Boston Terrier Health Information
Although Boston Terriers are the BEST breed around
(of course, I may be just a tiny bit partial to them…), they, like
all purebreds, have health issues that are inherent in the breed.
The most prominent health concerns include deafness, juvenile cataracts,
hemivertebrae, and luxating patella. The best any breeder
can do is the best he/she can do and in doing so, testing is imperative
to make intelligent, informed breeding decisions. Testing
will not guarantee that affected puppies will not be produced, but
it will increase the chances for a healthy, sound puppy. It
also gives the breeder accurate health information about their breeding
dogs, so they are better equipped when deciding which dog to breed
to which bitch and vice versa. Below is a brief highlight
about testing in those areas of biggest concern as well as those
that simply may be, or may become, an issue. Also included
is where to find additional information. Many reputable breeders
not only test, but submit the results to the Orthopedic Foundation
for Animals (OFA) for certification and to be included in the associated
databases so that statistics can be maintained and possible research
instituted. You can search the OFA database for most of the
information, though the Spine Database is currently closed and not
available for searches to the public. If a breeder says he/she
tests, do not be shy about asking to see the test results, especially
if you cannot locate the information online in the OFA database
at www.offa.org.
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BAER Testing for Deafness
Every dog should
be tested for deafness by means of the Brain Auditory Evoked Response,
or BAER, test. This test is best administered by a board certified
neurologist or audiologist. A “regular” vet can perform the
test, but I can speak from personal experience that many of these
well-meaning vets have misread the results, which does no good to
the breeder or new puppy owner, so I always use a specialist who
has been specifically trained to use and read the results produced
by the special equipment. This test need only be performed
once in a lifetime as a dog is either hearing, bilaterally deaf
(deaf in both ears), or unilaterally deaf (deaf in one ear).
All puppies should be tested prior to leaving for its new home and
should be tested no earlier than 7 weeks of age. You can read
more information about deafness in Bostons and the BAER test on
the Boston Terrier Club of American’s (BTCA’s)
Boston Terrier Ears
web page and on the OFA Congenital Deafness
web page.
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CERF Testing for Genetic Eye Disease
In addition to
the above testing, all breeding dogs and puppies produced should
be Companion Animal Eye Registration (CAER) tested for genetic
eye disease, and in particular, juvenile cataracts. Cataracts
affect many Bostons and can occur as early in life as just weeks
of age, resulting in early blindness, to being clear until old
age sets in and slow growing cataracts begin.
This test
should be performed by a board certified veterinarian
ophthalmologist EVERY YEAR for all Bostons in order to establish
a history of existing carriers and affected dogs. Tests can be
administered as early as 8 weeks of age on puppies and should be
done each year until the dog is at least 8-9 years of age. You
can find more information about cataracts and genetic eye
disease on the BTCA’s Boston Terrier Eyes web page and on
the OFA website.
In addition to CAER testing, there is
also a DNA test that can identify if your Boston is clear of the
early onset Juvenile Cataract genes, is a carrier (has one of
the two genes) or if he/she is affected (has both genes and WILL
develop Juvenile Cataracts). This type of cataract is a "fast
acting" cataract and if affected, the dog will likely be
completely blind by two years of age. Testing is performed by
using DNA "swabs" to gather skin tissue from the dog's inside
cheeks. DNA swabs can be taken as early as 8 weeks of age on
puppies and only needs to be done once in the dog's lifetime.
For more information about obtaining the Hereditary Juvenile
Cataract Mutation DNA test kits, please visit the University of
Kentucky website.
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Testing for Patellar Luxation (“Slipping
Knees”)
And for reputable
breeders, the testing continues as it includes patellar luxation
examinations on all breeding dogs. Luxating patellae, simply
put, are knee caps that slip in and out of the socket area.
There are grades of luxation, depending upon the severity.
Puppies can be tested as early as 12 weeks, but the results cannot
be “certified” by the OFA until they are at least one year of age,
but breeders should still have a “pre-lim” performed before sending
puppies to their new homes.
This test can be performed by any experienced veterinarian and should
be performed bi-annually for all Bostons in order to establish
a history of which dogs have or produce dogs with this problem.
