Dachshund Health by Age: Puppy, Adult and Senior Care

Dachshunds live twelve to sixteen years, sometimes more. That is a long partnership, and the things that go wrong tend to arrive on a schedule. Know the schedule and most of them are manageable, or avoidable.

The usual honest line: we are not vets. This is what to watch and when to ask; your vet is the one who answers.

Puppy: the first year

Vaccinations, worming, microchip, insurance. Get the insurance active before the first vet visit, because anything noted in the file after that becomes pre-existing, and dachshund backs are exactly the thing you are insuring against.

Weight. A dachshund puppy should not be round. Ask your vet to show you what a lean puppy feels like, then keep it that way. The eating habits you set now last a lifetime, and so does the begging.

Neutering timing. There is evidence that neutering before skeletal maturity may raise the risk of disc disease in dachshunds, and other evidence pointing the other way for specific cancers and behaviours. It is a real conversation to have with your vet, not a box to tick at six months. Ask about waiting until at least twelve months, and what that means for your particular dog.

Teeth. Baby teeth should fall out by about seven months. Retained baby canines are common in small breeds and cause crowding; your vet can remove them, often at the same time as neutering.

Adult: one to seven

These are the back years. Most disc injuries in dachshunds happen between three and seven, and the two things you control are weight and jumping. Feel for the ribs weekly, look for a waist from above, and if you are not sure, ask your vet to score the body condition. Ramps at the sofa, bed and car. Lead on a harness. Know the early signs of IVDD well enough that you would spot them on a Tuesday evening.

A yearly check with a proper look at the teeth, and a dental clean when your vet advises. Small dogs lose teeth to gum disease early, and a mouth full of infection is not just a smell; it puts the heart and kidneys under load.

Other adult things worth knowing: dachshunds can be prone to skin problems and allergies, especially the itchy-paw, itchy-ear kind, and to a form of epilepsy in some lines. Eye problems, particularly in dapples and double dapples, are worth a mention to your vet at every visit.

Senior: seven and up

Dachshunds grey at the muzzle and slow down a bit, and that is normal. What is not "just age":

• Drinking and peeing more. Kidneys, diabetes, Cushing's. A cheap blood and urine test sorts it out.
• Stiffness after rest that loosens with movement. Arthritis. Very treatable now, and a dog in pain is often called grumpy or lazy instead.
• Refusing the ramp or stairs, or a new reluctance to jump. Back or joints. Same-day question.
• Lumps that change size, shape or texture. Most are harmless fatty lumps; the ones that change need a needle test.
• Pacing at night, staring at walls, forgetting the potty routine. Canine cognitive decline. There are diets, supplements and routines that genuinely help, and the earlier the better.
• Bad breath, dropping food, chewing on one side. Teeth. A senior dental is not optional because of age; it is usually safer than leaving it.

Move to two vet visits a year with bloods from about seven, so you have a baseline to compare against. Shorter walks, more often. Rugs on hard floors, an orthopaedic bed, nails kept short because a senior wears them down even less.

The whole life, one rule

Lean, ramped, harnessed, and looked at closely once a week. That rule protects a dachshund at one, at seven and at fourteen. Add teeth, and you have most of the breed's health in a sentence. For the day-to-day version of all of this, from the fit check to the senior comfort list, the handbook below puts it in order.