The Killer C's
Cancer
Dobermans seem to be a breed that commonly falls ill to cancer. Incidences of bone cancer, mammary cancer, and cancers of the digestive system and blood and lymph nodes are wide spread in the Doberman population. Although cancer is present in all breeds, it is not uncommon to hear of Dobermans being diagnosed with it especially as they get up there in age.
This is usually a fatal heart condition that is very prevalent in the Doberman population. It tends to affect older dogs, but mostly those 4-6 years of age, and seems to be more common in males than females. It can cause sudden death that appears as a "heart attack". Other Dobies may experience fainting, abnormal shortness of breath, a cough, or weight loss and may react slower to the degeneration of the heart muscle. Cardiomyopathy is hereditary and line breeding such dogs can cause certain populations to have a higher incidence of the disease. If caught early, drugs can be administered to help control fluid buildup in the lungs and to keep a steady heartbeat, but long term survival is usually not realistic.
This disease is also known as Wobbler's syndrome. It affects the disks in between the vertebrae causing them to weaken and herniate. Pressure is exerted on the spinal cord causing the dog to have a "wobbly" gait and there may be stiffness and pain in the neck and legs. Dogs severely affected by CVI can become paralyzed and unable to control their bladder and bowel functions. It is not clearly understood how dogs get CVI but genetics and diet are suspected. It has not been proven that CVI is a hereditary disease but it is good practice not to breed dogs affected by the disease. It is believed that feeding too much protein and calcium during the 2-6 month stage may be partly to blame for higher incidences of CVI. Acupuncture has shown good results in alleviating pain in many Dobermans affected by Wobbler's syndrome.
Hypothyroidism
This is a fairly common health problem in Dobermans. It is a disorder in which the body does not produce enough of the thyroid hormones. It usually doesn't affect the dog until they are 2-5 years of age, so blood tests given early in life may not detect the disorder. Symptoms include lethargy, obesity, sometimes weight loss, thin coat, and crusty/discolored skin. Luckily, this is a disease that is treated quite successfully with medication so that the dog can live a normal life.
This is a disease that affects the clotting of the blood. Von Willebrand's disease is similar to hemophilia in humans in that the protein factor needed for blood clotting is low. This disease affects both males and females. It is extremely prevalent in Dobermans and is suspected that at least 85% of Dobermans are carriers or affected by the disease. If a dog is severely affected it will bruise easily and spontaneously bleed. Those who are severely affected may also bleed easily from their mouth and nose and is usually seen in puppyhood. While most Dobies have von Willebrand's disease, many Dobermans are virtually unaffected by it and their owners may not even be aware that the dogs have it. Dogs that are only mildly affected by it may only show signs of prolonged bleeding after trauma or surgery and drugs can be administered to aid clotting. Because this disease is so widespread in the Doberman population, it can be dangerous to only breed from those dogs who are free of the disease. The breeding population would be too small and other diseases may become more prevalent. It is recommended that severely affected dogs should not be used in breeding programs. DNA tests can be performed to detect whether a dog is a carrier, affected, or clear and to what degree if it has the disease. Protein tests are highly inaccurate as the dog's protein levels fluctuate and are affected by stress and illness.
This is a disease that luckily is not very prevalent in Dobermans. It is a condition where the pelvic ball and socket joint do not fit together correctly. It can cause the hip to pop out of place causing pain and making it difficult for the dog to move properly. While hip dysplasia is a hereditary disease, it is also affected by nutrition. Dogs that gain weight quickly during puppyhood may be growing too quickly for their bones to support the weight. It is recommended that large breed dogs be taken off of a high protein puppy food around 4-5 months old and put on a large breed puppy food or even switched to an adult formula food. Also, care should be given to not allow your Doberman to engage in lots of jumping, climbing, or hard running activities for the first year of life so that the bones may form properly.
This condition typically affects blue and fawn Dobies, though it is impossible to predict which pups will have it. Most blues will be affected to some degree and it seems that the lighter silver blues have a higher incidence than the darker steel blues. Both fawn and blue Dobermans have less fur per square inch than their black and red counterparts, so it is unfair to expect them to have the same thick coats, even blues and fawns who are not affected by CDA. CDA can appear as just thinning of the coat with dry skin or complete baldness. It is similar to male pattern baldness and is just a cosmetic condition. The most common occurance is the thinning of the saddle area on the back. Skin problems can also be apparent in the form of small pustules and may be due to a staph infection. CDA usually occurs after the dog reaches a year of age and it is generally recognized that if a dog's coat hasn't thinned by the age of 3-4, then it probably won't have CDA. CDA is believed to be genetic and therefore, affected dogs should not be used for breeding programs. Dogs with CDA are just as healthy as those without it. It is thought that dogs affected by CDA may have slightly weaker immune systems and may recover more slowly from illness or surgery. Many dogs with CDA also show great improvement in their coat quality with vitamin supplementation and an increase in the omega-3&6 fatty acids in their diet.
Cardiomyopathy
Cervical Vertebral Instability (CVI)
Other Diseases
Von Willebrand's Disease (vWB)
Hip Dysplasia
Color Dilute Alopecia (CDA)
