Health
Due to regular outcrossings throughout the breed's history, the accumulated data is insufficient for determining which genetic defects are truly common within the breed. Allergies, particularly those affecting the skin and coat, are common. In recent years, the gene for Primary Lens Luxation has been found with great frequency, and within most bloodlines. The Canine Health Information Center (CHIC) recommends that Rat Terriers be tested for patellar luxation, cardiac abnormalities, hip dysplasia, and Legg–Calvé–Perthes syndrome. CHIC notes CERF eye clearance, BAER hearing, elbow dysplasia and primary lens luxation as optional tests.
Average lifespan of a Rat Terrier is 15 to 18 years.
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“Woman ... cannot be content with health and agility: she must make exorbitant efforts to appear something that never could exist without a diligent perversion of nature. Is it too much to ask that women be spared the daily struggle for superhuman beauty in order to offer it to the caresses of a subhumanly ugly mate?”
—Germaine Greer (b. 1939)