vWD


Von Willebrand’s disease

What is vWD and why do we test for it? vWD, Von Willebrand’s disease, is a disease affecting bleeding in many breeds of dogs including Doberman Pinschers. It is similar to Hemophilia in many ways. There are three different types of vWD in Dobermans classified as Type I, Type II and Type III. Type three is extremely rare and Type I is the most common and the most prevalent.

In short, there are three categories your dog can fall into with regards to Type I vWd:

CLEAR – Does not have the disease and cannot pass the gene for the disease to puppies

CARRIER – Does not have the disease but can pass the gene for the disease to puppies

AFFECTED – Does have the disease and will pass the gene for the disease to puppies

If you have a Doberman that is Affected with vWD you run the risk of the dog dying of blood loss during whelping, teething, ear cropping or any other injury. Any bleeding event can be dangerous for your dog. Does it mean you dog cannot live a long and happy life? Not at all, but it also means your dog could suddenly die from an unexpected injury, even something as simple as a broken toenail. Baptist Ridge Dobermans will never, ever, breed using an Affected Doberman. We want to see the Doberman breed improved and we consider breeding Affected Dobermans irresponsible.

A Carrier status means the dog does not possess the disease. The dog does not have an issue with bleeding and can live a long and happy life with you. An event such as tail docking or ear cropping will not produce a bleeding event. Carrier status means the dog has a 50-50 chance of passing the gene to puppies. 50% of puppies from such a breeding will carry the gene and 50% will not.

A Clear status means the dog does not possess the disease. The dog does not have an issue with bleeding and can live a long and happy life with you. An event such as tail docking or ear cropping will not produce a bleeding event. A clear status means that in any breeding with this dog the trait cannot be passed to puppies because this dog does not have the gene to pass on to offspring.

Since the number of Dobermans carrying the trait are so common we will sometimes breed a Clear Doberman with a carrier. If the carrier is a beautifully sound dog we view this as acceptable in order to pass on those characteristics. We never breed any affected Dobermans and we never breed a carrier to a carrier.

Why will we never breed a carrier to a carrier? Take a look at the table below for an understanding of what the genetic makeup of puppies can be between two parents with different vWD statuses.  If each dog in a mating is a carrier then each parent has a 50-50 chance of passing the gene to a puppy. If both parents pass the gene to a puppy then the puppy WILL have the disease and be classified as Affected. If the puppies are not tested there is no clue the puppy has the disease until it experiences, perhaps fatally, a bleeding event. Due to our strict breeding standards you never have to worry about that happening to a Baptist Ridge Doberman. The very worst you can get from a Baptist Ridge Doberman is a carrier and that dog cannot experience a vWD bleeding event.

Puppy Genetic Status between parents of the following Type I vWD status

Male Status

Clear

Carrier

Affected

Female Status

Clear

Clear

50% Clear
50% Carrier

100% Carrier

Carrier

50% Clear
50% Carrier

25% Clear
50% Carrier
25% Affected

50% Carrier
50% Affected

Affected

100% Carrier

50% Carrier
50% Affected

100% Affected

You can see why, not knowing the vWD status of either parent, you have no idea what you’re purchasing.

We believe so strongly in this that we test every single puppy at Jones Dobermans. We take this extra step, something few other breeders do, so you know the exact genetic makeup of your puppy in regards to Von Willebrand’s disease. If you are considering purchasing a Doberman and your breeder does not test both parents or test your puppy, then you run the risk of losing your dear companion in a very short time. If you find a breeder telling you something different, they are not being honest! Do not buy from them!ing 1