Norwegian Lundehund Care: Digestive Health and Everyday Needs

By Dr Duncan Houston

The Norwegian Lundehund is famous for extra toes and unusual flexibility. For an owner, its digestive health deserves at least as much attention as those remarkable physical traits.

Recurrent diarrhoea, vomiting or weight loss should not be accepted as a harmless breed quirk. Early assessment can identify problems before nutritional losses become severe.

Quick Answer

Norwegian Lundehunds need ordinary preventive care alongside careful monitoring for breed-associated intestinal disease. Lundehund syndrome can involve intestinal lymphangiectasia and protein loss, but not every loose stool has that cause. Contact your vet promptly for recurring digestive signs or weight loss, and seek urgent care for weakness, abdominal swelling or breathing difficulty.

What makes the breed distinctive?

Developed for puffin hunting on Norway’s rocky islands, the Lundehund has extra functional toes, flexible joints and unusual ear mobility. The AKC’s breed background explains these adaptations.

Do not demonstrate flexibility by forcing a dog’s neck or limbs into unusual positions. Check every nail, including additional toes, during routine care. Athletic history does not protect against injury or make cliff edges safe.

Some individuals are alert, independent or cautious with unfamiliar people. Introduce experiences gradually, reward comfortable participation and provide a quiet retreat. Children should respect rest and handling limits.

What is Lundehund syndrome?

The term describes a breed-associated group of gastrointestinal problems. Intestinal lymphangiectasia involves abnormal intestinal lymph vessels and can cause loss of protein into the gut, known as protein-losing enteropathy or PLE.

Signs can include intermittent diarrhoea, vomiting, weight loss, reduced appetite and fluid accumulation in the abdomen. A dog can have significant protein loss without constant dramatic diarrhoea.

Research on genetic rescue of the Lundehund describes the breed’s limited genetic diversity and predisposition to intestinal disease. It does not justify assigning a fixed disease probability to every puppy or promising that a particular feeding routine prevents illness.

What else could cause digestive signs?

Dietary change, scavenging, parasites, infection, other inflammatory intestinal disease and foreign bodies remain possible. Low blood protein can also result from kidney loss or reduced production in severe liver disease.

Your vet may recommend blood and urine tests, faecal testing, imaging and, in selected cases, intestinal biopsies. The aim is to identify the cause and severity rather than diagnose solely from breed.

How worried should you be?

When is this an emergency?

Severe intestinal disease can disturb hydration, nutrition and circulation. A weak or collapsed dog, or one breathing with effort, needs emergency assessment. Do not wait for a scheduled appointment because digestive problems have happened before.

Call the clinic while arranging transport. Do not force-feed, give human antidiarrhoeal medicines or make the dog exercise to see whether it improves.

A practical digestive-health plan

1. Keep a baseline record of weight, usual stools, appetite and food intake.
2. Record all foods, treats, supplements and medicines when signs develop. Take photographs of unusual stools if useful.
3. Follow the prescribed diet consistently. Dogs with lymphangiectasia may need carefully controlled dietary fat, while other intestinal conditions require different strategies.
4. Attend rechecks and blood tests even if stools improve. Symptoms alone do not confirm that protein levels have recovered.
5. Ask before changing supplements or stopping medication.

A review of canine intestinal lymphangiectasia explains why dietary and medical management must be individualised. An improvised chicken-and-rice diet is not a complete long-term treatment.

Everyday care still matters

Offer comfortable walks, sniffing and short training games, adjusted to health and energy. During illness, follow your vet’s activity advice. Use secure boundaries around wildlife and traffic.

Brush the double coat, check all paws and nails, introduce dental care and maintain locally appropriate vaccination and parasite prevention. Keep routines predictable without preventing positive new experiences.

Before acquiring a puppy, ask about digestive health in relatives, health records and the breeding programme’s approach to genetic diversity. Rarity and a high purchase price are not evidence of good health.

Common mistakes

• Calling repeated weight loss a sensitive stomach.
• Assuming every digestive episode must be Lundehund syndrome.
• Using supplements as a substitute for testing and follow-up.
• Continuing a restrictive homemade diet without nutritional formulation.

Frequently asked questions

Will every Lundehund develop severe intestinal disease?

Risk is important, but severity and clinical expression vary. Individual monitoring remains essential.

Can a healthy Lundehund eat ordinary dog food?

A complete appropriate diet may be suitable; discuss any special needs with your vet rather than imposing unnecessary restrictions.

Does normal stool rule out protein loss?

No. Weight trends and blood tests can reveal problems not obvious from stool appearance.

Should I test the breed’s flexibility at home?

No. Allow natural movement and avoid forced demonstrations.

The most useful habit is noticing change early. Track weight and digestive patterns, then investigate persistent differences instead of accepting them as inevitable.

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For support organising your Lundehund’s health records and veterinary questions, visit ASK A VET™. Severe weakness or breathing difficulty needs immediate in-person care.