We are Committed to Good Dobermann Health

This disease is known as Wobblers due to the unstable ‘wobbly’ movement which becomes apparent in the dog.  It is a condition of the vertebrae originating in the neck area.  It can manifest as unstable movement in the front or rear quarters, in the lifting or lowering of the neck and often in something known as ‘knuckling under’ of the feet.  This is where the toes tuck under and are trodden on when they are placed on the floor in normal movement.  Some dogs are in great pain with these issues and others appear not to feel any pain until the condition becomes quite advanced.

DCM is a heart disease which involves the wasting of the heart muscle until it can no longer pump blood around the body.  This disease can affect a Dobermann at any age although it is most common between the ages of 4 and 7.

There is currently no way of knowing whether a Dobermann is affected by this disease without undertaking blood testing, Echocardiogram and Holter monitoring at regular intervals throughout a dog’s life.

Often when symptoms begin to show the dog is already in decline.  Medication can be given to prolong life but there is no cure for this disease currently.

This condition occurs when the thyroid gland does not producing enough thyroid hormone. 

This can affect many aspects of a dog’s wellbeing and can manifest in any combination of the following symptoms: lethargy, weight gain or loss, hair loss, hair becoming coarser, anaemia or recurring skin infections. 

Your vet can take a simple blood test to verify if this condition exists in your dog, and will prescribe a course of hormone replacement medication which will need to be taken for the rest of its life.  Your dog can then continue living life to the full.

This is a hereditary eye condition which can cause loss of vision.  The  ‘skin’ which covers the immature eye does not clear correctly as the dog matures and can leave strands of fibre across the eye impairing vision. 

Your vet can test and confirm a diagnoses if appropriate.

There are also various eye testing sessions held around the country by the BVA in conjunction with the Kennel Club.  

You can find more details on the BVA website at the link below.

This condition occurs when the ball joint of the thigh bone does not fit into the socket of the hip joint with a good tight fit. 

This creates a rubbing of the bones which can distort the shape and weaken the joint further and also allows Osteoarthritis to develop. 

This condition can be tested by x-raying the hip joints as they are manipulated, whilst the dog is sedated.

Generally you should wait until you dog is at least 12-18 months old before having hips x-rayed as the bones will still be growing quite a lot prior to this age.

There are three types of status assigned to dogs regarding VWd. – Clear, Carrier or Affected.  The status of each dog is predetermined by its genetics and breeding.  The genes are for this are passed from the parents.  A dog which is known to be ‘Affected’ with VWd is often (but not always) unable to produce enough ‘clotting factor’  or sticky blood platelets to allow a cut to stop bleeding and heal.  Neither Clear nor Carrier animals have this issue and present ‘normally’.  For Affected dogs, there is a more significant degree of risk to any surgery this animal has  and any vet treating an affected dog should be told of the illness.  DNA testing is available to help identify those animals who are VWd affected.