Keeshond care and calcium checks for older dogs

The Keeshond's best-documented inherited disease is primary hyperparathyroidism, an overactive parathyroid gland that pushes blood calcium too high. It is passed on as a dominant trait and usually appears after the age of 8, so a yearly blood panel that includes calcium is the most useful single health check for an older Keeshond. The rest of the breed's care comes down to a heavy coat, a strong attachment to people and a weight that is easy to let drift upward.

A barge dog bred for company

The Keeshond is a medium-sized spitz. The American Kennel Club gives a height of about 18 inches (46 cm) for males and 17 inches (43 cm) for females, a weight of 35 to 45 pounds (16 to 20 kg) and a life expectancy of 12 to 15 years. The breed was a symbol of the 18th-century Dutch Patriots' Party, and its name is usually linked to the Patriot leader Kees de Gyselaer and his dog Kees, though the AKC notes that historians disagree on the exact origin. It is also called the Dutch Barge Dog, after its work as a guard and companion on Dutch canal boats.

That history shows in the modern dog. A Keeshond watched a boat and its people, so it stays close to the household and reports anything unusual. In practice this means:

• Barking at arrivals. Teach a "thank you, quiet" cue early, rewarding the dog for stopping, rather than scolding the bark, which often adds to the noise.
• Difficulty being left alone. Build up time alone gradually from puppyhood, starting with a few minutes. A dog that howls, chews doors or soils the house when left may have separation distress and is worth discussing with a vet or a qualified behaviorist.
• A soft response to harsh handling. Reward-based training works well. Shouting and physical corrections tend to make this breed anxious and less cooperative.

Coat and heat

The coat has a dense, soft undercoat under long, straight guard hairs that stand away from the body. The Royal Kennel Club lists grooming as every day and notes that the breed sheds. A few minutes daily with a pin brush and a comb that reaches the skin stops mats forming behind the ears, in the ruff and on the back of the thighs. Twice a year the undercoat comes out in quantity, and an undercoat rake speeds that up.

Bathe only when needed, and dry the dog to the skin afterwards. Dense fur that stays damp against the skin is a common setting for hot spots. Clipping the coat short does not replace brushing, because the loose undercoat still has to come out.

Keeshonden are also affected by hair cycle arrest, often called alopecia X, in which hair on the body thins and is not replaced while the head and lower legs keep their coat. A 2018 case report of two male Keeshonden describes this pattern and notes that no treatment works reliably. The skin is not inflamed and the dog is otherwise well, but other causes of hair loss, such as an underactive thyroid, have to be ruled out before that label is used.

The same coat makes heat hard work. In warm weather, walk early and late, keep shade and water available, and stop at heavy panting, drooling or lagging behind. A collapsed or confused dog in heat needs a vet immediately.

Primary hyperparathyroidism

The four small parathyroid glands in the neck control blood calcium. In primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT), a growth or overgrowth in one or more glands, usually benign, keeps releasing parathyroid hormone even when calcium is already high. Keeshonden are predisposed. A 2025 genetic study describes dominant inheritance with high penetrance as dogs age, and found a variant in the SIRT6 gene that appeared only in affected dogs among the samples compared. Onset in the Keeshonden studied was typically later than 8 years.

According to a fact sheet from Davies Veterinary Specialists, the most common sign is a clear increase in drinking and urination, because high calcium stops the kidneys holding on to water. Some dogs eat less, slow down or vomit. Many show no signs at all and are found through routine blood tests.

Treatment is usually surgical removal of the affected gland. Destroying the gland with an ethanol injection or with heat are alternatives, though the Davies fact sheet describes them as less effective or less reliable. Blood calcium is monitored closely in the days after treatment. The same fact sheet reports that recurrence is far more common in Keeshonden, up to 50%, than in other breeds, so treated dogs need calcium rechecked for life. The Royal Kennel Club includes PHPT testing among its best-practice health tests for Keeshond breeding dogs.

Other inherited conditions

• Epilepsy. Idiopathic epilepsy in Keeshonden was studied through pedigrees in the UK, where it fitted a single recessive gene. A counselling program that advised breeders on the risk of each proposed mating was followed by a fall in the estimated chance of those matings producing carriers, which the authors read as consistent with the gene becoming less common. Seizures are managed with daily anticonvulsant medication, given at the same times each day.
• Conotruncal heart defects. The Keeshond is the classic research breed for this group of malformations of the heart's outflow tract, which includes tetralogy of Fallot. In a line of affected dogs bred for study, the defects behaved like a single-gene trait. A puppy's heart should be listened to at its first vet visits, and a murmur followed up with an ultrasound scan.
• Hip and elbow dysplasia. The Royal Kennel Club lists hip and elbow scoring as the minimum tests for breeding dogs, with eye examinations as a further recommended test. Ask to see the parents' results.

Exercise

The Royal Kennel Club suggests up to an hour of exercise a day. Most Keeshonden are content with two walks and some play, and many enjoy obedience, rally or agility at a relaxed level. Because the breed is people-focused, training games in the house count toward the day's activity. In hot weather, shorten outings and move them to the cool ends of the day.

Feeding a Keeshond

A complete and balanced adult food suits most Keeshonden. There are no breed-specific nutrient requirements. Daily calories can be estimated with the formula in the Merck Veterinary Manual: resting energy requirement (RER) is 70 times body weight in kilograms raised to the power 0.75. A neutered adult needs about 1.6 times RER, an intact adult 1.8 times and a dog that gains weight easily 1.4 times. Rounded to the nearest 5 kcal:

These are starting points. Merck notes that a dog can need 30% more or less than the calculated figure. The coat hides fat, so judge condition with the hands: the ribs should be easy to feel under a thin layer, and there should be a waist behind them. Weigh the dog monthly and adjust portions by about 10% at a time. Treats count toward the daily total.

Two measured meals a day suit most adults. Do not add calcium or vitamin D supplements to a complete food unless a vet has prescribed them, and never for a dog with raised blood calcium. For a dog on anticonvulsants, keep meal times and the type of food steady, and tell the vet before changing diets.

Sources

1. Keeshond dog breed information. American Kennel Club.
2. Keeshond breed information. The Royal Kennel Club.
3. Autosomal dominant primary hyperparathyroidism in the Keeshond dog breed is strongly associated with a missense variant in sirtuin-6. Animal Genetics, 2025.
4. Hyperparathyroidism in dogs fact sheet. Davies Veterinary Specialists.
5. Deslorelin implant treatment for hair cycle arrest (alopecia X) in two intact male Keeshonden. Journal of the American Animal Hospital Association, 2018.
6. Canine epilepsy: a genetic counselling programme for keeshonds. The Veterinary Record, 1996.
7. A single major-gene defect underlying cardiac conotruncal malformations interferes with myocardial growth during embryonic development: studies in the CTD line of keeshond dogs. American Journal of Human Genetics, 1993.
8. Nutritional Requirements of Small Animals. Merck Veterinary Manual, 2024.