With the trusty dachshund recently having made it into the top ten most popular dog breeds in the USA, we have noticed a huge spike in the number of people reaching out to ask a wide range of different questions about taking care of their new pet dachshund.
One question that we have seen many people asking is what do dachshunds usually die from in a bid to offer their dog the best possible care throughout its life to avoid the more common causes of death in the breed.
Unlike many of the other popular breeds, dachshunds have very few generic defaults that can result in a premature death with the most common cause of death in a dachshund actually being old age.
Cancer and cardiac disease are both relatively common causes of death in the breed with neurological problems being an even rarer problem resulting in death in dachshunds.
Please keep in mind that we are only focusing on natural causes of death in the dachshund as fatalities due to an accident such as your dachshund being hit by a car is not predictable and even “dachshund proof” areas can struggle to keep a dachshund contained letting them get out without their owners knowledge.
The breed are small and long allowing them to get out via very small holes and dachshunds love to dig too so keep this in mind when trying to keep your pet dachshund in your yard or garden.
How Long Do Dachshunds Usually Live?
The average lifespan of a dachshund is usually around 13 years but most sources will offer an age range of between 11 and 15 years so there are multiple factors that will come into play for your dachshund’s life span.
In rare situations, some dachshunds have been known to live for over 20 years and although this is usually rare, most dachshunds can live for 15+ years with optimal care and nutrition.
You have to realize that it will take time, money, and effort to increase the chances of your pet dachshund living over the 13 year mark so getting a good pet insurance policy is always a good idea, especially in an older dachshund as trips to the veterinarian’s office can become increasingly common.
Regular checkups with a veterinarian in older dachshunds are also important as the sooner that any potential problems in your dog are noticed the more likely it is that they can be treat without having long term problems in your dog too.
The actual diet of your pet dachshund is also something that many people overlook that can end up increasing the chances of some common causes of death in dachshunds taking hold.
Switching your pet dachshund over to a high-quality senior dog food can be an excellent option that will offer your pet dachshund everything it requires to live a long and healthy life too.
Senior dog foods also have a slightly different macronutrient profile than other dog food formulas reducing the workload on the kidneys of your pet dog to help increase its expected lifespan.
What Do Dachshunds Usually Die From?
There are a number of common causes of death in dachshunds but most dachshunds usually die from old age.
Cancer and cardiac disease are a rarer problems that dachshunds can still usually die from with various neurological problems being a less common cause of death in dachshunds.
There are a number of less common causes of death in dachshunds that are considered rare such as kidney failure, liver failure, and diabetes.
As we touched on in the section above, the diet of your pet dachshund is more important than most people initially realize and a poor diet can drastically increase the chances of one of these issues that dachshunds usually die from occurring in your pet, especially problems such as kidney failure and diabetes.
This is why you should be using a high-quality dog food with a good macronutrient ratio for the majority of your dachshunds life before moving it onto a high-quality senior dog food when your dog gets older.
In some dachshunds, a number of the common causes of death in the breed can form at the same time usually reducing the lifespan of the dog by a large amount.
Although this is unfortunate, it does tend to be rare and only occurs in around five percent of all dachshunds with this number being able to be further reduces with regular check ups with your local veterinarian to monitor any potential problems and treat them as quickly as possible.
Signs Of Cancer In Dachshunds!
With around 17% of dachshunds dying from cancer, it is always a good idea to keep an eye out for the more common signs of cancer in your dog so you can begin a treatment plan as quickly as possible.
Watch out for lumps forming on your dog, smelly breath, cuts not healing quickly, a lack of appetite, extreme weight loss, and difficulty breathing in your pet dachshund as all are common signs of cancer.
Less common symptoms of cancer in your dog also include a notable increase in fluid intake, increased urination, difficulty swallowing, obvious pain with your dog making sounds, and lethargy.
If your dachshund is having problems with cancer then it can be common for your dog to yelp when getting up due to it having issues with tumors forming.
The problem is that cancer in dogs often mimics the symptoms and signs of some natural characteristics of some dogs too.
This is why you will usually need a veterinarian to confirm the diagnosis with some dog owners being put off by this due to the prices of a veterinarian checkup in some areas.
