Health

Eye testing

The Dandie Dinmont Terrier is on the schedule A list for eye testing and it is recommended that they should have their eyes tested at least every 3 years by a member of the BVA Eye Panel.  Any advice re increased frequency of test should, of course, be taken from your eye specialist.  Click here for a list of Eye Panelists 

Tests carried out prior to the pilot study (July 2017) will have ‘G’ unaffected or affected marked on their certificates.  Any new results received from 1st January 2018 will have the PLA (Pectinate Ligament Abnormality) grade (0,1,2,3) recorded. The results will be published by the Kennel Club.

Teeth

Often new puppy owners become concerned about the way their puppy’s teeth seem to be coming through.  In some cases, they are advised by their vet that corrective surgery is needed.   If this is the case with your puppy you are strongly advised to consult your breeder/mentor before agreeing to anything.  The Dandie can be different in the way it’s adult teeth come through and align.  It is s not unusual for Dandie puppies teeth to look like they are going straight up or that their canines are not forward enough, they will move forward and out at the last minute.  Both puppies below went on to have a perfect scissor bite with no intervention.

In his book A Good Terrier – According to Mr Dandie Dinmont, author Jonas Wiborg writes

My experience is that small Dandie puppies take time to get their first teeth, compared to many other breeds. It could even take some time for a dog to get its permanent bite. Talking about the dentition of baby Dandies, I would like to add that the canines often seem to point up in the palate, but please don’t worry. Never try to snip these off. When the permanent canines come they often are really big and impressive and grow elegantly on the outside of the upper jaw and so the adult terrier can close its mouth without any problems.’