Patellas ~ Patellas are basically just knee caps. The dachshund breed is afflicted with luxating patellas like many small breed dogs. Patellar luxation occurs when the dog's kneecap (patella) is dislocated from its normal anatomic position in the groove of the thigh bone (femur). When the kneecap is dislocated from the groove of the thigh bone, it can only be returned to its normal position once the quadriceps muscles in the hind legs of the animal relax and lengthen. It is for this reason that most dogs with the condition will hold up their hind legs for a few minutes. This can be a painful condition in the dog and sometimes requires surgery to correct. All of our dogs are checked by their first birthday to make sure that their knee caps do not luxate.
Eyes ~ There are many eye conditions that can affect a dachshund. Distichiasis, entropion, PRA, cherry eye, cataracts, just to name a few. Our dogs have an eye exam every year to make sure we are not breeding in any eye abnormalities. A CERF is a painless eye exam done by a certified canine opthamologists that checks the dogs eyelids, cornea, iris, lens, and more for disease. We use this test to ensure we are not breeding any dachshunds with an eye disease. For more info check out this link ~
http://www.vmdb.org/history.html
IVDD ~ Inter-Vertebral Disc Disease is strictly a disease that affects long dogs such as our dachshunds. Unfortunately there is no test for this horrible disease. A well informed owner is the best defense. Here is some great
information:
http://www.dodgerslist.com/literature/IVDDcourse/ivdd_is_about_time.html
Vaccine Reactions ~ Dachshunds are very prone to vaccine reactions. Whether it be Rabies, Distemper, Lepto, etc. And just because your dachshund didn't have a reaction before that does not mean he/she is out of the woods. It can happen at any time even with a vaccine they have had before. It can be as mild a reaction as hives or as major as their throat closing up and they can't breathe.
Some tips whether your doxie has had a reaction before or not:
Eyes ~ There are many eye conditions that can affect a dachshund. Distichiasis, entropion, PRA, cherry eye, cataracts, just to name a few. Our dogs have an eye exam every year to make sure we are not breeding in any eye abnormalities. A CERF is a painless eye exam done by a certified canine opthamologists that checks the dogs eyelids, cornea, iris, lens, and more for disease. We use this test to ensure we are not breeding any dachshunds with an eye disease. For more info check out this link ~
http://www.vmdb.org/history.html
IVDD ~ Inter-Vertebral Disc Disease is strictly a disease that affects long dogs such as our dachshunds. Unfortunately there is no test for this horrible disease. A well informed owner is the best defense. Here is some great
information:
http://www.dodgerslist.com/literature/IVDDcourse/ivdd_is_about_time.html
Vaccine Reactions ~ Dachshunds are very prone to vaccine reactions. Whether it be Rabies, Distemper, Lepto, etc. And just because your dachshund didn't have a reaction before that does not mean he/she is out of the woods. It can happen at any time even with a vaccine they have had before. It can be as mild a reaction as hives or as major as their throat closing up and they can't breathe.
Some tips whether your doxie has had a reaction before or not:
- Give your doxie benadryl at least an hour before the vet appointment. Dosage is 2mg per pound of body weight. Make sure to tell the vet this has been given.
- After the vaccine wait in the waiting room of the vet for 15 minutes and look for signs.
**Signs include ~ Shaking head, red ears, hives on belly, and/or itching head and face. - If signs aren't noticed until you get home you can dose your dog again with benadryl but my best advice to you is to just rush right back to the vet. They can offer much more relief much quicker. Benadryl will take awhile to take affect.
**A reaction can happen with any vaccine! I can not stress this enough. Just because your dog hasn't had a reaction before doesn't mean they will never have a reaction** - My Meme has had a distemper vaccine before but I used a different brand than previously. Her ears turned bright red and her face and head blew up like a balloon. By the time I got her to the vet's 15 minutes later she couldn't see. Her eyes were swollen shut. I snapped a quick picture of her before I left for the vet but it does not do what it looked like justice.
Vaccinating our dogs every year is no longer the recommended protocol. It has been found to do more harm then good to overvaccinate. They are now finding that immunity lasts much longer then just a year with most vaccines. Here is a link to the new vaccination guidelines ~ http://www.weim.net/emberweims/Vaccine.html
**Leptosporosis and Lyme are the 2 vaccines that have the highest reaction rate! Think hard and research if either of these are a concern in your area before letting your vet administer them. I also highly recommend your dog be given a dose of benadryl before either of these vaccines are given to a dachshund. Lyme is a tick born disease and lepto is spread via wildlife urine (usually if your dog goes swimming in a pond)
**Leptosporosis and Lyme are the 2 vaccines that have the highest reaction rate! Think hard and research if either of these are a concern in your area before letting your vet administer them. I also highly recommend your dog be given a dose of benadryl before either of these vaccines are given to a dachshund. Lyme is a tick born disease and lepto is spread via wildlife urine (usually if your dog goes swimming in a pond)
