Scottish Terrier: inherited diseases and health

Updated 2026-09-30 · 3 sources

Based on: OMIA (University of Sydney), Science for Animal Welfare (UFAW), Wikidata

Breed health

The inherited conditions below have been documented in this breed in published research. That does not mean your dog has them or will get them – but it helps to know the names when you talk to a breeder or a vet.

Conditions this breed is prone to

Veterinary charities list this breed as more likely than others to get these conditions. Read the signs and what to do:

Scottish Terrier and chocolate: how much is dangerous?

Typical adult weight: 8.5–10.5 kg. Grams of chocolate at which signs can start (20 mg/kg) and at which severe signs are reported (40 mg/kg):

Dog weight	Milk	Dark 70–85%	Baking / unsweetened
8.5 kg	85 g signs 170 g severe	21 g signs 42 g severe	12 g signs 24 g severe
10.5 kg	105 g signs 210 g severe	26 g signs 52 g severe	15 g signs 30 g severe

Based on published doses: signs from about 20 mg/kg, severe signs from 40 mg/kg (US FDA, Cortinovis & Caloni 2016, Swedish Poison Information Centre). An estimate, not a diagnosis.

Check the exact amount with the chocolate calculator →

Inherited conditions documented in the breed

Conditions documented: 12

A gene variant is known for 8 of the conditions below, so a DNA test may exist. Ask your vet or the breed club.

Condition	Body system	Inheritance	Gene variant known
Alexander disease^[1]	Nervous system	Autosomal dominant	Yes
classical Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (cEDS), COL5A1-related^[1]	Integument (skin)	Autosomal dominant	Yes
Craniomandibular osteopathy, generic^[1]	Craniofacial	Multifactorial	No
Craniomandibular osteopathy, SLC37A2-related^[1]	Craniofacial	Autosomal dominant with incomplete penetrance	Yes
Dystocia due to Foetal-Pelvic Disproportion^[2]	–	–	–
Haemophilia B^[1]	Haematopoietic system	X-linked recessive	Yes
Hyperkinesis^[1]	Behaviour / neurological	–	–
Leukodystrophy, generic^[1]	Nervous system	–	–
Ligneous membranitis^[1]	Vision / eye	Autosomal recessive	Yes
Transitional cell carcinoma^[1]	Neoplasm	Somatic mutation	Yes
Urolithiasis^[1]	Renal / urinary system	Autosomal recessive	Yes
Von Willebrand disease III^[1]	Haematopoietic system	Autosomal	Yes

What this list means

“Documented in the breed” means at least one published case or study – it says nothing about how common the condition is.
Many of these conditions are rare. A responsible breeder can tell you which health tests the parents have had.
Where the gene variant is known, a DNA test may exist – ask your vet or the breed club.
If your pet shows signs of illness, contact your vet. This page cannot tell you whether your pet is ill.

About the breed

Origin: Scotland
Height: 25–28 cm
Weight: 8.5–10.5 kg

^[3]

If your pet is struggling to breathe, has collapsed, is having a seizure or can't stand up: go to the nearest vet now.

Not sure how serious it is?

OkPaw asks a few quick questions about your pet and tells you in 30 seconds whether it can wait. Free on Google Play for Android.

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Sources

How this page was made: the list is taken directly from the sources below; nothing on it was written by AI. Names of conditions may be machine-translated. It is information, not a diagnosis. How we write our pages