West Highland White Terrier: inherited diseases and 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:
Dry eye
Atopic dermatitisInherited conditions documented in the breed
Conditions documented: 17
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Canine Atopic Dermatitis[2] | – | – | – |
| Chronic Hepatopathy[2] | – | – | – |
| Craniomandibular Osteopathy[2] | – | – | – |
| Craniomandibular osteopathy, generic[1] | Craniofacial | Multifactorial | No |
| Craniomandibular osteopathy, SLC37A2-related[1] | Craniofacial | Autosomal dominant with incomplete penetrance | Yes |
| Demodicosis[2] | – | – | – |
| Dermatitis, atopic[1] | Integument (skin) | Multifactorial | No |
| Keratoconjunctivitis Sicca[2] | – | – | – |
| Krabbe disease[1] | Lysosomal storage disease | Autosomal recessive | Yes |
| L-2-hydroxyglutaricacidemia[1] | Nervous system | Autosomal recessive | Yes |
| Polycystic kidney disease[1] | Renal / urinary system | Autosomal dominant | Yes |
| Polycythemia[1] | Haematopoietic system | Somatic mutation | Yes |
| Pulmonary fibrosis, idiopathic[1] | Respiratory system | – | – |
| Pyruvate kinase deficiency of erythrocyte[1] | Homeostasis / metabolism | Autosomal recessive | Yes |
| Spinal dysraphism[1] | Skeleton (incl. short stature & teeth) | Autosomal recessive | Yes |
| Stiff skin syndrome[1] | Integument (skin) | Autosomal recessive | No |
| Transitional cell carcinoma[1] | Neoplasm | Somatic mutation | 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
- 28 cm
- FCI number
- 085
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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