Dachshund Health Care & Feeding

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Dachshund Health Problems

Or check out my advice for raising a healthy Dachshund puppy or adult dog:

Complete list of Dachshund health problems

Dachshunds have been deliberately bred to have a severe deformity called chondrodysplasia (dwarfed legs, long back). Thus, orthopedic problems are inevitable.

Of all breeds, Dachshunds are at the highest risk for intervertebral disk disease, which causes pain and lameness.... or total hindquarter paralysis.

Sometimes movement can be restored with immediate intervention via complicated, expensive surgery. But often the paralysis is permanent.

One in every four Dachshunds develops a disk problem in their lifetime, most commonly at 3-7 years old.

Disk disease is mostly dependent upon genetics and the inherent unhealthy structure of the breed, but you can help reduce its likelihood:

• Keep your Dachshund fit and trim. Dachshunds love to eat, which means fat Dachshunds are all too common. Obesity puts additional strain on the backbone and increases the risk of disk disease.
• Don't let your Dachshund sit up and beg (bad for his back), or jump off high furniture (bad for his back), or jump over any hurdle higher than his shoulder.
• Support your Dachshund's back when holding him. Keep his back horizontal by holding him like a football, with his rear quarters tucked under your arm, and your hands supporting his chest.

The next most common orthopedic health problem in Dachshunds is luxating patella (loose knee joints) which causes pain and lameness and can require surgery.

Dachshunds are also susceptible to hip dysplasia. The Orthopedic Foundation of America evaluated the hip X-rays of over 100 Dachshunds and found 8% dysplastic.

Two more orthopedic diseases: elbow dysplasia and Legg-Calve-Perthes.

Epilepsy occurs regularly in Dachshunds.

Urinary problems, especially urinary stones and a disease called cystinuria, are common in Dachshunds.

The most serious eye disease is progressive retinal atrophy (PRA), which is especially common in miniature Dachshunds. Cataracts can appear around a year old. A particularly severe form of corneal dystrophy occurs in Dachshunds. Also glaucoma, dry eye, and persistent pupillary membranes.

Hormonal/endocrine system diseases (hypothyroidism, Cushing's disease, and diabetes) can appear in middle-aged and older Dachshunds.

Heart disease (mitral valve disease) and blood-clotting disease (von Willebrand's) are concerns in Dachshunds.

Skin diseases include allergies, bacterial skin infections (pyoderma), demodectic mange in Dachshund puppies, and non-tumorous growths. In certain Dachshund colors, follicular dysplasia and color dilution alopecia can occur.

Some Dachshunds have a harmless skin condition called pattern baldness, which is a gradual thinning or complete loss of hair around their temples and ears, underneath their neck and abdomen, and on the backs of their thighs. Some Dachshunds have it ONLY on their ears. It's not itchy and the skin and coat are otherwise normal. Since it's a cosmetic condition, there's no treatment necessary other than adding supplements that are good for the skin and coat, such as fatty acids (The Missing Link).

Another skin condition in Dachshunds (fortunately not common) is acanthosis nigricans, where the skin becomes dark, thick, and hairless, usually starting in the armpit at 3-12 months old and progressing to the stomach and groin. It's a lifelong condition, but it doesn't affect health unless seborrhea or pyoderma (bacterial infection) develop, which do cause itching and make the skin worse.

Tumors and cancers in Dachshunds include sebaceous gland tumors, breast tumors, and benign histiocytoma.

Other health problems occasionally reported in Dachshunds include autoimmune hemolytic anemia, lysosomal storage disease, polyneuropathy, narcolepsy, liver shunt, bloat, and in some dappled Dachshunds, inherited deafness.

Preventing health problems

Some health problems are inherited. For example, if your dog inherits from his parents the genes for an eye disease called PRA, he will go blind and there's nothing anyone can do about it.

But most health problems can be prevented by the ways you raise your dog.

FREE eBOOK! My free online health care program, 11 Things You Must Do Right To Keep Your Dog Healthy and Happy shows you how to raise your Dachshund in all the right ways that help prevent health problems. Become your dog's health care champion!