Scottish Terriers are a generally healthy breed, but with some major and minor issues lurking in the gene pool. The information presented here barely scratches the surface, for indepth reading on these and other topics, check out the links at the bottom of this page.
Bladder Cancer
Epilepsy
Hypothyroidism
Cushings Syndrome
Juvenile Cataracts
Scottie Cramp
Scottish Terrier Puppy Growth Chart
Cerebellar Abiotrophy (CA), is a rare, slow-to-progress neurological
disease that causes loss of coordination. It has been confused, we
believe, with Scottie Cramp over the years. The primary difference is that Cramp
is episodic in nature, while CA is constant, never abates.
The STCA HTF is involved with a study to help find the genetic marker for CA, for more information, visit the CA site, as well as the STCA site.
Every good breeder should be screening for vWD. A simple cheek swap sample collection, and the DNA test done by VetGen, will tell you if the tested dog is Clear, a Carrier, or Affected. Affected dogs should never be bred, and many breeders will also spay or neuter all Carriers. A dog who tests as a Carrier can be carefully bred to a Clear dog, and the resultant offspring will either be Clear or Carriers, with no chance of Affecteds. Breeding to an Affected dog will result in Carriers, Affecteds, or Clear, however if a Carrier is bred to an Affected, there will be no Clear dogs produced. To eliminate vWD EVERY breeder must screen their breeding animals, and use the utmost care if utilizing Carriers in their breeding program. Read the article by Carole Fry Owen, from the STCA's Bagpiper, 1996.
CMO - Craniomandibular Osteopathy
Craniomandibular Osteopathy is an
inherited disorder characterized
by an abnormal growth of the bone of the lower jaw. CMO usually appears between
four and seven months. A puppy with CMO usually pulls away, flinches or screams
with pain when his mouth is examined, depending on the severity of the disease.
Other early symptoms are lethargy, fever and unwillingness to eat. An acutely
affected puppy may be unable to open his mouth but mild cases may be
misdiagnosed as teething problems or virus symptoms. An accurate diagnosis of
CMO requires X-ray confirmation.
CMO is nearly always treatable. Mild cases respond to aspirin or other
non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as ibuprofen or while acute cases may
require the use of steroids such as prednisone or prednisolone. Fortunately, as
the dog matures, the abnormal bony growth abates and is often undetectable in
the adult dog, even by radiography.
Liver Shunt
To date, liver shunts have been reported in fewer
than a dozen dogs but there are several lines that have displayed the problem.
Most of what we know about liver shunts comes from research done on Yorkshire
Terriers, a breed where this problem is widespread. While we know that the
problem is inherited, the mode of inheritance is unknown. Vets at the University
of Missouri School of Veterinary Medicine have been working trying to answer
this question with a colony of Yorkies with repaired liver shunts but have been
unable to get any of the bitches pregnant. The Scottish Terrier Club of America
is now working with a DNA test to detect the carrier status of this
problem.
Liver shunt can be difficult for a breeder to recognize but is easily diagnosed
with a bile acid test. Affected puppies are normally small and unthrifty.
After eating, they can exhibit bizarre behavior caused by a buildup of ammonia
in the bloodstream. Surgery can normally correct the condition, depending on the
location of the shunt, but it's not always completely effective and it's very
expensive, often running into thousands of dollars. Geneticists recommend that
dogs who produce liver shunt should not be bred again and that the siblings of
an affected dog should also be spayed/neutered.
Bladder Cancer
Scottish Terrers are 18% more likely to develop this cancer than any other breed of canine. At the present time, Purdue University, in conjunction with the Scottish Terrier Club of America Health Trust Fund, is collecting data on both affected animals, as well as unaffected animals. The San Francisco Bay Scottish Terrier Club hosted an indepth seminar earlier this year on Canine Cancer. The speakers presented us with enough data to both educate and motivate. A separate article will be presented on the seminar, look for more information in the coming weeks.
Epilepsy
Seizures may be caused by a number of conditions,
including low blood sugar, brain tumor, heat stroke, poison, nutritional
deficiency and distemper. Classic or idiopathic (meaning "of unknown
cause") epilepsy is characterized by recurrent seizures with no active
underlying disease process occurring in the brain. This form of epilepsy is
not usually seen until a dog is mature, usually between three and five years of
age.
In a typical seizure, the dog will salivate excessively. There is usually
dilation of the pupils and stiffening of the limbs. The dog may arch its back
and paddle its legs. Frequently, the dog's temperature will spike up three to
five degrees. Urination or defecation may accompany or follow the episode.
Seizures usually last only a minute or two, but severely affected dogs may have
longer and more frequent episodes. Dogs who have infrequent seizures do not
require treatment. When treatment is required, phenobarbitol, dilantin and
primidone are frequently used.
In recent years, there seems to be an increase of
reported seizures in Scottish Terriers. While some of the increase may be due to
environmental hazards, inherited epilepsy has definitely made inroads into the
Scottie gene pool.
Hypothyroidism
Hypothyroidism is an underproduction of hormones
by the thyroid gland. Symptoms
of hypothyroidism include:
Abnormal loss of coat (often bilateral and symmetrical), poor coat
condition, fading of coat color
Chronic skin disorders and infections, skin allergies, dry or
scaling skin
Weight gain
Infertility
Fatigue, lethargy
Intolerance of cold
It is important to determine the exact cause of your
dog's hypothyroidism before embarking on a course of treatment. Your
veterinarian must run a full thyroid panel and have the blood tested at a
laboratory which uses canine thyroid values. Do not be tempted to start thyroid
treatment without proper veterinary supervision. The balance of the endocrine
system is critical to your dog's health and you can cause an otherwise healthy
thyroid gland to atrophy by giving medication improperly.
Cushings Syndrome
Cushing's Syndrome is a collection of symptoms caused by an excess of a hormone called cortisol. There are three main causes of Cushing's Syndrome: a tumor on the pituitary gland; a tumor on the adrenal gland; or veterinarians who over-prescribe corticosteroids to treat itching skin. It is, as yet, unknown whether there is an inherited predisposition to Cushing's Syndrome in Scottish Terriers.To date, only a few dogs have been affected by juvenile cataracts and apparently only one line. In other breeds, a simple autosomal recessive gene triggers congenital juvenile cataracts. In other words, both parents must be carriers.
Scottie Cramp is the most wide-spread hereditary disorder in the breed and it is also the least serious, from the dog's point of view. Affected dogs are normal at rest and exhibit normal ability to walk until they are stressed. Common stimuli are exercise, hunting, fighting, or courtship. As the dog's level of stress increases, his gait begins to change. The forelegs move out to the side and forward rather than straight forward, called winging. The spine in the lumbar area may arch and the rear legs begin to overflex. If the excitement or exercise continues, the dog begins to exhibit a "goose-stepping" gait. If the dog is running, he may somersault and fall. Severely affected dogs may find their ability to walk or run completely inhibited. As soon as the stimulus abates, the symptoms disappear almost immediately.
Purdue University Bladder Cancer Study
