Health
If you want to know more about Scottie health, the
Scottish Terrier Club of America has a great site at http://clubs.akc.org/stca/health.htm The Scottish
Terrier Puppy. So you
have bought a Scottish Terrier puppy and you are bringing
it into a new home away from its mother and litter mates.
What an exciting time for you and the puppy, a new family
member to make welcome, safe and secure in the love of a
new family. Remember
when the puppy comes home he is very small and uneducated
compared to an adult Scottish Terrier and he can fit into
places adult Scotties can’t. He is also teething and
babies are very mouthy at this age. Every thing goes into
his mouth, so he is not selective, I mean everything. So
I am going to put into point form things to watch for,
from my own experience. SAFETY 1 Make sure he has a
safe and secure place to sleep as he will sleep a lot in
the first few weeks. Especially if he is going into
a home with children he needs a place where he knows he
is safe with a few of his toys and a comfortable bed and
a bowl of fresh drinking water. Some people have a
playpen for a few months, which is very useful as
you can take it anywhere and keep the puppy contained
when necessary. 2 Children should only be with the puppy under
adult supervision especially if friends are visiting as
they all get very excited and puppies are wriggly little
things and easily dropped. So if children nurse the puppy
it is best they are sitting on the ground as if they drop
the puppy it does not have far to fall. Children need to
be taught to be gentle and respect the puppy’s
space. 3 Make sure
all electrical cords are out of harm’s way. I once
had a puppy chew through an electric cord on a fan. They
are so quick and quiet when they are into mischief.
(similar to children ). 4 Make sure
all poisons are out of puppy’s reach. Snail pellets
for example are very attractive to puppies and lethal. If
they follow you into the shed be aware of what is being
stored in there. A trap for the unwary is lead poisoning,
so if you are renovating an old home and have old paint
being sanded before repainting make sure puppy is out of
harms way, remembering it can be in the ground if you are
doing an exterior. ( your own health could suffer also)
Cockroach baits under fridges and in cupboards is
another, they can squeeze into places that will amaze
you! 5 If you
have a swimming pool remember even if it has a fence
small puppies can often fit in between the fencing or
under it. Drowning is the most silent of deaths and very
quick. I believe there is an alarm on the market now that
emits a high pitch alarm if puppy falls in the pool,
however prevention is better than cure. Ornamental ponds
present the same problem. A puppy purchased from
me, drowned at 16 weeks the day before his final
shots were due in the neighbours fish pond. Which brings
me to the point of checking all the boundaries of the
yard the puppy will be in to make sure its secure and
there are no little places a small puppy could escape
from, not forgetting digging under the fence unlikely as
it may be. 6 Look at
the plants in the back yard where the puppy will be
running and make sure you do not have any poisonous
plants where puppy can chew them. They will grow out of
this fairly quickly but you need to be aware of this
trap. I once heard of a puppy that was suffering from
epilepsy and the cause was a plant he was chewing in the
back yard. When the plant was removed he regained his
health. 7 One trap
often overlooked especially these days, with landscaping
lending itself to natural bush settings and the use of
small rocks or gravel becoming popular, is the puppy
chewing and swallowing rocks. Needless to say this can
cause problems even death they usually grow out of this
but just as a toddler they are exploring their new
environment and trying everything out. 8 Finally,
make sure the toys you buy for the puppy to play with are
safe toys. That there are no small pieces they can chew
off and swallow. Squeakers can be dislodged and swallowed
so pups should be supervised when they play with them.
Plastic toys that become chewed should be thrown away
before puppies can eat the crumbling plastic. The vet
usually stocks some safe strong sturdy toys. HEALTH When
you pick your puppy up at 8 weeks he will have been
vaccinated at 6 weeks and wormed every 2 weeks. You will
need to have him vaccinated at 12 weeks and 16 weeks with
C5 to ensure he does not become a victim of distemper,
hepatitis, parvovirus or kennel cough. You will also need
to worm him every 2 weeks till he is 3 months then
monthly till he is 6 months old. Then it becomes three
monthly. Ask your breeder what they have been using to
worm the puppies. In
New South Wales, the puppies must also be Microchipped
before leaving the breeder. You
will also need to commence heartworm control. I suggest
you speak to your vet before you get your new puppy to
decide which control to use. There are a lot of choices
on the market and there is even a yearly injection
available now that could be given at the time of the
yearly vaccination. However these are not suitable for a
young puppy so you would need to use a monthly heartworm
control till puppy has his first injection. As the weight
gain is quite marked in the 1st year of life and the
injection is weight dependant the most economical
approach would be to have monthly control for the first
12 months then go onto yearly which is very cost
effective. They are all very effective you need to find
which method would suit you best. Paralysis
ticks are among the most dangerous parasites that can
affect your pet. It is estimated that more than 20,000
domestic animals are paralysed by this tick in Australia
each year and unfortunately, many die. Please check
with your local vet to find out if ticks are a problem
where you live. Also keep in mind if you walk your dog in
bushland be it reserves or weekend hikes always check
your dog daily for ticks. Often the first symptom is loss
of coordination in the hind legs, however the animal may
have a change in voice or may retch, cough or vomit.