Luxating patella is generally inherited unless it is due specifically
to an injury, in which case, it will likely occur in only one knee
rather than both. You can find more information about patellar
luxation on the BTCA’s
Patellar
Luxation in Boston Terriers web page and on the
OFA Patellar Luxation web page.
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X-Raying the Spine for Hemivertebrae
Boston Terriers
can be prone to hemivertebrae. Hemivertebrae are vertebrae
in the spine that are shaped more like triangles than blocks.
Many Bostons are asymptomatic and appear not to be affected for
their entire lives, while others may become crippled later in life.
This is a serious problem in Bostons and is now being studied by
OFA, where they have set up a database dedicated to Boston Terriers
and French Bulldogs. The x-rays can be taken by any experienced
veterinarian as early as 12 weeks of age. This needs to be
done only once in the dog’s lifetime. You can find more information
about hemivertebrae on the BTCA’s
Hemivertebrae web page.
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X-Raying for Hip Dysplasia
Hip dysplasia is not considered a problem in Bostons
at this time; however, I wonder if this is because very few breeders
have x-rays taken and submitted to see if there are any problems.
The reason I wonder this is that OFA has identified Legg-Calve-Perthes,
another hip defect, as an issue in Bostons. Also, I can't
help but wonder if hips are negatively impacted when we continually
bred for short backs. Based upon the few Bostons that have
been x-rayed with results submitted to OFA for public access (less
than 110 since 1976), only five have been given an "excellent" rating,
with the majority of Bostons obtaining "good" results, so perhaps
it is not an issue.
The x-rays can be taken by any experienced veterinarian and submitted
to OFA for certification at 2 years of age or older, but preliminary
x-rays can be taken as early as 12 months of age; however, these
will be not "certified". OFA recommends recertification every
2 years, but generally if the hips are "good" or "excellent", I
suspect there is little need for recertification unless there appear
to be symptoms indicating a problem. The OFA website has great
information regarding hip dysplasia.
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Legg-Calve-Perthes
Per the OFA website, Legg-Calve-Perthes Disease
(LCP) is a disorder of hip joint that it is most often seen in miniature
and toy breeds. LCP is believed to be an inherited disease,
although the mode of inheritance is not known. Because there
is a genetic component, OFA recommends that dogs affected with LCP
not be used in breeding programs. Bostons are listed as one
of the breeds at high risk for LCP. For more information about
LCP, visit OFA’s LCP webpage.
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Cardiac Testing
Heart disease
is another problem that isn't considered significant in Bostons,
but again, very few (less than 70) and all that are on the OFA site
are "normal", so at least that is good. There are several
ways to test for heart disease. The most common, but least
reliable is an auscultation (listening to the heart with a stethoscope).
The most reliable, but one of the most expensive is an echocardiogram
(basically an ultrasound of the heart). The auscultation and
echocardiogram should be performed by a board-certified veterinary
cardiologists.
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Canine Health Information Center
There is also
the Canine Health Information
Center (CHIC), which maintains an online searchable database
of Bostons (and other breeds) that have had the tests performed
as recommended by the parent club – in this case, the Boston Terrier
Club of America. This does not mean that the dog “passed”
the tests, simply that the tests were performed. To determine
if the tests were “clear/normal,” you need to search the OFA database.
The certificate that is issued, is a method of recognizing those
breeders who not only care enough to test their dogs, but also to
register the results with the appropriate organizations. CHIC
certificates are issued every year to those dogs that are tested
as recommended, so if a breeder says their dog has received the
prestigious CHIC certificate, ask what the issue date is as they
are only valid for one year (this is because the CERF test is only
valid for one year as well).
While some of these tests are inexpensive (for example,
the patella exam shouldn't cost anything extra as it can be performed
by your regular vet during any normal office visit), many of these
tests can be expensive (for example, an echocardiogram can be as
much as $450). One way to save on the costs of these tests
is to check dog shows in your area, as they often have "clinics"
where these tests can be performed at a greatly reduced price.
You can check dog show premium lists to see if there are any available
clinics in your area. Premium lists are generally available
on the dog show superintendents' websites. You can also check
the OFA Health Clinic web page for a list
of upcoming health clinics.
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