The Dachshund is one of the most popular dog breeds around, as they make lovely family pets that can often make a great addition to any household. However, you might be wondering what the most common Dachshund health problems are, as you would likely want to know what health issues are common for the breed before bringing that Dachshund puppy home.
Thankfully, we will discuss all of the breed’s most common health concerns, so you will be able to know what you are getting into.
The Dachshund dog breed is mostly healthy in the way that they are not very sickly dogs. However, the shape of the Dachshund’s body tends to make them particularly prone to issues with their backs due to their long bodies and short legs.
Even though they are a healthy breed in general, below we will discuss the most common health problems that Dachshunds are prone to experiencing.
As mentioned above, Dachshunds are notorious for having back problems due to the shape of their bodies. This health issue can be brought on by Dachshunds frequently jumping on and off furniture or ledges that are too high. It can cause severe pain for your little dog and should be addressed as soon as possible.
Symptoms of Intervertebral Disc Disease include:
Treatment is, unfortunately, quite limited, as it usually entails surgery, which can be expensive and is not always guaranteed to be effective.
Portosystemic Shunt is a liver disease. Dachshunds tend to suffer, which causes the liver to be unable to remove toxins from the blood. Symptoms include your dog being disoriented, staring into space, urinating too frequently, and even vomiting, but many of these may only occur after your dog eats a high-protein meal.
This liver disorder can cause stunted growth and poor muscle development over time. It is usually diagnosed through a bile acid test, urinalysis, or a complete blood count.
A Portosystemic Shunt can be treated with surgery and, in some less severe cases, by medication or a change of diet. If left untreated, it can lead to the death of your dog.
Progressive Retinal Atrophy is an eye disorder that can eventually lead to blindness due to the degeneration of photoreceptors located at the back of the eye. It can be detected years before it ends up leading to blindness, although there is not much that can be done to stop it.
Thankfully, being blind will not hugely affect your dog’s quality of life, as their other senses will improve to compensate for their lack of vision. Your dog can easily still live a happy and full life, so long as you don’t move your furniture around too much.
Even a healthy Dachshund can benefit from pet insurance, as you can never know what the future might hold, so knowing that you are covered can easily give you peace of mind.
Pet insurance can often allow you to afford any treatment that your dog might need, almost regardless of how much it might cost, so it can easily allow you to keep your Dachshund healthy and happy throughout its life span.
Not all pet insurance is created equally. And seeing as though Dachshunds regularly are susceptible to certain expensive predispositions, it would be wise to look for insurance that will give you the most value for money. Here are some of our tips to help you choose the best pet insurance:
The best types of pet insurance will be able to cover your dog for almost any and everything that could happen to them.
A good pet insurance policy will not make you pay any excess fees when you need to make a claim, and it should also cover at least up to 80% of your vet bills.
A good pet insurance policy will allow you to claim between $11,000 and $20,000 per year, as this will most often be more than enough to cover any surgeries or procedures that your dog might need.
Dachshunds typically live to be between 12 and 15 years old, so long as they don’t have any back problems or other serious congenital or progressive health problems.
In some cases, if your dog receives adequate medical care, and is fed quality, age-appropriate dog food throughout its life, then it could live to be even older than this.
Dachshunds make great family dogs, as they are excellent companions that can light up any household.
However, prospective owners should be aware of the health problems that this breed faces and try to treat them as early on as possible. So be prepared and be gentle with these little sausage dogs.
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