The following in blue is from the email I sent to the litter mates of the puppy who showed signs of having the condition – I have since heard back that one other puppy in the litter probably had a mild from of the condition but was mistaken for chewing too hard by the puppy’s local vet.
(I have also wrote to the owners of the puppies who have the same father but different mothers to keep them informed - their puppies will not get the condition because it takes two parents with the gene to pass on the condition; however their puppies now have a 50% chance of being a carrier of the gene because Malcolm is their father - all my pups have been sold on a non-breeding agreement so this should not be an issue).
You can read the following letter if you would like to learn more about this condition that is a known problem in the Westies, Scotties and Cairns. If you Google you will find a lot of information and even gene charts to show the risk percentages of being carriers of the gene etc.
I have had some bad news about one of the puppies in Malcolm’s and Molly’s litter. Snowball has been diagnosed with having Craniomandibular Osteopathy (CMO). I have personally taken the puppy to the Western Veterinary Specialist Center in Calgary for a series of radiographs to confirm the diagnosis and consulted with the specialist, Dr. Boston.
The good news is that if your puppy has not shown signs of the condition by now it is probably safe to say that they are in the 75% of the mating that will not inherit the condition. The condition only affects the bones of growing dogs and usually is self correcting by adulthood.
There is only a 25% chance of inheriting the condition if both parents are carriers (and BOTH parents HAVE to be carriers in order to have a chance at all of inheriting the condition) and the prognosis for most puppies is good with the bones correcting their rapid growth by adulthood. Unfortunately for a few puppies who get the condition – the pain and the atrophy of the muscles causes severe weight loss and the young dog may need to be euthenised. For this reason it is in the best interest of the breed to eliminate dogs from the breeding program that are known carriers. It is not possible at this time to do a genetic test on a dog beforehand to see if they are carriers.
I have had to take both Molly and Malcolm out of my breeding program because they are both carriers of the gene. I have also decided to take out both Mary and Mia from my breeding program. They both carry a 50% risk of being carriers for the condition because their father is a carrier. There are no tests for CMO that can be taken ahead of time to rule out if these girls are carriers or not – the only way for the carriers to be found are after giving birth to a litter of pups with one or more of them being clinically diagnosed.
IT IS VERY IMORTANT THAT YOUR DOG NOT MATE.
Your puppy was sold on condition that he was to be neutered. Thank you to those who have sent in copies of the vet’s receipts for neutering or emailed to let me know the procedure was done. However, I have not heard back from everyone that this was done.
QUESTIONS I ASKED THE SPECIALIST ABOUT YOUR PUPPY
Sarah Boston, DVM, DVSc, Diplomate ACVS – Western Veterinary Specialist Clinic - Calgary
The puppy is one of a litter of five boys. Is it safe to say that if the other puppies have not shown any signs by now (10 months old) that they are clear of the condition?
Answer – probably safe to say that if it hasn’t shown up by now the puppy will not develop the condition.
I understand that all puppies in this littler would have a 75% chance of being carriers of the condition even if they themselves are not affected. All of the puppies were sold on a non-breeding contract. I know that two for sure have been neutered but have to check with the other two. I understand that it is very important that the dogs do not mate, however – if the owner/s have not yet done the procedure should they hold off until the puppy/ies is/are older? Snowball’s vet has recommended holding off neutering until 18 months as intact dogs have done better with this condition.
Answer – The results are not conclusive on this and Dr. Boston recommends neutering.
It is my understanding that this condition is self-limiting/correcting by the age of two. Is this true? Could there be further complications for the puppy showing symptoms when the dog is in his senior years and his bones are thinning? Could this condition show up for the first time in the senior years of a dog that seems unaffected in his youth? Should all the dogs in this litter be placed on a special diet (i.e. extra calcium) their whole life or even just during their growing years – or perhaps only the one puppy showing signs of having the condition?
Answer – no complications in later years – it is a condition that only affects the puppy during the growth stage.
I am very sorry to pass on this news to you – my hope is that your puppy has not been affected.
My breeding program has been devastated with four out of my six breeding or potential breeding dogs taken out of my breeding program. I have done everything I can to stop Haskell’s Westies passing this genetic condition on to a future generation.
Snowball has a fairly mild form of the condition in his jaws but he has an unusual case in that it is perhaps affecting the bones in the back of his scull too – he will be on painkillers for a few months and will be fed soft canned food until adulthood at around two. He is a lot quieter than any Westie I have known – a real little cuddly gentleman - I was concerned about that. After hearing of his usual lifestyle on the farm where he lives, I found that my day with him going for medical tests was not typical of his behavior (It was very hot traveling to Calgary on the 19th) – normally he is full of life and very happy and grubby from his frolics with his friend Poppy, the Springer Spaniel.
Once again, I would appreciate a health update on your puppy and conformation that a neutering was performed.
