Health Issues

The Border Terrier database offers the possibility to give information on any health particulars in the space "notes". However, we ask you to consider:

1. It is just a general database and not a particular database of health problems. Entering a dog in this database only shows that the dog is a purebred with a pedigree.

2. The information on diseases or healthchecks which are given on some dogs is an additional information only, and not the reason for having this database.

3. Please do only enter the information on any health problems when you are really sure that they exist, e.g. if you are the breeder or owner or if you know this dog very well. It is not a good idea to just enter the information on "hear-say".

4. If you are the breeder or owner and any information, also an information on a health problem of your dog, is not entered correctly in the database you can inform the webmaster or correct it yourself (yet, you have to be registered first to do this).

5. There are breeders who enter openly the diseases or blemishes in their breed. That does not mean that these are breeders with bad dogs, this shows only that they are very honest. Problems occur in every breed (no breed is perfect). This honest information by the breeders will be useful for all open breeders to come to sensible, healthy matings. Only the knowledge of any problem can help to avoid the same problems on litters in the future.

6. There is a severe inheritable disease especially for the Border Terrier, called CECS or Spike's Disease. The dog fallen sick by this disease suffers from crampings (fits), which can vary in strength and frequency. According to previous studies it seems to be a disease of a monogenic-recessive inheritance. Unfortunately, at present no gene tests exist for this disease. The only possibility for any breeder to avoid having this disease in his breed and future litter is the knowledge of sick dogs. For this reason we invite all breeders or owners of dogs suffering from CECS to enter this information in the database. Please write the name of the sick dog in CAPITAL LETTERS and mention in the space "notes" the diagnosis "CECS".

7. But please only enter the diagnosis "CECS" when your veterinarian has proven that your dog really suffers from this disease. Because "CECS" is not the only name, your vet could also have diagnosed "Spike's Disease", "cramping", "fits" or "epilepsy". If your dog has had only one, indefinable "cramp", please do not enter CECS, but have it clarified by your vet first.

8. If you as a breeder want to take advantage of any information on diseases or blemishes for your litter planning, please verify the correctness of this information in the database with the owner of the dog. We cannot guarantee the correctness, since the database is for everybody, and everyone can participate. However, there is no guaranty that a dog, for which there are no diseases or blemishes entered, really has none. If necessary please also verify.

9. The ones who think to have to blame a breeder because sick dogs occur in his breed, should look what he has to be blamed for himself. It is always easy to point with a finger on someone, but the one pointing should keep in mind that three fingers point on him.

10. We support a European "health database" for dogs of all species, to which veterinarians have given information which can be inquired by breeders or breeding clubs. As long as such database does not exist, we encourage every breeder and owner, to be open and honest with the information on diseases. The only thing we all want is: