Dachshund health: what owners should know

Intervertebral disc disease (IVDD) is the main concern. Dachshunds carry the chondrodystrophy trait that gives them short legs, and their spinal discs can harden and fail early, most often between 3 and 7 years. Keeping your dog slim, well muscled and off high furniture are sensible habits, and some breeders in the UK and Scandinavia X-ray breeding dogs for disc calcification to lower the risk in their puppies. Treat any sudden back sign as urgent: yelping when touched or lifted, a hunched back, refusing to climb, wobbly or dragging back legs, or paws knuckling over mean calling a vet that same day.

Other known issues include eye disease such as progressive retinal atrophy (miniature longhairs have a DNA test for one form, called cord1), crowded teeth in the small jaw and skin problems in some lines. Dapple to dapple matings are linked to deafness and eye defects, so responsible breeders avoid them. Brush teeth several times a week, and ask your vet to check the mouth at every annual visit.