Scottish Terrier Health Network

Scottish Terrier Health Network "Making A Difference" for Scotties : A Network focussing on improving the health and well being of our beloved Scottish Terriers. www.scottishterrierhealth.com

Focussing on the health and well being of our Scotties. We will share factual stories of how others have coped with Scottie illnesses and hope this provides a greater understanding for those suffering similar conditions. Lets Make A Difference for the Scotties of tomorrow.

Andrea asks : "My dog suddenly has a patch of thinning hair in an area on her back right in front of her tail. In Decemb...
09/03/2025

Andrea asks : "My dog suddenly has a patch of thinning hair in an area on her back right in front of her tail. In December she had her six months blood panel and her thyroid was fine. I am awaiting a new test now for Cushing. If that is negative, what else might it be? Tx."

If anyone is able to offer advice, Andrea would be most grateful. Thanks Kx

Erin asks: "I've seen this question asked before, but since regulations have changed, I'm throwing it out there again:I'...
01/03/2025

Erin asks: "I've seen this question asked before, but since regulations have changed, I'm throwing it out there again:
I'm wondering if anyone has flown with their Scottie in the cabin (in the USA) since 2021? Mine is about 17.5 lbs and 5 yrs old. If so, do you have a recommended airline and carrier?"

I know this is not your typical health question, but I'm sure we'll be able to help Erin out with this question. Thanks Kx

Perla asks : My little girl Dot is feeling ill. She suddenly cries, she can't eat properly, she seems to be in pain when...
02/02/2025

Perla asks : My little girl Dot is feeling ill. She suddenly cries, she can't eat properly, she seems to be in pain when we touch her. We have already taken her to several vets and nothing. The latest test reveals "pemphigus". Does anyone have any experience with this? Thanks"

Let's hope we can give Perla some advice with this. Thanks Kx

Cherie would like some advice : "I just took my 3 year old Scotty to the groomer for her bath and haircut. Myself and my...
02/02/2025

Cherie would like some advice : "I just took my 3 year old Scotty to the groomer for her bath and haircut. Myself and my groomer noticed that her hair was thinning. She has no itching issues, no bald spots. She takes fish oil vitamins. We changed their diet about 4-5 months ago to a high quality dry food and cut out all chicken byproducts for our male Scotty’s allergies. We live in Alabama, during the holidays we were in Michigan for 15 days. It was super cold and snowing, so she wore her sweater everyday. As well as when came home due to extreme cold weather here. Unsure if that could be a cause. I have a 4 year old male Scotty and he is fine"

Any help you are able to offer, would be greatly appreciated. Thanks Kx

Heather asks : "Hi my Scottie girl has Hemangiosarcoma, diagnosed Monday, it is pretty bad where they won't do surgery. ...
02/02/2025

Heather asks : "Hi my Scottie girl has Hemangiosarcoma, diagnosed Monday, it is pretty bad where they won't do surgery. she has been for the few days but this morning she a weird few minutes where her legs where spasming and she couldn't get comfortable. she took a nap and seems a little better being able to slowly walk around to go potty and drink water. does this leg spasm episode mean it's close to the end. I don't want a tumor to rupture and not know and end up going to the ER. I want to have lap of love come to my house. thank you for any help or guidance."

If anyone has some advice I'm sure Heather would appreciate it. Thanks Kx

Sara asks: "My 3 yr old Scottie was diagnosed in December 2024 with IMHA. Has anyone else heard about this terrible dise...
23/01/2025

Sara asks: "My 3 yr old Scottie was diagnosed in December 2024 with IMHA. Has anyone else heard about this terrible disease?"

Let's hope we are able to give Sara some information about this disease. Thanks Kx

Maggie asks : Hi, I’d like to ask a question about ye**ty skin problems if I may. Wyatt, just turned 7, has for the past...
03/01/2025

Maggie asks : Hi, I’d like to ask a question about ye**ty skin problems if I may. Wyatt, just turned 7, has for the past few months developed areas on his body, most significantly his front armpits, where there is yeast growth, and it smells. The vet tells me to bathe him in Douxo shampoo and using the Douxo leave on foam. Maybe I’m not doing it enough but it doesn’t seem to be helping. Can anyone who has dealt with help? I forgot to say, he has seasonal allergies, usually controlled with Apoquel. He also recently had a cytopoint shot, but it didn’t last more than maybe three weeks.

