Veterinarian Owned

All breeds of dogs have certain health issues that affect them. Some are unique to the breed while other diseases affect multiple breeds. This page is dedicated to address some of the issues that affect Dobermans. Researching these diseases on your own as well as discussing them with your veterinarian is a good idea before purchasing any breed. Some diseases can be mostly avoided by selective breeding programs and surgically altering those dogs that do not enhance the breed. Our program tests our breeding dogs for Thyroid Disease  and also screens for Hip Dysplasia. This does not guarantee that none of the offspring will have these diseases but we do our best to ensure that they will not.

HYPOTHYROIDISM : This is a disease of the Thyroid Gland in the neck. This is a problem where the gland does not produce enough hormone and this can lead to several symptoms. Low thyroid hormone can slow down the dogs metabolism (leading to weight gain), skin diseases (Such as poor hair coat and skin allergies), irritability and reproductive disorders. Diagnosis is done with a simple blood test by your veterinarian and treatment is with daily medication which is very inexpensive.

PROGRESSIVE RETINAL ATROPHY : This is a disease of the eyes where vision is affected and gradually can lead to blindness. The disease progresses over a prolonged period of time, often years. There is no cure but a screening test is available from a veterinary ophthalmologist. You will notice vision gradually decreasing if your dog is affected by this disease.

HIP DYSPLASIA : This disease results from poor conformation of the hip joint. The  joint is a ball and socket joint and the poor conformation allows the ball part to slide around in the joint instead of rotating only. This in turn leads to arthritis. Once the severe arthritis develops, surgery or lifelong anti-inflammatories are often the only treatment options. Hip Dysplasia has a genetic component in that the dog has a genetic predisposition for the disease but improper nutrition is also a factor. This breed should be fed a dog food specially formulated for large breeds because it slows down the growth of the dog allowing the bones and joints to become strong enough to support the weight of this large breed. This is one of the diseases that can be screened for and for the most part, eliminated from the genetic gene pool in a particular breeding program. 

CERVICAL VERTEBRAL INSTABILITY  "Wobblers Syndrome" : This is a disease that affects the bones in the neck, the vertebra, in such a manner to make them instable. The affected vertebra are usually the first 2 and the instability will cause spinal cord compression in this area. The first symptoms are usually neck pain when the head is moved in an up and down motion. It can however progress to paralysis of the legs in extreme cases. This disease is extremely difficult if not impossible to diagnose before symptoms occur so testing for predisposition is not done. Even though this disease does affect Dobermans, is not an extremely common disease. 

GASTRIC DILATATION VOLVULUS (GDV)  "Bloat":  Most commonly called "Bloat", this disease syndrome results from swelling of the stomach (Gastric) as a result of excessive gas and fluid. The excessive gas causes the stomach to "rise" or swell. This is the "Dilation" part of the syndrome. If the stomach twists, then this is "Volvulus". Both are serious problems each by themselves, but when both are present, it is a life saving surgical emergency. This disease is most common in deep-chested dogs such as Great Danes, Dobermans, and Greyhounds. It usually occurs in middle-age to older dogs and is believed to be a result of exercising vigorously after eating or drinking excessive amounts of water. You can help prevent this problem by reducing exercise after feeding and lesson the quantities of food given with each meal or monitoring the water intake.

VON WILLIBRAND'S DISEASE : This is a common clotting disorder of several breeds of dogs, including  Dobermans. This disease is mild in some breeds, such as the Doberman and very serious in others, such as the Scottish Terrier and Shetland Sheepdog. There are three classifications of this disease; Clear (15% of Dobermans), Carrier (50% of the breed) and Affected (35 %).These percentages are approximate. Most Dobermans who are "affected" never have a bleeding problem but surgery or trauma may lead to serious bleeding . For this reason, if you have a Doberman that is genetically classified as "Affected", you may want to make sure that your veterinarian keeps Desmopressin on hand ( Drug used for bleeding disorders) or have ability to do a blood transfusion if needed (for clotting factors). If you own a Doberman, it behooves you to have them screened with a DNA test, especially if you are considering breeding it. Affected dogs do not need to be euthanized because it is a manageable disease and remember, most affected dogs will never have a bleeding problem.

DILATED CARDIOMYOPATHY (DCM): This disease is is suspected to to be an inherited condition in this breed but research is ongoing. DCM is a condition where the hearts ability to pump blood is decreased because the main chamber is enlarged and weakened. This causes the heart to be less efficient in pumping the blood to the rest of the body. Some of the symptoms of this disease are exercise intolerance (Gets tired very easily with exercise), coughing, and weight loss with a "pot bellied" appearance (caused by a fluid buildup in the abdomen). This disease is not predictable and can only be diagnosed by your veterinarian with radiographs (x-rays) and an ultrasound. This disease can be managed with appropriate medications but is life threatening.

COLOR MUTANT ALOPECIA: This disease is commonly referred to as "Blue / Fawn Doberman Syndrome". This disease is not extremely common and does affect breeds other than the Doberman. Most affected dogs are born with normal hair coats but usually will develop symptoms by 2-3 years of age or sooner. The hair coat will become patchy or "moth eaten". Usually, only the lighter areas of the hair coat are affected so this is what leads to the "moth eaten" appearance. For these reasons, there are a lot of people that will not purchase these colors, as there is no cure.

TEPHILLOT DOBERMANS

Dayton, TN. 37321