Speak to your vet as they often have pamphlets on ticks
to educate yourself. Frontline can be used on young
puppies in spray packs, after 3 months Frontline top spot
can be used every 2 weeks. Nothing is 100 % affective so
you need to always check your dog daily. Keeping in mind
most ticks (about 90%) are found on the head neck and
shoulders. Do not forget to look in ears and folds around
the mouth and corner of the eyes they are easily missed
in these positions. Fleas
should not become a problem these days there are many
preparations and a talk with your vet should help you
find one suitable for you. If your dog has fleas remember
to worm him as dogs with fleas also are likely to have
tapeworms. When
you take your puppy in for his 12 weeks vaccination this
is a good time to cover all of these points. I suggest
you write the questions down you wish to ask your vet
before your visit. That way you won’t forget
anything. Cane
toads are very toxic for dogs and I believe they are
spreading south. If you live in a cane toad area
don’t let your dogs out at night without
supervision. Remember Scotties are bred to hunt and they
are very good at it. If you are not to quick on your feet
take them out on a lead as they can hear a rustle and be
on it in seconds. Toads spray a poison that is deadly. If
your dog does get a toad rinse the mouth out immediately
with a hose pointing outwards. The gums go a bright red
and they foam at the mouth, you need to get the toxin
rinsed out as quickly as possible. Then get to the vet as
soon as possible. Scottish
Terriers, like all dogs are subject to hereditary and
acquired health problems. Scotties are fortunate to have
few serious genetic problems compared to other pure bred
dogs. Responsible breeders work to eliminate these
problems from the Scottish Terrier gene pool. I shall
list the most common genetic problems we see in Scotties. This dermatitis is caused by the mite Demodex Canis
growing rapidly in the hair follicles. This massive build up of mites
causes bacterial infection and severe skin inflammation. The mites are
on all dogs, but if the dogs immune system is suppressed the numbers can
rapidly increase.
vWD is an
inherited bleeding disorder of man and dogs. In fact, it is the most
common bleeding disorder, and has been detected in over 54 breeds in the
U.S.A. The disease is due to a deficiency of the large protein in the
blood called Von Willebrand factor. Von Willebrand factor is part of an
overall blood clotting, or coagulation system, which consists of protein
called coagulation factor and cells, called platelets, that circulate in
the bloodstream. This System acts in the body to seal off damage to the
injured blood vessels by the formation of a blood clot. Therefore if vWF
is deficient the platelets cannot stick properly to the vessel wall. An
inadequate platelet plug forms and the damage to the vessel is not
sealed off properly. The result is excessive blood loss from that
vessel. A simple DNA test detects vWD and is now available from Vetgen
and Others.
The Vetgen web site is
http://www.ozemail.com.au/~gentest/ There is a lot of information on
this site including how we can test in Australia.
However as
far as buying a puppy is concerned as long as the sire and dam are
tested clear there is no need to test the puppies as they will be clear
by parentage. I am sure most breeders would be only too happy to hand
that information on to the new owner upon purchase for the record. Scottie
Cramp is the most widespread disorder in the breed (29.3
% carriers, according to figures from the USA) and it is
also the least serious. It is present from birth, but
often takes the eye of an experienced breeder to detect.
It is a permanent condition but does not worsen with age.
Affected dogs are normal at rest but as the animals 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 may arch and
the rear legs over flex. If the excitement continues the
dog begins a goose-stepping gait, if he runs he may fall
over. Severely affected dogs may find the ability to run
or walk inhibited, this is not a seizure. There is no
loss of consciousness. In layman’s terms, the signal
from the brain to his various muscles are not
transmitting correctly. His muscles are not cramping and
he does not feel any pain. He temporarily looses his
coordination in his movements. Cranio-Mandibular
osteopathy is an inherited disorder causing abnormal bone
growth of the bone of the lower jaw. This is primarily a
problem of the West Highland White Terrier, Cairn Terrier
and Scottish Terrier. It occurs in young dogs of 4 months
and older. They usually present with difficulty in eating
or pain on handling the skull. It is quite common to find
the affected cases have an elevated temperature. The
clinical diagnosis is confirmed by radiographic
examination when lesions can be seen on the mandible,
tympanic bulla and cranial vault. Treatment is
conservative using anti- inflammatory drugs to control
the discomfort. The condition can be episodic but
providing the dogs are satisfactory at 12 months they are
likely to remain so for the rest of their lives. Cushing’s
Disease : ( Hyperadrenocorticism) This disease is
caused by an excess of the hormone called cortisol. There
are three main causes, a tumour on the pituitary gland or
on the Adrenal gland or over prescribed corticosteroids
to treat skin problems. Your Scottie should be checked if
he is drinking large amounts of water and urinating
frequently, losing coat, his muscles are losing muscle
tone and he develops a pot belly. To diagnose Cushings,
the method is to perform a complete blood count and
chemistry panel. If the liver enzymes and the cholesterol
levels are elevated these results along with clinical
signs indicate Cushings. In
recent times there are increased reports of seizures in
Scottish Terriers, as in many other breeds. While some of
the increase may be due to environment, epilepsy has
definitely increased in the gene pool of Scottish
Terriers. These seizures can be caused by low blood
sugar, heat stroke, poison (as before in the dog eating
poisonous plants ), brain tumour or nutritional
deficiency. If the
cause is unknown it is called Idiopathic Epilepsy. This
is characterised by recurring seizures with no apparent
cause. This type of epilepsy is not usually seen until a
dog is over 6 months of age and up to the age of 5 years.
The treatment if required is usually Phenobarbitol.
Dilantin or sometimes Primidone. Dogs who have infrequent
seizures don’t require any treatment. The
seizure is a transitory disturbance of the brain function
and is the clinical manifestation of a paroxysmal
cerebral disorder. Acquired epilepsy may result in onset
of seizures at any age. Seizures may not occur for as
long as four years after the initial cerebral insult that
resulted in development of a seizure focus. Author Maxine Drew
Clanscot Kennels, Queensland If you want to know more about Scottie health, the
Scottish Terrier Club of America has a great site at http://clubs.akc.org/stca/health.htm |