If anyone has any suggestions Im sure Maggie would be pleased to hear from us. Thanks Kx

Jared would like some advice about (possible) bladder cancer : "Hi, I have 12 year old female Scottish terrier that has ...
31/12/2024

Jared would like some advice about (possible) bladder cancer : "Hi, I have 12 year old female Scottish terrier that has been having some health issues since November. We initially took her in for what we thought was a urinary tract infection. There was visible blood when she urinated. The vet put her on a 14 day course of antibiotics which she finished in mid December. She did well on the antibiotics and seemed to make a recovery initially. However, about a week after stopping the antibiotics, she started having accidents in the house and couldn’t hold her bladder more than a few hours. This wasn’t like her at all. On Friday of this week I took her back to the vet. They did an ultrasound as well as comprehensive blood work. All of her bloodwork looked good and ruled out kidney issues or diabetes. However, the ultrasound on her bladder revealed a large mass. Given the history of bladder cancer in the breed, the vet was pretty confident it was bladder cancer. From here, the vet put her on a different antibiotic (I think to completely rule out another UTI) as well as an NSAID pain reliever to bring down any inflammation. Our plan now is to return to the vet in 2 weeks and see if there is any change on the ultrasound. From what I’ve read, I do unfortunately believe the vet is correct. She also said if I wanted more extensive testing, she would have to refer me to our state veterinary lab. At this point, I’m just wondering if there is anything more I can do and/or suggestions for making her as comfortable as possible. Thank you."

I'm sure that many of you will be able to contribute some really good advice for Jared's consideration. Thank you all Kx

Christine would like some help : "Hello we have a 10 year old Scotty names McGee.  He had 3 seizures 3 November 29th and...
22/12/2024

Christine would like some help : "Hello we have a 10 year old Scotty names McGee. He had 3 seizures 3 November 29th and then on Dec 9th. We think it is a result of him hitting his head on a piece of furniture along with an infection. He has been fighting an infection in his sinus cavities. As we work through issues with our vet we see more issues showing up. He is not wanting to for walks. Scared to use the doggie door and not eating alot. He is currently on Phenobarbital for the seizures and Convenia for the infection. He also has high liver enzymes like most Scotties I read about. On a side note we also just lost our 13 year West Highland Terrier unexpectedly to cancer or IMHA disease Dec 3. We think he is mourning her loss, as she picked him out as a puppy, on top of his health issues. He does not want to do anything but sleep drink and eat very little. I am concerned just looking for advice from anyone who has also experienced anything like this. He goes back to the vet Monday for his weekly check in. Thank you!"

Let's hope we can provide Christine with some thoughtful suggestions. Thanks Kx

Michael asks : "Hi - I have a question. I have a 10 year old male Scottie called Angus. He is prone to bringing up bile ...
22/12/2024

Michael asks : "Hi - I have a question. I have a 10 year old male Scottie called Angus. He is prone to bringing up bile in the middle of the night. Not a huge amount each time and maybe for 2 nights only then nothing for months. Any ideas? He is checked out regularly at the vet. Thanks in advance. Michael"

Laura asks : Hi, can I ask a question please? Clementine who is 5 years old, has just had a needle biopsy done on a lump...
06/12/2024

Laura asks : Hi, can I ask a question please?
Clementine who is 5 years old, has just had a needle biopsy done on a lump on her mammary glands and it’s come back as cancerous.

The vet is going to do a full biopsy and remove the lump in a week and then will know more about what type of cancer it is. She then mentioned possibility of further operations. I was wondering if anyone had been through this and what to expect? I’m devastated as she is my world. She is also a school dog and works with primary school children."

Any advice you can give would help Lawrence and her beloved Clementine, pictured below. Thanks Kx

April would like some help: "Hi, I have a 6 1/2 year old male who has bloody diarrhea.  It's almost completely blood, an...
06/12/2024

April would like some help: "Hi, I have a 6 1/2 year old male who has bloody diarrhea. It's almost completely blood, and jelly like. It only happens randomly, like a few times in the last year. We did take him to the vet, they tested his urine, stool, and bloodwork but found nothing and said he is fine. It just happened again, and it's scary to see...it seems like too much blood for it to be "nothing". Other than that, he acts fine! Anyone else experience this with their baby?"

