The ” Sausage Dog ” appearance and the long back that attracts this attention is just what is responsible for the most major condition that this breed suffers from.
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Everybody loves Dachshunds, they make great pets and their elongated bodies often bring a smile to people’s faces, however the ” Sausage Dog ” appearance and the long back that attracts this attention is just what is responsible for the most major condition that this breed suffers, from back problems. The term back problems makes it sound like a minor human condition which it is clearly not, but the term degenerative disc disease gives you a better idea of what is going on. This being spontaneous degeneration of the outer part of the inter vertebral disc, resulting in disc rupture and pressure on the spinal cord. What is alarming with this condition is that it may not be related to injury and just spontaneously happens although obviously trauma would be a common cause. The predisposing factor here is the very long back of the Dachshund which creates undue mechanical forces on the vertebra.
Symptoms : A provisional diagnosis of degenerative disc disease is made based on the symptoms of back pain, uncoordinated walking, or paralysis of one or more limbs. These suspicions would then be verified via imaging such as x-ray or MRI scanning. This is one condition where it is best not to hang about or take a ” try it and see ” approach, where you suspect degenerative disc disease in a Dachshund the best thing to do is to go for imaging at once and see how bad things are, in this way you can confirm the diagnosis and get suitable treatment underway without delay.
Treatment : There are really only two approaches to treating this condition, one approach would be rest plus anti-inflammatory drugs and the second would be spinal surgery which obviously is for the more severe cases. Such surgery may best be carried out at a referral center by someone with a lot of experience in this type of procedure.If you are going to go for spinal surgery it would be best done as quickly as possible after the symptoms appear, within 24 hours if that can be arranged.
Prevention : Well I would not be popular for suggesting not to breed Dachshunds with long backs because they would not then look like Dachshunds any more, however if you had ever seen an extreme form of this disease where the affected dog just pulls itself along on its front legs or has to be put to sleep you might well change your mind on this point. Try and avoid excesses of exercise such as the dog standing on its hind legs which could compresses the spine. Don’t let the dog to leap about if you can avoid it and always support the complete length of the spine when picking up your Dachshund. Another good thing to do would be to try and avoid your Dachshund becoming overweight to try and minimise pressure on the spine.
Scott Nimmo BVMS MRCVS
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