Wire Health FAQs

Disclaimer: The following questions have been sent in by visitors to this site. Our answers are based on over 20 years practical experience of owning Dachshunds. You should always consult a veterinary surgeon for expert advice.

Q: We are desperate. Have you ever heard of wirehaired dachshunds having allergies? My wirehaired is losing his wirey outer coat and the Vet says that it is due to an allergy. During the past year and a half we have completely altered his diet 4 times. Nothing seems to work. Have you ever heard of this happening? We dearly love him and are deeply concerned for his wellbeing. If you have any suggestions we would appreciate hearing from you. A: Yes, wire dachshunds can suffer from allergies. We have had several that have been allergic to grass and this type of problem results in the dog nibbling, scratching and rubbing its chest and stomach, and back legs, in fact anywhere its body has come in contact with the grass. It is possible to establish which plant/substance is causing this problem with a test similar to that done in humans, where a little of each potential allergen is injected just under the skin, in a grid pattern to see which substances cause a reaction or weal to develop. We know of a friend's bitch who had this test done and she proved to be allergic to house-dust mites and grass pollen. It's basically a similar type thing to hay-fever in humans but manifests itself as a skin problem rather than sneezing etc. The second major cause of allergies is a flea-bite allergy and this shows itself more on the dog's back and around the root of the tail, again with lots of self-trauma. If the hair loss is not accompanied by itching and scratching, the next possibility is a hormone-induced problem, such as Cushing's Disease which shows itself as hair loss on both sides of the body and flanks and a general darkening of the exposed skin. There are other signs such as sluggishness in behaviour and the vet can run a simple hormone test to determine if this is the cause. It is treatable. Another hormonal cause of hair loss is thyroid deficiency and again, the vet can run a test to eliminate this as a cause. Again, this is a treatable condition. Some Wires which live in outside kennels with concrete runs also develop seasonal hair loss. There is no itching but the hair falls out on the flanks and sides, leaving black skin. Dogs housed indoors rarely seem to develop this condition. It seems to be an inherited problem in some lines in the UK and there is no treatment for it that we know of. All the usual hormone tests show negative results with this problem. We don't come across food allergies that show as skin conditions too much. This type of problem would show up more as diarrhoea or similar intolerance. The following answer was sent by Cindy Austin, to whom we offer our thanks...

"I am a breeder of Standard Wirehaired Dachshunds and live in the Northwest section of the United States (Oregon, wet and rainy) and I have a couple of dogs have lost their hair as you have described. My breeder (of 35 years who lives in Washington state) calls it "the winter curd". His niece is a vet back east and she told him many years ago that it is caused by a low grade fungus that doesn't culture well, so vets don't know that is exists. In horses we called it "rain rot". They would lose their coat in the same way, during the damp/wet part of the season. I have had puppy owners spend hundreds of dollars at the vet's office and never get any answer. My breeder gets a prescription for something, but I found that a 15% solution of Tea Tree Oil (which is antiseptic and good for fungal infections) sprayed on twice a day for several days works wonders! The hair grows back quickly...the vets were amazed! Thought you might like to know this and pass it on...would save a lot of heartache and money." Skin Allergies

Q: Please can you give me any advice on skin problems under the arms and on the chest? I think it is called 'elephant' skin and I am desperate to know of any creams or treatments that would be effective. She is a 4 year old black & Tan miniature dachshund. She has been spayed.

A: It sounds like she may have some sort of allergy. Have you taken her to the vet for a test? May be worth a try before leaping to any remedies. Have you asked her breeder for advice as well? You could try oil of evening primrose capsules - they can't do any harm and may help.

Q: What are the consequences of over-exercising a puppy at this age? He seems to have boundless energy, and generally is the last to give up, after myself and the Labrador. We'd hate to over-exercise him and cause problems for later in life, but at the same time we don't want to deprive him of the fun he can have on a walk. Can you advise us please?

A: The exercise advice on our Owners' Guide page is particularly relevant for puppies that will be shown because too much exercise too soon will cause out-turned feet, poor toplines and poor body development. Even with a "pet" you'd be far better allowing the puppy exercise in the garden so he can decide when he's had enough rather than any long walks where you risk over-tiring him. They are full of energy until they "grow up" (if they ever do), but you will have a far fitter dog in the long term if you don't over-exercise when young. At the end of the day, it's up to you of course, but do ensure he gets out and about so he is well socialised by meeting different people and experiences different situations.

