Fox Terrier
Breed description - see AKC for detailed standard
Two types - Wire Haired and Smooth
Breed problemsSmooth Fox Terrier
Abnormal dentition
Allergies
Cataracts
Cervical vertebral instability
Deafness
Distichiasis
Esophageal achalasia: a functional stricture or spasm of the muscles of the esophagus where it joins the stomach.
Glaucoma
Goiter
Hypothyroidism
Lens luxationLegg-Perthes disease: a disease where the blood vessels feeding the femoral head (top part of the thigh bone) shrink, leading to starvation and death of the femoral head (the ball of the ball-and-socket joint of the hip). Also called Legg-Calve'- Perthes disease.
Myasthenia gravis
Osteochondritis dissecans: a specific form of inflammation of the cartilage of certain joints which causes arthritis.
Osteochondrosis: a group of developmental diseases resulting in abnormal formulation of joint cartilage. Commonly involves the shoulder, stifle, hock or elbow
Persistent right aortic arch: a developmental abnormalitiy where one of the fetal blood vessels near the heart does not atrophy as it should.
Progressive retinal atrophy
Pulmonic stenosis
Spinal cord demyelination (ataxia): an abnormality of the nervous tissue of the spinal cord leading to incoordination.
von Willebrand's disease
Wire Fox Terrier
Abnormal dentition
Atopy
Cataracts
Cerebellar hypoplasia
Cervical vertebral instability
Deafness
Distichiasis
Epilepsy
Esophageal achalasia: a functional stricture or spasm of the muscles of the esophagus where it joins the stomach.
Glaucoma
Goiter
Legg-Calve-Perthes disease
Lens luxation
Lissencephaly
Megaesophagus
Persistent right aortic arch: a developmental abnormalitiy where one of the fetal blood vessels near the heart does not atrophy as it should.
Progressive retinal atrophy: a disease where the retina slowly deteriorates, producing night blindness.
Pulmonic stenosis
Spinal cord demyelination (ataxia): an abnormality of the nervous tissue of the spinal cord leading to incoordination.
Tetralogy of Fallot: a specific four-way developmental abnormality of the structures of the heart and associated great vessels
von Willebrand's disease
Legg-Calve-Perthes Disease (aseptic or avascular necrosis of the femoral head)
Avascular necrosis occurs when the bone that makes up the ball portion of the hip is damaged from lack of blood supply. The reasons this occurs are not clear. Since a higher incidence of this disorder is noted in several dog breeds, including terrier breeds, miniature pinscher, poodles and possibly schipperkes, it is assumed that there may be a genetic component to the problem. In Manchester terriers, the genetic component appears to be a strong influence and heritability is pretty high for this problem.
Most of the time the clinical signs of this disease occur in 4 to 11 month old dogs and usually consist of lameness of one leg only. Pain may be mild to very severe. Some dogs have mild forms of this condition and do not require medical care. In other dogs, the condition cause sufficient pain and deformity of the hip joint to require surgical intervention. The disorder can usually be confirmed with X-rays. Atrophy of the muscles of the affected leg is not uncommon. If this is severe it can slow the recovery period considerably and may make medical therapy less likely to work.
Treatment of this condition varies according to the severity of the signs seen. In mild cases, enforced rest may be sufficient to allow healing of the damaged areas to occur. In some cases, immobilization of the affected limb using an Ehmer sling may be beneficial to recovery. Many dogs have advanced cases of this disease by the time they are examined by a veterinarian and medical treatment is not likely to work. In these dogs, excision of the femoral head (ball portion of the hip joint) is often beneficial. Removal of this section of the bone diminishes painful bony contact in the hip joint. Recovery from this surgery can be slow with recovery periods of up to one year sometimes occurring before good use of the affected leg returns. If muscle atrophy is not present at the time of surgery the recovery time is usually much less. Pain relief and anti-inflammatory medications may be beneficial.
There is a stronger tendency to treat this as a medical condition prior to surgery right now. A general rule of thumb is to allow non-surgical therapy a month to show a beneficial response. If one is not seen, surgical repair should be considered more carefully.
Mike Richards, DVM
MYASTHENIA GRAVIS
Myasthenia gravis is a neuromuscular disease in which weakness is the primary sign. This disease is caused by an inability of the certain nerve receptors (nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (AChRs) to function properly. This prevents the stimulus for muscles to contract which leads to the weak appearance. This disease occurs congenitally in some dog breeds. Jack Russell terriers, springer spaniels and smooth fox terriers are affected. It can also occur as an acquired problem in older dogs. In this case, it is thought to be an immune mediated disease. In older dogs, the first sign of problems may be megaesophagus -- enlargement of the esophagus due to the muscular weakness, leading to problems swallowing. This can cause regurgitation and lead to inhalation pneumonia.
Myasthenia gravis can be very variable in the way it looks. Only a few muscle groups may be affected or the dog may be nearly immobile. A dog can be almost normal after a rest and then lose strength very rapidly when it exercises at all.
Whenever megaesophagus is diagnosed, myasthenia gravis (MG) should be suspected. Conversely, whenever myasthenia gravis is diagnosed, chest X-rays should be done to evaluate the esophagus, in case megaesophagus is present.
MG can be presumptively diagnosed by a rapid response to injection of edrophonium hydrochloride (Tensilon). Dogs usually show an immediate improvement in muscle strength that is of short duration. Specific lab tests for this disease are available to confirm the diagnosis.
Dogs that acquire MG later in life usually have a fairly good prognosis with treatment. It is important to prevent aspiration pneumonia, so dogs should be fed from elevated food bowls and encouraged to remain standing for 10 minutes or so after eating. Anticholinesteras medications are very helpful. Pyridostigmine bromide (Mestinon syrup) is the most commonly used medication. If it is not effective, injections of neostigmine (Prostigmin) will sometimes work. In severe cases, corticosteroids may be necessary. It is very important to make sure that there are no other illnesses and no aspiration pneumonia signs prior to using corticosteroids.
Dogs can be maintained well for a long time with this disease. The more attention paid to prevention of aspiration pneumonia, the better the long term prognosis. In addition, many other medications interfere with the actions of the anticholinesterase drugs, so careful thought must be given to the choice of medications to treat other problems in dogs affected with myasthenia gravis.
A number of dogs with acquired MG will have remissions from the disease. Therefore, it is very important to monitor the antibodies to anticholinesterase receptors prior to treatment and at regular intervals during treatment. Recurrences of the disease after remission can occur, so vigilance is required throughout the lifespan of affected dogs.
Mike Richards, DVM
Smooth Fox Terrier - American Kennel Club
This page was last edited 04/22/08
