A breeder's guide to Dachshund health testing
Long backs and short legs give this breed its charm and its biggest health risk. Screening cannot remove every problem, but it does remove several. This VerifiedStuds guide explains the tests the parent club lists, the DNA tests worth adding, and what we require for the Verified Health badge.
The Dachshund Club of America is the AKC parent club. Its list, as published by the AKC, has three exams:
Clearance
Who does it
Earliest final result
Patellas
Veterinary exam, registered with OFA
12 months
Heart
Cardiac exam, registered with OFA
12 months
Eyes
Board-certified veterinary ophthalmologist
Any age; valid 12 months
These apply to all three coats, smooth, longhaired and wirehaired, and to both standard and miniature sizes.
cord1-PRA (crd4): a form of progressive retinal atrophy that is found mainly in miniatures and causes blindness.
NPHP4-PRA (crd): another eye disease, seen mostly in wirehaired dogs.
Lafora disease: a late-onset epilepsy in miniature wirehaired lines.
Osteogenesis imperfecta: a brittle bone disease in wirehaired lines.
Because all of these are recessive, a carrier bred to a clear dog produces no affected puppies.
Intervertebral disc disease (IVDD) is the breed's most common serious problem, and no clearance exists for it in the United States. Some European clubs x-ray young adults to count calcified discs, which predicts risk. Meanwhile, the best guide is family history. So ask whether the stud, his parents or his earlier puppies have had back surgery or paralysis.
Dapple is the breed's name for merle. One copy gives the pattern. However, two copies, called double dapple, often cause deafness and eye defects. Therefore, two dapples should never be bred together.
Brucellosis spreads through mating and has no reliable cure. Therefore, the AKC advises testing stud dogs every six months and females before each breeding. In addition, VerifiedStuds asks for a negative test before every booking. Read brucellosis in dogs for the details.
Ask for his registered name, then look up his results in the public OFA database.
Request PRA results on a lab report if either dog is a miniature.
Check the backs in his family, along with his own weight and fitness.
Find out whether he carries dapple, especially if he is cream or red, where the pattern can hide.
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What health tests should a Dachshund have before breeding?
A patella exam, a cardiac exam and an eye exam, plus a negative brucellosis test. Miniatures should also have a cord1-PRA DNA test.
Is there a test for IVDD in Dachshunds?
There is no clearance in the United States. Family history and, in some countries, spinal x-rays are the tools breeders use.
Why should two dapple Dachshunds not be bred?
Puppies with two dapple copies often have hearing and eye defects. Breeding dapple to a solid dog avoids that risk.
How often should a Dachshund's eyes be checked?
Every year while the dog is being bred, because an eye certificate is valid for 12 months.
What does VerifiedStuds require for Dachshund studs?
Patellas, heart and a current eye exam, with a negative brucellosis test, for the Verified Health badge.
Sources: Dachshund Club of America, AKC Hound Group health testing requirements, OFA CHIC program.
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