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Health Concerns in the Wire Fox Terrier

Wires are generally hardy little dogs. Fox Terriers often live 14 years or more. They are susceptible to average ailments like allergies, pancreatitis, and other illnesses, but no more-so than other breeds. At this time, the Wire Fox breed seems to be relatively healthy.

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Hayleys's Health Issues

Hayley has been a healthy dog overall, with the exception of Hypothyroid and some skin allergies that have developed in the past year or two. We also had a scare with Pancreatitis last fall, but I caught it very early so there was no permanent damage. Pancreatitis can be extremely expensive to treat and quite often if fatal if not caught early. One of the main causes of it is the feeding of table scraps and fatty foods. It can be a very agonizing experience for the dog, so remember, by "loving" your dog enough to feed it table scraps, you could literally "love" your dog to an early and painful death.
For more information on Pancreatic conditions, see:

We control Hayley's low Thyroid with a small dose of Levothyroxine Sodium (.01 mg.) twice per day and she is fine. Spike was also tested in the low/normal range for Thyroid, but we'll just monitor him for now with yearly blood workups.

For more information on Thyroid conditions, see:

Hayley's allergies are being treated with allergy shots. We began the process in the fall of 2001 and I am hoping that it makes a difference for her come spring and summer when her allergies flare up the most. Hayley's allergist is Dr. Andrew Mills of the Veterinary Dermatology and Allergy Centre in Coon Rapids, MN.

For more information on Allergy conditions, see: Further Reading
  1. Hypothyroidism: Many presentations, one treatment. Small animal geriatrics: Viewpoints in veterinary medicine.. Proceedings of the Alpo Symposium on Geriatrics, 1989, pp 30-36
  2. Hypothyroidism, In: Canine and feline endocrinology and reproduction.. WB Saunders, DVM. 2nd Edition; Philadelphia: pp. 71-111, 1996
  3. Effect of oral administration of prednisolone on thyroid function in dogs.. Torres SMF, McKeever PJ, Johnstone SD;American Journal of Vet Research Vol. 52, 1991 Pg. 416-421
  4. Update on the diagnosis of canine hypothyroidism. Ferguson DC, Vet Clinic North America 24(3); 1994 Pg. 515-540

Hayley's favorite veterinarian is Dr. Judi Ford from Funk Animal Hospital in Brooklyn Park, MN. When Hayley presented with Thyroid, her symptoms were not the usual symptom of thyroid problems. Other vets in the past felt she was suffering a skin condition due to allergies alone, but Dr. Judi realized that a small percentage of dogs with hypothyroid present as Hayley did. She suggested that we check the thyroid levels just to be sure, and she was right. We feel very fortunate to have her looking out for us. Again, I don't know what we'd do without Dr. Judi and all of the Vets and Technicians at Funk. If you're looking for a great place to take your dogs for medical care, check them out!

We believe fate placed these animals in our home, and we owe it to them to give them everything we can to keep them happy and healthy. However, Hayley says that getting an allergy SHOT every 16 days does NOT make her very happy....

For information on dental care for your dog, see:

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