Dachshund — questions to ask before paying a deposit
A responsible breeder will have these readily available. Deflection is a red flag.
Chondrodystrophy-linked intervertebral disc disease (IVDD)can shorten life or cause chronic pain
Premature, early-onset degeneration and calcification of the intervertebral discs, which can herniate and cause severe pain, paralysis, or death; around one in four Dachshunds develops clinical signs in its lifetime. Present breed-wide (allele frequency around 92% in one large testing-lab sample) but clinical prevalence differs by variety: a 2016 owner survey found it highest in Standard Smooth-Haired dogs (24.4%) and lowest in Standard Wire-Haired dogs (7.1%).
Ask to see: A CDDY/IVDD-risk DNA test on both parents, or a radiographic disc-calcification score taken between 2 and 4 years of age
UFAW / Dachshund: Intervertebral Disc Disease (https://www.ufaw.org.uk/dogs/dachshund-intervertebral-disc-disease) · UC Davis Veterinary Genetics Laboratory / Chondrodystrophy (CDDY and IVDD) and Chondrodysplasia (CDPA) (https://vgl.ucdavis.edu/test/cddy-cdpa) · PNAS / FGF4 retrogene on CFA12 is responsible for chondrodystrophy and intervertebral disc disease in dogs (https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.1709082114) · PMC / DachsLife 2015: lifestyle associations with the risk of IVDD in Dachshunds (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5097381/)
Progressive retinal atrophy, cone-rod dystrophy (cord1/CRD4)
A degeneration of both rod and cone cells in the retina causing progressive vision loss, usually apparent by around three years of age; penetrance is incomplete, so not every dog carrying two copies goes blind. OFA states this variant causes a real risk of clinical disease specifically in the MINIATURE LONG-HAIRED Dachshund (and in English Springer Spaniels); in other Dachshund varieties the risk of clinical disease from the same variant is described as low.
Ask to see: A PRA-CRD4/CORD1 (RPGRIP1) DNA test on both parents
OFA / Progressive Retinal Atrophy CRD4/CORD1 (https://ofa.org/crd4-progressive-retinal-atrophy/)
Lafora diseasecan shorten life or cause chronic pain
A late-onset, severe form of epilepsy causing myoclonic jerking and seizures from around age five, progressing to neurodegeneration; affected dogs are frequently euthanised within a few years of diagnosis. Specific to the MINIATURE WIRE-HAIRED variety.
Ask to see: A DNA test for the NHLRC1 repeat-expansion mutation on both parents
PMC / Lafora disease in miniature Wirehaired Dachshunds (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5540395/) · PMC / Nationwide genetic testing towards eliminating Lafora disease from Miniature Wirehaired Dachshunds in the UK (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5869781/) · Dachshund Health UK / Lafora Disease (https://www.dachshundhealth.org.uk/lafora-disease)
Cystinuriacan shorten life or cause chronic pain
A defect in kidney amino-acid transport that lets cystine crystallise in urine, forming bladder or urethral stones that can cause a life-threatening obstruction, especially in males. Best documented in Miniature Smooth-haired lines, and reported breed-wide.
Ask to see: A cystinuria (SLC3A1) DNA test on both parents
OMIA / Cystinuria, type I-A in Canis lupus familiaris (https://omia.org/OMIA000256/9615/)