Many of us that love Scottish Terriers, know they have health issues. I hope to share information in this blog on research into the many different problems that the breed faces. It will also be a place to share anything about Scotties, their stubbornness, loyalty, silly side and how they steal our hearts.
I lost my beloved scottie, Callie to complications from diabetes. After talking to other scottie owners, reading posts on social media, and personal research, it seems they have similar health problems.
Common Scottie health issues
One focus of this blog is research, support and sharing information that will help other scottie lovers keep their fur babies healthy. I still feel I could have done more to help her and treat her diabetes. I will focus my research on diabetes management in scotties and all of our beloved canines.
Scotties are known for elevated liver enzymes. Why is this so common amongst the breed? They are prone to certain types of cancer, bladder cancer being a prominent one.
Skin issues plague them, causing discomfort, trips to the vet and many dollars spent on products to treat it to make them comfortable. One common treatment is the use of steroids. This leads me to question the link between the common use of steroid treatment for skin conditions and the increased incidence of diabetes.
Like my scottie, they can develop histiocytomas, that are usually benign growths that appear on their body, usually on the paws. Histiocytomas sometimes disappear without treatment and sometimes require surgical intervention.
These and other ailments that affect the breed are what I hope to offer information on. A place to discuss concerns and offer advise to other Scottie moms and dads. My focus will be on diseases that affect Scottish Terriers but parents of all fur babies are welcome.
This will be a place to come for advise, research and support for our fur babies. We want them to live full lives free from pain and illness. But most importantly, we want them with us as long as possible. Scotties are a special breed, anyone that has owned one will attest to that.
sweetlittlescottie 
My wheaton Scottie Oli, is 11 years old and is having pain in his right leg. It seems to be in his paw and he cannot walk. He has been struggling with varying degrees of this malady for years, but it’s never been this bad. We have to carry him every I now because he can’t walk. He has never been where he cannot walk before. He has been to 2 different veterinarians that cannot figure it out. His immobility happened very suddenly. Our Vet gave him a shot of glucosamine and it got better, but then came back rapidly and severely. Now Oli can’t walk. Hopefully someone will know what this is and can help us help our Scottie, whom we love dearly.
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Does he lick that paw? Could he have a yeast infection in the pads? My scottie used to get that and her paw would be sore. I would keep trying a vet until they figure it out. I wish you much luck in finding help for your baby. Scottie’s are a special little dog.
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I have had several Scottish terriers. I have loved them with all my heart. I recently lost another scotty to cancer. She had lymphoma. They often die of cancer. They all came from different breeders. This will be my last scotty. My heart can’t take anymore. Be aware that your adorable soulful scotty will probably die around age 8 of some form of cancer.
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My baby boy is turning 14 April 2 nd. He seems to be in good health except for a very large fatty tissue on his side, I have spoken with the Vet, and they said at his age they would just leave it since it is not hurting him. After reading about many Scottish Terriers not living that long, I am so happy my little guy is doing great, he still runs around like a pup at times, but is getting to the point of taking a hour to go around the block, so we have shortened his walks. Thank you for all the information here on Scotties! I am going to be crushed when it is time for him to leave me, he is my child. 🥺💔
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My Scottish terrier is going to be 14 this June. He was just diagnose with bladder cancer. Due to his age we will not be doing chemo on him. I was wondering if anyone knows about the use is NSAIDs in lieu of
Chemo.
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