Health
These dogs are generally healthy and live on average about 12 to 17 years. Yet breeders, owners and veterinarians have identified several health problems that are significant for Cairns. Some of these diseases are hereditary while others occur as a result of non-specific factors (i.e. infections, toxins, injuries, or advanced age).
Some of the more common hereditary health problems found in the Cairn are:
- Cataracts
- Ocular Melanosis
- Progressive retinal atrophy
- Corneal dystrophy
- Krabbe disease (Globoid cell leukodystrophy)
- Hip dysplasia
- Legg-Calvé-Perthes syndrome
- Craniomandibular osteopathy (Lion Jaw)
- Von Willebrand disease
- Hypothyroidism
- Portosystemic shunt
- Luxating patella
- Entropion
- Soft Tissue Sarcoma (STS)
Currently, the Cairn Terrier Club of America along with the Institute for Genetic Disease Control in Animals maintain an open registry for Cairn Terriers in hopes of reducing the occurrence of hereditary diseases within the breed. Breeders voluntarily submit their dogs' test results for research purpose, as well as for use by individuals who seek to make sound breeding decisions.
Read more about this topic: Cairn Terrier
Famous quotes containing the word health:
“Give a man health and a course to steer; and he’ll never stop to trouble about whether he’s happy or not.”
—George Bernard Shaw (1856–1950)
“Nothing in Nature’s sober found,
But an eternal health goes round.
Fill up the bowl, then, fill it high,
Fill all the glasses there—for why
Should every creature drink but I?
Why, man of morals, tell me why?”
—Abraham Cowley (1618–1667)
“No one ever promised me it would be easy and it’s not. But I also get many rewards from seeing my children grow, make strong decisions for themselves, and set out on their own as independent, strong, likeable human beings. And I like who I am becoming, too. Having teenagers has made me more human, more flexible, more humble, more questioning—and, finally it’s given me a better sense of humor!”
—Anonymous Father. Ourselves and Our Children, by Boston Women’s Health Book Collective, ch. 4 (1978)