Management of von Willebrand disease in dogs requires careful planning around any surgical or traumatic events and close coordination with the veterinary team.
Von Willebrand disease creates an ongoing welfare context in which ordinarily minor events such as routine neutering, dental procedures, or accidental lacerations become potentially life-threatening situations requiring expert management. Dogs that experience uncontrolled haemorrhage suffer acute and severe welfare harm. With appropriate pre-operative planning including vWF type assessment, desmopressin treatment where indicated, and fresh frozen plasma availability, most procedures can be performed with acceptable safety. The welfare priority for severely affected dogs is minimising exposure to trauma risks while ensuring that necessary procedures are performed with the highest available standard of haemostatic management.