La Von Willebrand disease It is an inherited disorder that strongly affects blood flow, as it is characterized by Von Willebrand factor deficiency, a glycoprotein that allows platelets to adhere to blood vessels during the clotting process. This results in frequent bleeding and difficult wound healing.
This is the anomaly related to the blood clotting more common among dogs, being the German Shepherd, the Golden Retriever, the Poodle, the Doberman and the Shetland Sheepdog some of the breeds most likely to suffer from it. Of hereditary nature, it is caused by a genetic mutation that can occur in males or females indistinctly, and manifests itself through symptoms such as the following:
• Bleeding from the gums and nose.
• Bleeding in the stool and urine.
• Bruising on the skin for no apparent reason.
• Excessive bleeding from a minor wound.
• Excessive vaginal bleeding during heat or delivery.
• Anemia.
These signs take place from one year of age and depending on their intensity they can be part of a Von Willebrand Disease Type 1, Type 2 or Type 3. Fortunately, in most cases the symptoms are very mild, so that many times the disease is not even detected until the animal is not subjected to some surgical intervention. However, if we suspect that our dog may suffer from it, the correct thing to do is to consult the veterinarian.
The disease is diagnosed with a test known as "Bleeding time of the buccal mucosa" (MBST), and consists of observing how long a small wound in the canine's gums takes to clot. It should always be done by the veterinarian, who will also carry out a blood test to find out the percentage of Von Willebrand factor present in it. He will also do a DNA test to identify dogs with these symptoms and carriers of the disease; This test is the most reliable of all for diagnosis.
There is no cure for this abnormality, but your symptoms can be controlled with great effectiveness through medication. Most of the time, it is given before or after surgery, as well as after suffering an injury or accident. In the most severe cases, blood transfusion is necessary.