vWD Info

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von Willebrand's Disease is one of the least destructive diseases inherited by Dobermans but it should not be ignored. It is a genetically inherited recessive bleeding disorder, and is the most common bleeding disorder in canines and in humans. It affects some 60 different breeds of dogs including the Doberman Pinscher. It is passed on directly from one generation to the next and will affect offspring to varying degrees.

Although Dobermans are one breed most commonly affected by von Willebrand's, they usually have only the milder form (type I). Other breeds suffer from type II (moderate to severe form and extremely rare being found only in German Shorthaired Pointers and German Wirehaired Pointers) and still others are well known to suffer from type III (severe but rare).
According to information from VetGen, since Dobermans inherit the type I form of the disease, homozygous affected puppies (those which inherit a defective gene from both parents) are not likely to die in utero or soon after birth as may occur with the more severe type II and type III forms. Both heterozygous Doberman puppies (those inheriting a defective gene from only one parent) and homozygous puppies usually survive and thrive.

Under normal circumstances, type I means that bleeding will clot normally. However, in times of stress or with major blood loss during surgery or as a result of trauma, the defect may become “clinically” apparent with the inability to clot. Bleeding tendencies can be exacerbated by medications or by stress such as illness, particularly viral disease. Because the Parvo virus attacks the gastrointestinal tract where it causes bleeding, it is especially dangerous to Dobermans.

        There are 3 classifications of type I vWD dogs: Clear, Carrier and Affected. As of January 2004, VetGen states that of the Dobermans it has tested, 25% of Dobermans were classified as clear, 49% were carriers and 26% were classified as affected.
Clears:
       A clear Doberman completely lacks the vWD gene and, if bred with another clear Doberman, will produce offspring which will be completely free of the gene. However, since such a small group of Dobermans are designated as clear, exclusive inter-breeding of clears may only rob the Doberman of many of it’s highly desirable characteristics and will probably cause other genetic problems to become more prevalent because other genetic disorders affect this and most other pure bred dogs. Therefore, most breeders recommend that clear to carrier breeding be continued. Affected dogs should be spayed, neutered or bred only to clears. Breeding a carrier to a clear will result in 100% carriers which are considered by most breeders to be acceptable. Affected dogs should not be “put down” because many, if not most, will live long, healthy lives with the proper attention to care.
       Dobermans which are found to be “Clear” of von Willebrand’s genes can be quite hard to find. The disease CAN be bred out of a kennel’s bloodline if the breeder is diligent but it is very time consuming and expensive to do so since obtaining a clear female is very expensive and the stud fees for breeding services for a clear male can cost several thousand dollars. Accordingly, such puppies are much more expensive to purchase.

Carriers:
       Carriers possess only the gene and are unlikely to ever be affected by symptoms. Carriers of the vWD gene are at little or no risk of bleeding from the disease but will transmit the gene to 50% of its offspring. Clear to clear and clear to carrier breeding tends to reduce the appearance of the gene since even carriers will produce 50% clear puppies if bred to a clear or 50% carriers and 25% clears if bred to another carrier.
Affecteds:
       Affected dogs blood lacks von Willebrand factor (vWF) which is a protein which helps to promote blood clotting by increasing platelet cohesion. von Willebrand's disease doesn’t lower the number of platelets available, it simply makes them less “sticky” so they are unable to accomplish normal clotting.
An affected pup my bleed from its gums when teething, have excessive bleeding during estrus or after whelping, experience prolonged estrus, or it may display prolonged bleeding from small or superficial wounds.
       Affected dogs can have injuries and surgeries without ANY complications and never have a bleeding problem. Why some dogs classified as affected display clinical signs of bleeding while others do not is not yet well understood. Many Doberman owners report that their dog underwent routine spaying, neutering, ear cropping and tail docking as a puppy with an uncomplicated recovery from such procedures but this does not eliminate the possibility that a dog may be affected.