Miniature Schnauzer: inherited diseases and health

Updated 2026-09-30 · 3 sources

Based on: OMIA (University of Sydney), Science for Animal Welfare (UFAW), Wikidata

Breed health

The inherited conditions below have been documented in this breed in published research. That does not mean your dog has them or will get them – but it helps to know the names when you talk to a breeder or a vet.

Conditions this breed is prone to

Veterinary charities list this breed as more likely than others to get these conditions. Read the signs and what to do:

Miniature Schnauzer and chocolate: how much is dangerous?

Typical adult weight: 4–8 kg. Grams of chocolate at which signs can start (20 mg/kg) and at which severe signs are reported (40 mg/kg):

Dog weight	Milk	Dark 70–85%	Baking / unsweetened
4 kg	40 g signs 80 g severe	10 g signs 20 g severe	5.7 g signs 11 g severe
8 kg	80 g signs 160 g severe	20 g signs 40 g severe	11 g signs 23 g severe

Based on published doses: signs from about 20 mg/kg, severe signs from 40 mg/kg (US FDA, Cortinovis & Caloni 2016, Swedish Poison Information Centre). An estimate, not a diagnosis.

Check the exact amount with the chocolate calculator →

Inherited conditions documented in the breed

Conditions documented: 29

A gene variant is known for 12 of the conditions below, so a DNA test may exist. Ask your vet or the breed club.

Condition	Body system	Inheritance	Gene variant known
Calcium Oxalate Urolithiasis^[2]	–	–	–
Diabetes Mellitus^[2]	–	–	–
Factor VII deficiency^[1]	Haematopoietic system	Autosomal recessive	Yes
Gallbladder mucoceles^[1]	Liver/biliary system	–	–
Haemophilia A^[1]	Haematopoietic system	X-linked recessive	Yes
Hereditary Cataract^[2]	–	–	–
Histiocytosis, malignant^[1]	Neoplasm	Multifactorial	No
Hyperadrenocorticism^[2]	–	–	–
Hypertriglyceridaemia^[1]	Homeostasis / metabolism	–	–
Immunodeficiency, CARD9-related^[1]	Immune system	Autosomal recessive	Yes
Leg weakness^[1]	Skeleton (incl. short stature & teeth)	–	–
Megaoesophagus, generic^[1]	Digestive / alimentary	–	–
Mitral Valve Disease (MVD)^[2]	–	–	–
Mucopolysaccharidosis VI^[1]	Skeleton (incl. short stature & teeth)	Autosomal recessive	Yes
Muscular dystrophy^[1]	Muscle	–	–
Muscular dystrophy, Duchenne type^[1]	Muscle	X-linked recessive	Yes
Myelopathy, fibrocartilaginous embolic^[1]	Nervous system	–	–
Myotonia^[1]	Muscle	Autosomal recessive	Yes
Myxomatous valvular degeneration^[1]	Cardiovascular system	Multifactorial	No
Pancreatitis and Hyperlipidaemia^[2]	–	–	–
Persistent Mullerian duct syndrome, AMHR2-related^[1]	Reproductive system	Autosomal recessive	Yes
Photoreceptor dysplasia, PPT1-related^[1]	Vision / eye	Autosomal recessive	Yes
Polyneuropathy, generic^[1]	Nervous system	Autosomal recessive	No
Polyneuropathy, SBF2-related^[1]	Nervous system	Autosomal recessive	Yes
Pyruvate kinase deficiency of erythrocyte^[1]	Homeostasis / metabolism	Autosomal recessive	Yes
Retinal atrophy, progressive, Miniature Schnauzer, type 2^[1]	Vision / eye	X-linked	No
Retinal dysplasia and persistent primary vitreous^[1]	Vision / eye	Autosomal recessive	No
Spondylocostal dysostosis, autosomal recessive^[1]	Skeleton (incl. short stature & teeth)	Autosomal recessive lethal	Yes
Urolithiasis^[1]	Renal / urinary system	Autosomal recessive	Yes

What this list means

“Documented in the breed” means at least one published case or study – it says nothing about how common the condition is.
Many of these conditions are rare. A responsible breeder can tell you which health tests the parents have had.
Where the gene variant is known, a DNA test may exist – ask your vet or the breed club.
If your pet shows signs of illness, contact your vet. This page cannot tell you whether your pet is ill.

About the breed

Origin: Germany
Height: 30–35 cm
Weight: 4–8 kg
FCI number: 183

^[3]

If your pet is struggling to breathe, has collapsed, is having a seizure or can't stand up: go to the nearest vet now.

Not sure how serious it is?

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Sources

How this page was made: the list is taken directly from the sources below; nothing on it was written by AI. Names of conditions may be machine-translated. It is information, not a diagnosis. How we write our pages