Olive is a charming 9½ year old dachshund with typical, adorable dachshund ears that we couldn’t resist photographing. Dachshunds tend to have small mouths with overcrowded teeth that are more susceptible to dental disease. Olive didn’t particularly have crowding, but she did have some surface fractures. We’re not saying Olive has been munching rocks in her spare time, but that can be a culprit of fractures like hers.

Dachshunds were originally bred as hounds to flush out burrow-dwelling animals such as badgers, rabbits, and prairie dogs. If you’ve ever walked a dachshund in view of squirrels, you know how powerful their short legs and instinctive drive can be! To learn more about dachshunds and their associated traits and health risks, check out Washington Metro DachtoberFest Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that aims to raise awareness about health issues common to dachshunds and other achondroplastic breeds. We’ll be at DachtoberFest on October 6th, 2018, so come say hi!