Emerging results from DachsLife 2015 (@ 1st May 2015)

Post date: May 04, 2015 7:32:19 PM

· 2031 surveys completed

· 1702 from the UK, 193 from Australia

· 21% of owners participate in obedience activities, 11% show their dogs

· 24% were under the age of 1; 1 in 6 were over the age of 8; average age was 4.4

· 38% of responses were Mini Smooths

· 56% had been spayed/neutered; 10% under 6 months; 55% under 12 months

· 12% of dogs over the age of 8 had a Body Condition Score above the ideal

o Older bitches were more likely to be overweight (BCS 4-5)

o Older dogs were more likely to be underweight (BCS 1-2)

o Neutered male dachshunds were 4x as likely to be overweight than entire ones

o Neutered female dachshunds were no more likely to be overweight than entire ones

· IVDD prevalence was highest in Smooths (25%) and lowest in Wires (9%)

· 40% of dachshunds between 5 and 14 had suffered some degree of IVDD

· 76% of IVDD cases were diagnosed between the ages of 4 and 8

· The risk of IVDD was 8x higher in the 4-8 age band than up to the age of 4

· The lifetime probability of a dachshund having some degree of IVDD was 30%

· Spayed/neutered dachshunds were twice as likely to suffer IVDD

o Dachshunds neutered under 12 months had a higher risk than those neutered older

· There was no evidence that overweight dachshunds had a higher risk of IVDD

· 3% of dachshunds had suffered an adverse vaccine reaction

· Mini Longs were 4x more likely to have Distichiasis than other miniature varieties

· Mini Longs were 4x more likely to have Epilepsy than other varieties

· Wires 2x as likely to have Heart Murmurs than the overall breed average

· 2% of Mini wires were clinically diagnosed with Lafora Disease

· Spayed bitches were as likely to suffer Mammary Tumours as entire bitches

· Skin allergies were the second highest prevalence condition reported