Miniature Daschunds: Raising a Hemophiliac
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Miniature Daschunds are Precious.
But there's a catch. She's a hemophiliac. Well, officially it's called von Willebrand disease.
Von Willebrand disease affects male and female dogs. It is genetically inherited. Von Willebrand Disease is a bleeding disorder in which a malfunctioning occurs in the blood clotting protein called the von Willebrand factor. Without this factor the animals can bleed to death because the blood does not clot.
Von Willebrand was first described by Erik von Willebrand, a Finnish physician who reported a new type of bleeding disorder among island people in Sweden and Finland.
Our story -- Meet Lexi
Meet Lexi. Lexi is very special. Why is she special? She is special for many reasons.- She has von Willebrand disease. She is very delicate.
- She's already had 2 blood transfusion (which is how it was discovered she had the disease).
- Her coat is triple chocolate dapple color.
- One eye is brown, and the other eye is blue on top and brown on the bottom.
- She loves body heat, or anything hot for that matter. She burned off her whiskers by standing too close to the heater.
- She humps her best friend Maggie on the back when they get together. Maggie is a yellow labrador and she'll jump up on her back and simulate humping.
- She's tough to train. Very stubborn dog.
- She rolls in dead things. We call it her perfume.
- She's about 8 years old now and as far as we can see she will be living a long life.
Daschund's Origins and History
The beginnings of a miniature daschund.
Daschunds are said to have originated in Egypt. Around 1500 b.c hierogylphics carvings were found picturing short legged dogs. Except no badgers exists in Egypt.
Fast forward 3,000 years later and 1,000 dog generations, the earliest recordings of badger dogs were found in a book published in 1560. These dogs had long bodies, short legs, medium length heads, pendent ears, short necks, and sickle tails.
What is now known as the daschund of German origins began between 1550-1850. Gamekeepers and sportsmen began breeding dogs that were successful at hunting badgers underground.
Badgers aren't friendly creatures so the dogs had to be of tough temperament and small in stature to go underground. There heads had to be proportionate to their bodies so they were versatile in their fighting skills. Both male and female daschunds were used for hunting. If left to her own devices a mother daschund had to hunt for food to feed her litter.
Daschunds that ran in packs during these hunts were also successful in taking down wild boars.
They are known as the hot dog dog for good reason. When going underground to lure the badger, the air supply becomes limited. The daschund eventually grew to have a longer torso to allow maximum air supply. The lungs extends as far back as the soft ribs. This provided enough oxygen without extending the width of the chest.
The daschund's legs were built short so they could fold when underground. Don't be surprised at their speed. Daschunds can RUN. They can cover a lot of ground at full gallop.
A daschund's tail is long to help continue the spine and have been used by many hunters to rescue their daschund from a badger hole but pulling them by their tail.
Daschunds are wonderful dogs to have. They were created to hunt and dig. They are outdoor dogs. If you decide to get one make sure you have the yard to support them.
Love your Dashchund? Display it by wearing a Shirt!
Discourage Jumping!
Daschunds should not be allowed to jump up or down anything. Train them early as puppies not to jump. Their bodies were developed to stay low to the ground. Jumping up to greater heights may overdevelop their hindquarters and can disfigure their backlines. Jumping down from things such as couches, tables can cause sprain and strain in the involved joints. They could also injure their spine causing nerve damage.
Dapple Color Daschund
Lexi has a special color. She is a short haired, smooth daschund. Her coat is called triple chocolate dapple.The dapple color is the result of an albino variant. Very few breeds have this coloration.
Daschunds were originally red or brown. However there exist a problem with trigger happy hunters. When a hunter was waiting for a fox to jump out of a bush, sometimes the daschund beat them to the chase. You can guess what happened next. Hunters then bred daschunds with small bloodhounds of a black and tan color. Thus, the black and tan daschund was born.
Dapple color daschunds were an albino variant from this cross breeding.
Raising a Hemophiliac around kids
Being extra cautious
Raising our son with Lexi has been a huge challenge for us. For almost 3 years Lexi lived with family because our son was too rough on her.He would pull her ears and tail. He would try to walk on her. He would pick her up by her legs and drag her around. Our biggest concern was making sure she did not get any cuts or bruises.
Lexi is always under constant supervision because of her disease. Although daschunds are meant to be outdoor dogs, Lexi is an exception. The reason she has lived so long is because she has stayed indoors. She is allowed outside to potty and inspect the area for a short time, but she spends the majority of her time with my husband in his cave. This keeps her safe and away from our son who does not fully understand her delicate constitution.
If you have a dog with von Willebrand disease:
-- Make sure she is in a safe area in the yard. Avoid thorny bushes, remove sharp tools from the yard, and anything else you find that she can get hurt from.
-- Daschunds are very protective of their family and area. Make sure she does not attack other dogs and people. You never know how unfamiliar people or dogs will react to your dog.
-- Prevent your daschund from getting into dog fights. Lexi was very lucky. She was in a fight with an American bulldog. She was hanging onto the dog's neck, trying to protect her best friend, Maggie, who was fighting with the dog.
-- Make sure your kids are trained to understand that they have to be careful with your dog.
-- Teach your kids that she is delicate and can not be harmed and hurt. Show them how to pet the dog, and train the dog. Show them how to play with the dog. And definitely discipline them if they do not listen. Kids are very stubborn as well.
Enjoy your dog. Dogs with von Willebrand can definitely live a long time if you take care of her the right way.
Silly youTube vids you might like
Weiner Dog Photos
Triple Chocolate Dapple
Lexi's coat is an albino variant. She's beautiful because there are not many dogs that are dapple color like she is. Sadly, due to her condition Lexi can not be bred. She's a little chunky, but she's our baby.
Read on! Grab these books to learn more about Daschunds.
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Lexi loves laying the in the sun. She's so happy and content. She also likes to look out the door to keep eye on everyone walking around the neighborhood.
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by blueasian
Hello World! I am a full time massage therapist and work from home mom. I like to help people and share lots of information that I learned.
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