dirty or dusty environments.

If your Dachshund has entropion, or turned in eyelashes, tacking its eyelids at least temporarily might avoid corneal ulcers. Insufficient tears, or dry eyes, can also cause eye ulcers, so if your dog has this problem, you should take it to the vet for the appropriate treatment.

#9: Portosystemic Shunt

PSS, or Portosystemic Shunt, is a condition of the liver in dogs. Dachshunds are more likely to develop this condition than most breeds. PSS is hereditary and occurs when abnormal veins let blood bypass the liver instead of passing through it to be filtered.

So, the liver can’t effectively remove toxins from the dog’s blood stream. Surgery might be required in more severe cases, but treatment usually consists of a special diet and medication.

When It Develops

PSS is a congenital condition, present at birth. However, if it’s in the 20% of cases caused by underlying health conditions involving the liver, it may develop at any time later in the dog’s life.

How To Spot Symptoms

Here are some symptoms of Portosystemic Shunt in Dachshunds:

• Abnormal behaviors such as disorientation, staring into space, circling or head pressing
• Seizures
• Drinking or urinating too much
• Stunted growth
• Vomiting
• Diarrhea
• Poor muscle development

Treatment

Treatment for Portosystemic Shunt may encompass medical as well as a surgical approach in some cases.

Medical Regime:

• Feeding this sugar will change the pH in the Dachshund’s large intestines, decreasing the absorption of ammonia and other toxins. This creates an unfavorable environment for toxin-producing bacteria in the intestines.
• Diet Change. The idea here is reducing protein in the diet, feeding the dog only highly digestible protein.
• Antibiotics are sometimes used to alter the bacterial population in the dog’s intestines, thus reducing bacterial overgrowth.

Surgery: Most surgeons use a device like an ameroid constrictor that will slowly close the shunt. This is a metal band that has an inner ring of casein, which is a protein found in milk. In the dog’s abdomen, the inner casein ring will absorb abdominal fluid and gradually swell, thus pressing on the shunt and causing it to scar itself shut. Shunts typically close within 3-4 weeks after surgery. Other surgical treatments include:

1. Cellophane bands to induce inflammation, which works to close the shunt with scar tissue.
2. Intravascular occlusive devices to induce clotting.

Surgery provides the best chance for a long, healthy life in most dogs with extrahepatic shunts. If ameroid constrictor placement is performed, survival rate is over 95%.

Prevention

Congenital PSS is the most common type in dogs of all breeds, including Dachshunds. 80% of dogs with this condition are born with it, so prevention isn’t really a viable option. Of the other 20%, portosystemic Shunt is caused by underlying health conditions such as cirrhosis of the liver or other severe liver disease. These cases are called Acquired Portosystemic shunts.

 #10:  Immune-Mediated Thrombocytopenia

Immune-Mediated Thrombocytopenia (IMT) is a condition in which a dog’s immune system destroys its own platelets. Long haired dachshunds are predisposed to this disease, leading to very low platelet concentrations in the blood due to the antibodies of the immune system attacking platelets.

Platelets play a vital role in blood clotting, so when platelet numbers have a significant drop, spontaneous bleeding may occur. This bleeding may manifest itself as blood spots in unpigmented or hairless skin areas, nosebleeds, or blood in the dog’s urine or feces.

IMT may cause chronic malaise in your Dachshund, and severe pain as well, if the bleeding occurs in tightly confined spaces like the skull, joints, or eyes.This condition can be life threatening.

When It Develops

Immune-Mediated Thrombocytopenia in dogs may develop at any age, although it is typically seen in middle-aged to senior dogs.

How To Spot Symptoms

Common signs of IMT are pale gums with areas of bruising. These are called  petechiation, are small and reddened, and are typically seen within the dog’s mouth, on its ear pinna, or over its groin and belly. Larger areas of this bruising are called ecchymoses and may be seen in similar areas as petechiation.

Some Dachshunds will begin to experience bleeding from unusual places and/or bleeding with no visible cause. There might be bleeding from eyes and nose, mouth, or blood in feces or urine. Bleeding can be internal and unable to be seen. Your dog could develop bleeding inside its chest, causing difficulty breathing. The GI tract may be another area of bleeding, causing bloody vomit, or black, tarry stools.

Treatment

If there is an underlying disease present, be it a  bacterial or fungal infection, cancer, or tick transmitted disease, your Dachshund will have to receive treatment for that disease for its platelet count to show improvement. An aggressive medication regime to reduce the immune response will be in order, as well.

This will include high doses of steroids along with immunosuppressive drugs like Azathioprine or Cyclosporine. These drugs will help decrease the attack on platelets by the dog’s immune system.

While your dog is taking these medications, it will be quite susceptible to injuries and infections because its immune system is compromised and unable to fight off attacks. Therefore, it will need to be monitored closely for infections and changes to the platelet count.

This medication treatment will go on for months and then tapered down slowly. Some dogs won’t be able to completely wean off these drugs and will be on the medications for life.

Keep your Dachshund quiet while they have low platelets. When platelets drop below a crucial point, there’s a risk of spontaneous hemorrhage and even death. If your dog has low or no platelets and bleeding starts, they don’t have a normal defense to stop the bleeding.

So, limit activity to a large degree and try to keep your dog as still as possible to avoid any injury that could result in bleeding.

Prevention

Veterinarians can find Immune-Mediated Thrombocytopenia in Dachshunds frustrating  because it’s often impossible to find the cause. In such cases, the vet will need to rule out other conditions before diagnosing IMT and its cause. Sometimes no cause or trigger can be found, which is known as an idiopathic condition.

IMT may be a secondary occurrence brought on by underlying disease. It may be the result of cancer, Lyme Disease or other tick-borne diseases, severe bacterial and fungal infections, drugs, or a multi-organ shut down.

• Primary ITP (idiopathic) can’t be prevented as it occurs spontaneously, without any identifiable cause.
• Secondary ITP may be associated with other underlying diseases or medication use. This type may be prevented by regular vaccinations to help prevent conditions that might lead to secondary ITP such as heartworm disease, leptospirosis, and distemper. Anti-parasitic products can help prevent secondary ITP, too, by preventing conditions that could trigger it.

Does Pet Insurance Cover Common Dachshund Health Issues?

Yes, in many or even most cases, it does. When you’re looking around to purchase a good pet insurance policy for your Dachshund, always check coverage to see if hereditary and genetic conditions are included. Please note that there’s a difference between hereditary or genetic conditions and pre-existing conditions.

Most pet insurance doesn’t cover pre-existing conditions. It’s also a good idea to look at  benefit limits, waiting periods, and reimbursement percentages, as well.

There are a variety of different sorts of pet insurance on the market. You might choose a policy that has coverage for injuries and accidents, but doesn’t cover disease or illness. Alternatively, you might prefer a policy that provides coverage for chronic health problems such as arthritis, along with common health problems. When you start researching pet insurance, you’ll find policies that offer the following coverage:

• Surgery
• Prescription meds
• Diagnostic tests
• MRIs
• Routine wellness examinations
• Blood and lab tests
• X-Rays
• Behavioral therapy
• Alternative treatments
• Prescription food and/or nutritional supplements

Even though pre-existing conditions are not generally covered, there are pet insurance providers that offer coverage. This coverage comes with a higher price tag, but includes extra benefits when and if you need them for your Dachshund.