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Sheltie Health ~
NOTE: There are many off-site links on
this page.
If you follow one, please do not forget to return
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On-site and on-page links regarding the health issues of our Shelties are:
| Exercise | |
| Canine Hip Dysplasia | Grooming |
| Eye Diseases | Canine Dental Health |
| vonWillebrande's Disease | Nutrition and Health Links |
| Canine Cancer | Spay and Neuter Information |
| Other Heritable Problems | |
Though Shelties are a generally healthy breed when bred conscientiously, breeding animals MUST be tested to ensure health, wherever, whenever, however, it is possible to test. It is by far best and desirable that breeding stock comes from a long line of tested breeding stock, to enhance the guarantee of genetic health. Genetic testing which is currently available for Shelties include that for Canine Hip Dysplasia (CHD), many eye anomalies, thyroid, and vonWillebrande's Disease (vWD), a devastating bleeding disorder very much like human hemophilia.
There are many other conditions for which tests are not currently available, conditions which can be fatal - autoimmune disorders, renal dysfunction, liver diseases, canine epilepsy, genetic heart defects. Though the female of the canine species is often carrier of these genetic problems, a breeder cannot test breeding animals of either gender to know if they are carriers of these diseases, but that breeder can certainly be aware if these diseases exist in the backgrounds of her pedigrees, if she but simply does the extensive homework required to breed ethically and with the best for the dogs uppermost in her mind.
Breeders may be interested in reading Tara's Page. This page involves the death of a weanling puppy due to a congenital, in utero bacterial infection passed on to whelps but not manifested until weaned from mother's milk. Tara is not the only one who has been affected by this terrible anomaly, so many - or any - puppy may be at risk. Most importantly, Tara did not have to die! Please read this for your own benefit!
I
would like to address several of the specific health issues affecting our beloved
Shelties:
Hips should be x-rayed and certified by the
Orthopedic
Foundation for Animals (OFA) after age two years. There was a time, not long
ago, when I believed that a 2-year certification was all that was necessary, but
that thought has now changed. Given some recent developments that have come to
light involving early detection in conjunction with alternative therapies as
early treatment for potential hip problems, there is no question in my mind that
preliminary x-rays at one year of age should be done on every sheltie, whether breeding, showing, performing, or not. For more information on these very
exciting developments, please visit
Merlin's Magic
Page, and explore the information that is available there, as well as the
information available at the links on Merlin's Magic Page. For a different look
at the topic of CHD, I encourage you to read the editorial:
Canine
Hip Dysplasia: Are Breeders Winning The Battle?
Eyes on
all young puppies should be examined by a veterinary ophthalmologist registered
with the
Canine Eye Registry
Foundation (CERF) between the ages of six and eight weeks. It is believed
that at this young age the potential for developing SES (Sheltie Eye Syndrome,
also known as
Collie Eye
Anomaly CEA), PRA (Progressive
Retinal Atrophy) and other eye diseases can be detected, so early
examination is essential. Since many of the common eye diseases do not then
manifest themselves until the animal is older (four to six years for many),
examination of breeding animals - dogs and bitches alike - should be performed
subsequent to this early examination, at least every two years, for life. In
this way, and this way alone, can breeders be certain their bloodlines are clear
of these terrible and potentially blinding disorders.
vonWillebrande's Disease (vWD) is a devastating, many times fatal, blood clotting disorder not unlike human hemophilia. For an explanation of exactly what vWD is, please visit the vonWillebrande's Disease web site.
Too often, knowledge of the presence of this disease is unknown until the animal is injured, or undergoes surgery, and
dies from sudden and uncontrollable loss of blood. Earlier, detection of vWD in
your Sheltie was very difficult to achieve; the testing method used was
unreliable, as it was affected by many variables including age, health, growth,
stress, as well as the method used to draw, handle, store and ship the blood
samples. Recently, a genetic labeling technique was developed for Shelties by
VetGen,
which makes detection of the presence (or absence, as the case may be) of the
clotting factors involved with vWD much easier and more reliable. The VetGen
test is a swab test for the mouth, and can be administered at basically any age,
under any conditions. The results are guaranteed.
It is an unfortunate fact that cancer - that long-dreaded death sentence of a disease - is on the rise in dogs. Not just Shelties but dogs in general, but certainly, it is of high enough incident to address the issue as it specifically affects our Shelties. Until recently, canine cancer was not of so great a concern. The opinions as to the reason of this sudden rise in cancer among our dogs are as varied and numbered as the dogs suffering cancer themselves. These reasons include, among many others, food, food additives, the ozone issue, drinking water, basically all the same reasons that might very well apply to humans who are subject to cancer.
There is a growing number of dogs succumbing to various and sundry cancers, many of them familiar in the human countertype. It behooves us to become familiar with these terrible cancers, whose affects mimic in our dogs the same as we see in humans, and treatments for which are also often quite similar, including medicines, radiation- and chemotherapy.