If anyone has advice, April would appreciate hearing from you. Thanks Kx

03/11/2024

Craniomandibular Osteopathy
========================
We’re looking for a vet in the United Kingdom familiar with treating the very rare disease of craniomandibular osteopathy. If you know of a vet, please either leave a comment below or send us a message to [email protected] Thanks Kx

Cindy asks : "My 12 year old Scottie female (spayed) was diagnosed with Digital Melanoma.  We had the toe removed and bi...
30/09/2024

Cindy asks : "My 12 year old Scottie female (spayed) was diagnosed with Digital Melanoma. We had the toe removed and biopsy said clean margins. Also had lymph node checked and it was clean. Oncol. vet recommends vacine which runs $890 a shot for 4 shots initially and then every 6 months, plus xray and ulta sound every every 2-3 months for first year. Otherwise she does well, has high ALP only, no cushings, has a mild heart murmur. We've had 7 other scotties - only 2 of whom made it to 13. Other than the toe she is the healthiest scottie we've ever had. Any experience with digital melanoma?"

If anyone is able to give Cindy and her darling scottie a bit of advice that would be wonderful. Thanks Kx

Mara would like some advice, please : "My 2 year old female has recurrent digestive issues and is currently taking Prilo...
24/09/2024

Mara would like some advice, please : "My 2 year old female has recurrent digestive issues and is currently taking Prilosec. Does anyone have experience with Deglycyrrhised licorice or slippery elm? It sounds promising. Thanks!"

If anyone has experience of this, I'm sure Mara and her beloved scottie would love to hear from you. Thanks Kx

Elevated Liver Enzymes=================Len asks : "My 8 year old male has developed high liver enzymes which have been v...
15/09/2024

Elevated Liver Enzymes
=================
Len asks : "My 8 year old male has developed high liver enzymes which have been verified by 2 blood tests over a 30 day period. I understand that starting at the age of 6-8 years, many Scotties often show significant elevation of certain liver enzymes. My vet has seen before in Scotties and there is no cure. She did suggest I have an Ultrasound of the abdomen done. Based on the fact there is no cure I wonder if I should have ultrasound done spending a lot of $. I have been giving him a supplement Hepato True Benefits which did lower the enzymes for second blood test. What advise and what is best supplement."

There's a few of us having had experience of this, so if we can give Len some help, I'm sure he and his beloved scottie boy would be grateful. Thanks Kx

Shannon asks : "Our Scottie, Emmie, is six years old and has been dealing with some health concerns recently. She has al...
13/09/2024

Shannon asks : "Our Scottie, Emmie, is six years old and has been dealing with some health concerns recently. She has allergies and is on Apoquel. Last Thursday, she experienced a mysterious episode that led us to take her to the vet with symptoms resembling bladder stones, but no stones were found.
An extensive blood panel revealed elevated liver levels, which, while not uncommon for Scotties, still concerned us. The vet administered hydration therapy, and remarkably, Emmie showed a full recovery by the next day. We retested her blood, and thankfully, all counts and parameters returned to normal, though her liver levels remained slightly elevated.
Due to her initial bladder stone suspicion, Emmie was on prescription food, which we’ve now replaced with a homemade diet of lean beef and vegetables, occasionally mixed with turkey. She’s been eating and drinking well, regaining her usual energetic, bossy demeanor.
Additionally, we performed an ACTH stimulation test to check for Addison’s Disease, which came back negative. However, our vet remains cautious and has suggested an ultrasound of Emmie’s liver to rule out other potential issues, especially since an early panel indicated a possible bleed, which wasn’t present in a subsequent test.
We’re currently considering our next steps: immediately proceed with the ultrasound, continue observation, or conduct another blood panel in a few months. We seek advice or experiences from others who have dealt with similar issues in their Scotties. Any observations or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thank you."

Any help you are able to give to Shannon and her beloved Emma will be greatly appreciated. Thanks Kx

Age for neutering scottie pups=======================Barbara asks : I could really use some advice as to the best age to...
16/06/2024

Age for neutering scottie pups
=======================

Barbara asks : I could really use some advice as to the best age to have my two, male litter-mate puppies neutered. We got them about 3 weeks ago and they will be 5 months old tomorrow. Our veterinarian has already suggested we have them neutered at 6 months when we bring them in for their heartworm test. I felt that was way too young. However, I have noticed just in the past few days that their play is getting more agressive and I honestly don't know how much is normal behavior. I would really appreciate some advice. Thanks.

Barbara would appreciate any supportive useful information. Thanks Kx

Address

Nottingham

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Scottish Terrier Health Network posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Business

Send a message to Scottish Terrier Health Network:

Videos

Share