West Highland Terrier

Craniomandibular Osteopathy is an autosomal disease that causes excessive growth of the skulls, particularly affecting the joint between the upper and lower jawbone.

The excessive growth can get to such an extent that the affected dog is unable to open and close their jaw properly which leads to pain, a lack of appetite and malnourishment.

The condition affects the dog at a very young age and the growth will oddly slow, regress or even recede completely at around 1 years old. This is not always the case though and sometimes long-term damage or fusion has been caused which may require surgery and, in some cases, even euthanasia is considered if the quality of life will be too poor.

There is unfortunately no treatment available to stop the bone growth and there is nothing that can be done to prevent the condition. All that can be done is to provide therapy that will be targeted at reducing the pain and swelling therefore reducing the dogs discomfort.

There are no tests to identify the disease before a puppy is born but the disease can be diagnosed via a physical examination or an x ray by a vet.

This genetic disease will only affect a puppy if both of its parents passed down the gene. If they only have one gene, then they are a carrier and will show no symptoms, but they can pass the gene on to their offspring. This means both affected dogs and carriers should never be bred so that they can’t pass the defective gene on to their offspring.

Although the disease is rare, West Highland Terriers are at a significantly higher risk than other dog breeds. You can reduce the risk of purchasing a puppy with the defective gene by checking that the breeder has the health history of both parents showing that they don’t have the defective gene.

Legg-Calves-Perthes Disease, also known as LCPD or LCP, is described as the spontaneous degeneration of the head of the femur bone i.e. the ‘ball’ in the ball and socket joint that forms the hip. The degeneration causes the bone to die and collapse, eventually leading to arthritis in the joint.

Though the exact root of the disease is unknown, it’s generally thought that it’s caused by an issue with the blood supply to the femoral head.

The disease is not commonly found in smaller breeds, particularly terriers like the West Highland Terrier and can affect both male and female dogs.

The symptoms are those that can be associated with any issues that affects the hind legs. These include lameness, pain when moving, wasting of thigh muscles of the affected limb and trouble with walking and getting up.

A complete physical examination by a veterinary professional will often be enough to diagnose LPCD as a possible cause for the above symptoms but x-rays will be taken to identify any changes in the femoral bone and joint to confirm the diagnosis.

In some cases, pain killers will be provided to help treat the lameness, but most will require surgery on the affected area. After surgery, a vigorous regime will be set out by your vet which will include exercise and physical therapy that must be adhered to, so the affected limbs have the best chance to fully recover.

Cataracts is generally inherited and is described as cloudiness of the crystalline lens of the eye, which varies from partial to complete opacity.

Cloudiness of the crystalline lens prevents light from passing through the retina, which will often cause some loss of vision.

Symptoms generally relate to the degree of vision impairment. For example, those with only a small level of cloudiness may not show any symptoms, however those with high opacity will suffer from loss of vision.

Cataracts is a progressive disorder that may lead to your dog becoming completely blind if not treated quickly. One method of treatment is surgery, but that is only usually recommended for hereditary forms.

Other forms of treatment are phacoemulsification which involves emulsification of the eye's lens with an ultrasonic handpiece. Once the lens is emulsified and aspirated, aspired fluids are replaced with a balanced salt solution.

Most cases are inherited, however it can be caused by a few other things including electric shock, diabetes mellitus, old age, inflammation of the eye or abnormal levels of calcium in the blood.

Patellar Luxation is a relatively common problem that occurs when the patella is not properly lined up. This causes the Femur (thigh bone), Patella (kneecap), and Tibia (calf) to slip out of place. When this happens, the dog will generally skip or hop.

There are four grades, ranging from I, an occasional luxation causing temporary lameness in the joint, to grade IV, in which the turning of the tibia is severe, and patella cannot be realigned manually.

The constant rubbing caused by this issue can lead to arthritis, a degenerative joint disease and severe levels of Patella luxation may require surgery to avoid further issues and pain.