What kinds of cancers? ALL KINDS, including carcinomas, sarcomas, lymphomas, and even melanomas, plague our dogs. No bodily system is immune, from heart and circulation to liver to kidney to skin to brain to - well, you name it. But - you ask - are there good things to report regarding canine cancer? In a sense, yes. Now that cancer research and treatment in humans has reached the level it enjoys today, from early diagnoses to successful treatments, investigation into canine cancers is beginning to grow with its own sweet success.
Please visit the National Canine Cancer Foundation as well as the Canine Cancer Awareness Organization for more information on cancer in dogs, how you might be able to detect cancer in YOUR dog at an early stage, and the varying and different treatments available today for our beloved 4-footed family members.
An interesting article on canine
testicular cancer, including pictures, is located at the
College of
Veterinary Medicines, Mississippi State University and University of Georgia,
Athens, Veterinary Pathology Anatomic Clerkship Program web site. Testicular
Cancers occur far too often in dogs who have not been neutered. Same as in
humans, cancers in our dogs that are left unattended will eventually spread
throughout the body, some spreading faster than others.
There are many other problems strongly suspicioned to be inherited, with no known 'markers' or ways to identify carriers until those carriers produce affected offspring. These problems would include early-onset hypothyroidism (occurring before age 6 years), diabetes, renal dysfunctions and diseases, kidney diseases, Cushing's Disease, heart problems, auto-immune problems including Lupus, and a condition known as Dermatomyositis (DM) and commonly called Sheltie Skin Syndrome. Additional information on DM can be found on the Texas A & M Dermatomyositis web site, and please read information available on the ongoing current research (go to "health issues") into this devastating disease.
While the thyroid problem need not be life-threatening and is easily and inexpensively treated, the thyroid affects the energy level, coat condition and general health of your Sheltie. You can read more about hypothyroidism at the Michigan State University website.
The other diseases mentioned above may pose dire (and sometimes fatal)
problems from which breeders must carefully breed away. By knowing the ancestry,
and knowing these problems have or have not shown themselves in the lines, by very
careful breeding, it is hoped these problems can be arrested or avoided
altogether.
Diet should be of a 'premium' nature and come highly recommended by folks who also use the diet with success. Do not decide on a diet based upon the wording of a package or the prompt of a salesman. Do the footwork, talk to other dog people using the diet before deciding what is best for your sheltie. At Ailea's Place we feed Purina Pro Plan with some fruits and veggies and the occasional raw, meaty bone, but this does not mean this diet will work best for you, too. Not everyone's dogs will do well on the same diet. If you are replacing your current diet with another, please allow at least three months' time before a decision is made on whether the new diet is good for your Sheltie. Coat color and texture, energy levels, overall fitness and attentiveness, are items that most often will tell you if the food or diet you are feeding is working.
For
more information on the differences in dog foods, visit Ailea's
Nutrition Links.
Exercise is as important to your Sheltie as it is to you, for keeping muscle tone healthy and the body lean, and in warding off other problems to which your Sheltie will be more susceptible if he is not fit. Without proper exercise a Sheltie can grow fat and lazy, conditions which encourage things like poor circulation, diabetes, hypothyroidism, and can create undue cardiac stress, as well as structural problems by putting too much strain on legs, feet and joints. Lots of running and chasing, games of retrieve, are all excellent ways to exercise your Sheltie. Proper conditioning and muscle tone will affect the way a Sheltie moves, how quickly the Sheltie tires, as well as the general, overall feeling of wellness your Sheltie should enjoy.
I cannot stress enough how important grooming is to a Sheltie. A well-groomed Sheltie is a healthier Sheltie. Brushing out dirt helps reduce the need for bathing. Hair mats have less chance of developing, and regularly removing the dead hair that accumulates in a Sheltie coat makes room for coat re-growth to occur. Trim the feet, clip the nails, trim the wispies about the face so that personality can shine forth unhindered. And never, ever forget to brush those teeth! Please, be ever mindful of your Sheltie's mouth, for decay and tartar buildup in and on the teeth can cause bacterial infections and lead to heart failure and death. THIS lesson I have learned the hardest way of all, and you can read about this by visiting my page on Canine Dental Health.
There are new products in support of good canine dental health, information for which are on my Canine Dental Health page, here. Everyone should investigate these new tools intended to improve our dogs' general dental health.
An excellent site to visit regarding the heritability of diseases in dogs is the Canine Inherited Disorders Database, which may well prove quite useful to anyone with a dog found to have an inherited condition, those wishing help in avoiding inherited conditions when looking to purchase a dog, as well as vets and breeder/owners who wish to keep up-to-date with the diagnostic and therapeutic information available at this site.
For information regarding spaying and neutering your pet, please visit my page on Spay-Neuter.
None of these things need be a chore. All of it is for the betterment of the Sheltie life that adorns your soul. No greater love, never too great a price.
For additional links regarding canine health, please see below:
| Nutrition Links | General Health Links |