It may be a good idea to wait for multiple symptoms to start showing in your dachshund before you take it to the veterinarian but the longer you leave cancer to develop, the more difficult it can be to treat.
Dachshund Heart Disease Symptoms!
With cardiac disease (heart disease) being responsible for around 15% of dachshund deaths you should keep an eye out for the common symptoms of heart disease in dachshunds.
Symptoms to watch out for include lethargy, your dachshund fainting, constant coughing and breathing difficulties, a lack of appetite along with weight loss, and a swollen stomach.
Just like cancer in dachshunds, you will still need a veterinarian to confirm the diagnosis as some of these symptoms may be signs of other potential problems that may not be fatal.
Heart disease in dachshunds can’t be cured but there are some treatments available that can reduce the effects of the symptoms in your dachshunds as well as reduce its effects on your dog’s lifespan too.
Many people within the dog owning community tend to think that problems with cardiac disease in dogs is more common in dogs that are not taken out for walks regularly to let the dog get some cardio vascular exercise.
Although there may be some truth in this, there are some genetic conditions that can also cause heard disease and other problems in your dachshund so taking your dachshund for plenty of walks is not a guarantee that your dog wont have problems with cardiac disease.
Common Signs Of Dachshund Neurological Problems!
Various types of neurological problems are the cause of death for around 10% of dachshunds with seizures being the most common problem that is usually obvious to see in your dachshund.
Intervertebral disc disease (IVDD) is another relatively common neurological problem that can cause problems with your dog and is more common in dachshunds than some other popular breeds.
Some of the other neurological problems in your dachshund that may result in a fatality can be very difficult to notice as they may not show signs until the later stages of the problem.
This is why neurological problems are often not discovered in many dogs until it is too later to try and do anything about them as they will commonly make it through a veterinarians checkup due to there just not being many symptoms until the later stages of the issue.
In the grand scheme of things, although a dachshund is more likely to have Intervertebral disc disease (IVDD) than some other commonly kept dog breeds, neurological problems are rare in the breed provided that you get your dog from a reputable breeder who keeps strict breeding lines.
Some backyard breeders can interbreed their dogs too frequently resulting in the chances of neurological problems in the dog increasing though so keep that in mind.
Common Dachshund Old Age Problems!
Around 5% of dachshunds will be unfortunate enough to have problems with multiple issues at the same time with there being a number of combinations that can cause your dachshund to have issues.
The most common symptom of a dachshund having multiple problems at the same time is that it will start sleeping far more than normal due to the dog having little to no energy.
In addition to your dachshund sleeping so much, an increased appetite as well as a lack of enthusiasm to go on walks can also be common as well as other signs of lethargy and a lack of energy.
Depending on the specific problems that are causing these issues in your pet dachshund, you may realise some of the other symptoms for the problems that we have covered in our article above too.
If your dachshund is unlucky enough to have problems with multiple issues at the same time then there is a good chance that a check up with a veterinarian will be able to offer some insight into exactly what is wrong with the dog and potentially treat or at least manage some of the issues.
We know that we mentioned this back at the start of the article but regular checkups with a veterinarian really are important for a senior dachshund as they can start to develop a number of potential problems.
What Is Considered Old For A Dachshund?
The average lifespace of a dachshund is around 13 years but the breed can be considered old from around the 10 years of age mark with some dachshunds starting to show the signs of old age at even younger ages.
There are a number of different variables at play when it comes to how your dachshund will behave in relation to its age with the dogs genetics, nutrition, exercise level, and previous accidents all coming into play.
This is why some dachshunds that are older, often as old as 15 years of age may have minimal signs of aging when compared to a dachshund that is 11 years of age.
If possible, once your dachshund reaches the age of ten, we would recommend that you start to take your dog for regular veterinarian checkups though, even if the check-up is just once per year until your veterinarian identifies potential problems.
Conclusion
That brings our article going over what dachshunds usually die from to an end and we hope that you have found our article helpful. We have tried to focus on the most common causes of death in the dachshund breed to help as many of our readers who have a pet dachshund know what type of symptoms they should be keeping an eye out for but any unusual behavior or issue with your dog should be checked out by a veterinarian as soon as possible.