Q: My mother has a miniature dachshund dog, it is just two years old but appears
to  have several problems although she purchased him from a recognised breeder.
At about 6 months old Max would not walk very far, and would just keel over and 
refuse to get up.  My mother took him to the vets and had him checked over but 
there didn't appear to be anything physically wrong.  He then started to walk 
with his head down and walking slightly sideways, again my mother took him to 
the vets and this time they x-rayed his back to be sure nothing was wrong, again 
the tests came back negative.  He doesn't appear to be in any pain and can raise 
his head if he wants to (to eat a small piece of chocolate), but only for very 
small amounts of time, he never stands in the proud stance of head up looking 
forward and the best description of his walk would be a seal pup.  If anyone else 
has come up against this problem or has any advise we would be so grateful.

A: This is not something we have come across in 20 years of owning & breeding
dachshunds.  If your mother's vet has ruled out a back problem, presumably 
he has also ruled out a heart disorder, as the keeling over and refusing to 
get up could indicate some sort of heart problem.  If he is uncoordinated in
 movement it could be some problem with his brain.  I guess the only way to be 
100% certain it is not a problem with his brain, spinal cord or  his intevertebral
 discs would be to have an MRI scan done as they do for humans.  This is more 
reliable than an X-ray and we have a friend who had this done on her Dalmation 
who was showing signs of neck/spinal problems a bit similar to what you describe.  
It is a very expensive procedure (£500 - £800) and you'd need a referral to a 
specialist veterinary hospital/university.  If you have insurance for the dog 
this could be an option.

I can't really think of any other suggestions, but it is probably worth 
getting a referral to a specialist if your vet has been unable to come up 
with a diagnosis.

Q: My dog frequently drinks its own urine and just won't stop. We have contacted many RSPCA and Vet specialists and still are at the moment keeping in contact with the Behaviour Specialist, at Battersea Dogs Home. But, no matter what we try or are advised, he'll possibly stop for a day, then continue the next day, consuming ALL his urine.

He has been checked over, and is fine, but is quite simply becoming intolerable, considering I have three kids to take into consideration, it's coming close to having to let him go, despite our affection for this little 1 and a half year old.

He is a pedigree show dog with full history/paperwork etc, and one thing that bothers me from where we bought him from, was when my wife informed me that the breeder fed the pups 4 oz. of raw mince as a dinner, from the moment they came away from the mother for feeding. This seems very odd, and don't know if this has any bearings on my current dog problem.

Sorry to "Hound" you with this problem, but felt that apart from trying to resolve the issue, should it fail, we might be able to keep the animal in house so to speak, to forward to a member of your group that would like to take him on.

A: First of all, this is not a problem we've come across in 26 years of owning dachshunds, so it does seem odd. Many dogs eat their own poo (copraphagia) and that can be difficult to overcome as well. Obviously your first approach is to find out if there is an underlying health problem and if the vet has done blood tests to confirm he is OK, then that's not the cause. Your comment about the puppies being fed raw mince as they were being weaned is almost certainly irrelevant. We often tempt our pups with mince to get them onto solid food, but would then expect to get them eating a complete food after that. Have you tried changing his diet? There may be some supplement missing in his current diet, but again that would be picked up in a blood test. Behaviour-wise, you need to "change the situation". Why are you continuing to let him pee on a surface where he can drink it? Can't you make him go on grass instead? Why are you leaving him where he can do it and not calling him away immediately and washing the pee away? Can you not distract him immediately after he has peed - calling him in and giving him a treat (giving you time to go out and wash it away). As he's a male, why not take him out for a walk on his lead and allow him to lift his leg, then bring him back home? Making a "big deal" of it is not likely to help as he will feel he is being given attention to what he's doing. You need to avoid putting him in a situation where he can behave like this and reward him for doing things differently. If you do need to resort to re-homing him I would be confident that he will not do it in a new home - different situation, different behaviours. Your first point of contact should be the breeder though. Any reputable breeder will want to know that you can no longer keep the dog and will either want him back, or will help find a new home.