Dog Diseases: Von Willebrand's Disease in Dogs - Part 1 -
What it is.
By: Tippy & Turbo


Von Willebrand's Disease is an inherited bleeding disorder
that has occurred in nearly all breeds of dog as well as in
mixed breeds. This disease is also found in pigs, horses,
cattle, cats and rabbits.

This disorder is fairly common (ten to seventy percent
occurrence) in some dog breeds, including Shetland
Sheepdogs, Standard and Miniature Schnauzers, Standard
Manchester Terriers, Pembroke Welsh Corgis, Keeshonds,
Basset Hounds, Doberman Pinschers, Standard Poodles,
Chesapeake Bay Retrievers, German Shorthaired Pointers,
German Wirehaired Pointers, German Shepherds, Golden
Retrievers, and Scottish Terriers.

In clinic trials seventy percent of the Doberman Pinschers
tested were found to be carrying Von Willebrand's Disease,
although most of them didn't show the symptoms.

In fact, Von Willebrand's Disease is the most common
inherited bleeding condition in dogs. It is not gender linked
like some other blood disorders, so both genders are
vulnerable.

The disorder is caused by a missing glycoprotein (Von
Willebrand factor) in the makeup of blood platelets and the
resulting defect reduces the blood's ability to clot. Simply
put, the blood platelets are unable to properly bind to
collagen and so form a blood clot and stop the bleeding.

Often there are no symptoms of Von Willebrand's Disease
until something causes the dog to bleed, from something as
terrible as Parvo or serious injury to things as small as a
nail trim, heat cycle or even teething.

Some dogs can undergo many such events with no problem, and
then with the next event suddenly begin to bleed. At that
point, the blood doesn't clot properly and the dog is in
danger of bleeding to death.


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