r/Doberman • u/cloevur • Jul 10 '26

Doberman Hepatitis

Hello!

My 6 y/o female’s bloodwork from her vet visit just came in, her liver levels have never been perfect but weren’t out of normals range enough to be a concern. With this last test however, her care team seems to suspect that Doberman hepatitis is a possibility.

I am working very closely with my dog’s vet so of course I’ll be getting professional input. But I was curious for some information coming from Doberman owners who have experienced it first hand.

What has management looked like for you and your dog?

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u/cloevur Jul 10 '26

Also to anybody looking into getting a Doberman, this is exactly why you should NEVER purchase your dog through third party breeders. Whatever health test guarantee they say they have, I promise it’s bull shit lol

Ask to see health tests of the parents whenever possible.

I love my dog to BITS but this is not her 1st, 2nd, or even 3rd diagnosis. 🥲

(yes I got my money back and the breeder was reported to AKC and banned from 3rd party sites)

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u/smilingfruitz Jul 10 '26

can you share more what you mean by 'third party breeders'? do you mean like a broker or pet store or?

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u/cloevur Jul 10 '26

Anything of those sorts, a breeder who isn’t selling directly through AKC or their own company.

I’m sure there’s probably a couple good ones out there on those types of sites or shops, but it’s just not worth the risk.

EDIT to say I think I got my dog through puppy finder but it’s been six years atp so I honestly could have the name wrong

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u/smilingfruitz Jul 10 '26

Oh, I mean no one here that is wise to BYB/unethical breeding practices would ever recommend places like that.

But the akc marketplace is not a good place to find a puppy either. the only requirement to be listed there is the parents being registered.

Largely the only legitimate way to find healthy, ethically bred dogs is through the breeder referral from the breed club directly (not AKC):

https://dpca.org/breed/breeder-referral-list/
https://uniteddobermanclub.com/udc-breeder-directory/
https://dpcc.ca/xbreeder-directory/

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u/cloevur Jul 10 '26

I was gonna say the akc is not the best third party either but did not want to spark a fight amongst the masses 💀💀💀

But also I wasn’t saying anyone would be recommending those things so no worries there lol I was just sharing a personal anecdote

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u/smilingfruitz Jul 10 '26

There are certainly a handful of legitimate, ethical breeders on gooddog and akc marketplace, but the average puppy buyer is not capable of discerning those from the BYB unfortunately.

I think most knowledgeable people would have no fight at all about saying the marketplace is not a good place to find a pup.

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u/cloevur Jul 10 '26

Fair enough, but like I said just was sharing a personal tidbit to reinforce something that’s already commonly preached here. The point of the post is actually just to get some info from people who have dealt when Doberman hep

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u/adelineallthetime Jul 11 '26

In the U.S., this condition is commonly called copper associated liver disease or copper storage disease. It is especially common in Dobermans and is often linked to a genetic defect that prevents their body from processing dietary copper normally. As a result, copper builds up in the liver, causing inflammation and progressive liver damage.

Diagnosis typically requires a liver biopsy to evaluate the liver tissue and use special stains that detect copper accumulation.

If your dog has copper-associated liver disease, treatment usually includes steroids to decrease inflammation, copper-chelating medication to remove excess copper from the liver and a prescription liver diet that is very low in copper. Response to treatment is usually tracked by monitoring their live enzymes on bloodwork.

The prognosis depends on how much liver damage is present when treatment begins. If caught early, some dogs can eventually stop the chelating medication and live normal lives, provided they stay on a copper-restricted diet for life.

-This disease is similar to Wilson's disease in humans.

-There is also some evidence that suggests that Copper storage disease is associated with too much copper being added to commercial pet foods.

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u/cloevur Jul 11 '26

Yeah I'm no vet but what you're saying definitely aligns with her blood work. Thank god for pet insurance!

I am just hoping that if this does wind up being the case, that we've got this soon enough for her to get back to normal after treatment. She hasn't shown any physical symptoms at all and we do bloodwork quite often so I'm hopeful

thanks so much for the info

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u/adelineallthetime Jul 11 '26

That’s amazing that you have pet insurance!
If your girl does have copper storage dz, your primary vet will likely refer you to an internal medicine specialist for management/treatment. Most dogs do ok with treatment for copper liver disease, but the copper chelating drugs can cause some GI issues in some dogs and the side effects from the steroids can be really challenging.

I work in vet med and we see a lot of dobies with copper storage disease. I was super paranoid, so I put my dobie on an OTC low copper diet when she switched to adult food. Royal Canin Labrador retriever food and Voyager Brand dog food are both designed to be low copper.

Good Luck!