Norwegian Lundehund care and feeding for a sensitive gut

The health question that shapes a Lundehund's care is its gut. The breed went through severe population bottlenecks in the 1940s and 1960s that each left only five inbred dogs, and a 2017 genetic study estimates that the roughly 1,500 Lundehunds alive today descend from just two individuals. The same paper describes a high prevalence of gastrointestinal disease in the breed, which all remaining dogs may be predisposed to. That disease, usually called Lundehund syndrome, is the reason feeding matters more here than in most small spitz breeds.

Lundehund syndrome

Lundehund syndrome is not one disease but a cluster of stomach and intestinal changes. A veterinary review of gastroenteropathy in Norwegian Lundehunds lists the most common signs as intermittent diarrhea, vomiting, weight loss, lethargy, fluid in the abdomen and swelling under the skin of the hind legs. Under the microscope, affected dogs can show chronic atrophic gastritis, intestinal lymphangiectasia (dilated lymph vessels in the gut wall) and lymphoplasmacytic enteritis (inflammation of the intestinal lining). The underlying cause has not been identified, so treatment manages signs rather than removing a cause.

The breed stands out in clinical records too. In a study of chronic enteropathy at two Swedish animal hospitals, the Norwegian Lundehund was named first among the breeds with the highest relative risk, ahead of the West Highland White Terrier and Miniature Poodle. The American Kennel Club describes the Lundehund as generally healthy, which is true of many individual dogs for long stretches, but the research literature gives owners good reason to watch the gut closely.

The lab changes in the first column are those the review reports as most frequent. A dog can look reasonably well while its albumin falls, so ask the vet whether periodic blood tests, including albumin, make sense even when the dog seems healthy. Diarrhea that keeps returning, weight loss, a swelling belly or puffy legs need a vet promptly.

Feeding a dog with gut disease

Most dietary fat is absorbed from the intestine through the lymph vessels. When those vessels are dilated and leaking, as in lymphangiectasia, cutting fat is meant to take load off them, and it can work on its own in some dogs. In a prospective study of 14 dogs with protein-losing enteropathy and lymphangiectasia, 11 were in clinical remission after six months. Six of them needed only the low-fat diet, and in those dogs clinical scores improved and albumin rose within two weeks; the other five also needed prednisone. The study was not of Lundehunds, and the Lundehund disease also involves the stomach, so this is supportive evidence rather than a breed-specific result.

Diet for a Lundehund with active disease should be set with the vet, who may choose a prescription low-fat food or a formulated home-cooked diet. Some practical points apply to most dogs on this kind of plan:

• Keep it strict. Fatty treats, chews and table scraps undo the diet. Use pieces of the prescribed food, or low-fat treats the vet approves, for training.
• Split the day's food into three or four small meals if the vet agrees, which reduces the fat and volume the gut handles at once.
• Change foods slowly, mixing old and new over a week or two, and change only one thing at a time so any setback can be traced.
• Ask about vitamin levels. Low cobalamin is common in this disease and is usually corrected with injections or supplements guided by blood tests. Poor fat absorption can also lower fat-soluble vitamins.
• Weigh weekly during a flare and report loss, a growing belly or swollen legs.

Probiotics and added fiber are widely used in chronic enteropathy, but we found no studies of them in this breed. Medium-chain triglyceride oil is sometimes added for calories in low-fat diets. Both are decisions for the vet, since they can change stool quality and the calorie count.

Everyday feeding for a healthy Lundehund

The AKC lists males at 15 to 18 pounds and females at 12 to 15 pounds (roughly 5.5 to 8 kg), with a life expectancy of 12 to 15 years. The Merck Veterinary Manual estimates resting energy requirement (RER) as 70 times body weight in kilograms to the power 0.75, then uses 1.8 times RER for an intact adult, 1.6 times for a neutered adult and 1.4 times for one prone to weight gain. Rounded to the nearest 5 kcal:

These are starting points to adjust by weight and body condition. The AKC notes that some Lundehunds tend to put on weight. We found no study showing that a low-fat diet prevents Lundehund syndrome in a dog without signs, so there is no evidence-based fat target for a healthy dog. Avoiding very rich, high-fat foods is still a reasonable precaution that costs nothing. More useful is consistency: one complete food the dog does well on, slow changes, few rich extras, and a record of weight and stool quality that can be shown to the vet if things change.

Six toes and flexible joints

The AKC describes feet with at least six fully functioning toes and extra paw pads, a neck that can bend back until the head touches the spine, ears that fold shut, and shoulders flexible enough for the forelegs to extend straight out to the sides. That shoulder structure produces the breed's rotary gait. These traits are normal for a Lundehund and worth mentioning to any vet unfamiliar with the breed, since the range of movement can look abnormal to someone used to other dogs.

Extra toes mean more nails and more places between pads for grit and moisture to collect. The AKC advises trimming nails often if they do not wear down, since overgrown nails cause discomfort and trouble walking and running. Check between the toes after wet or muddy walks. Responsible breeders test breeding dogs for patellar luxation and eye disorders, according to the AKC, so ask to see those results. A limp, or reluctance to jump or climb, needs a vet examination even if the joint moves freely.

Exercise and routine

The AKC gives the Lundehund a medium to high energy level and suggests a brisk 30-minute walk or a couple of ball-chasing sessions a day. The breed is described as clever and sensitive, and harsh training methods should never be used, so food puzzles and scent games built from the day's ration give mental work without extra calories. A dog in an active flare of gut disease, especially one with fluid in the belly or swollen legs, should exercise only as the vet advises until it has stabilized.

The breed's small, inbred population has led to an outcrossing program with the Norwegian Buhund, Icelandic Sheepdog and Norrbottenspets, described in the 2017 genetic study. For owners, national Lundehund clubs are the practical route to breeders taking part in that work and to vets who have seen the syndrome before.

Sources

1. Genetic rescue of an endangered domestic animal through outcrossing with closely related breeds: a case study of the Norwegian Lundehund. PLOS ONE, 2017.
2. Gastroenteropathy in Norwegian Lundehunds. Compendium, 2007.
3. Chronic enteropathy in dogs: epidemiologic aspects and clinical characteristics of dogs presenting at two Swedish animal hospitals. Animals, 2022.
4. Prospective evaluation of low-fat diet monotherapy in dogs with presumptive protein-losing enteropathy. Journal of the American Animal Hospital Association, 2023.
5. Nutritional requirements of small animals. Merck Veterinary Manual.
6. Norwegian Lundehund dog breed information. American Kennel Club.