The Canine Ledger

Border Terrier Health: Teeth, Seizures, and Spike's Disease

Border Terriers in English vet records lived a median 12.7 years. Gum disease led the diagnoses, and seizures showed up more than in dogs overall.

Written by thecanineledger

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If your dog has a seizure that lasts more than a few minutes, has several in a row, or doesn’t recover between episodes, call a vet now.

Our note: This advice is ours. If your dog has had a first episode of cramping or shaking, call your vet even if it has stopped.

The Border Terrier “is generally considered to be a relatively healthy and hardy breed.” A study of vet records in England tested that reputation, and mostly backed it. The median age at death was 12.7 years (O’Neill et al., Canine Genetics and Epidemiology 2017).

While the breed looked long-lived, the authors write that “Predisposition to dental and neurological disease was suggested.” This page covers both.

1. The study

The dogs. Researchers used VetCompass, a database of anonymised primary-care records. They looked at 1,327 Border Terriers under vet care in England in 2013.

Old data. The records are from 2013.

Funding. One author was supported by the Kennel Club Charitable Trust.

2. How long they lived

The median age at death was 12.7 years. The authors compare this with 12.0 years for all dogs in England in an earlier study. They suggest the breed is “relatively long-lived”.

The study recorded few deaths. Only 61 had information on how the dog died.

Our note: The paper doesn’t say how many deaths the 12.7-year median rests on.

3. The most common diagnoses

DisorderShare of Border Terriers
Periodontal (gum) disease17.63%
Overweight or obesity7.01%
Outer ear infection6.71%
Nails needing clipping5.28%
Anal sac impaction4.75%

Two-thirds of the dogs (66.4%) had at least one problem recorded in the year.

→ Dental Disease in Dogs: What Brushing Can and Can’t Do · → Ear Infections: Why They Keep Coming Back

4. Seizures, and Spike’s disease

Seizures. Seizure disorder was recorded in 1.81% of the dogs and epilepsy in 1.58%. Neither appears among the most common problems for dogs overall in England, which the authors say “suggests a true predisposition for neurological disease may exist in the Border Terrier.”

Spike’s disease. The breed also has canine epileptoid cramping syndrome, or CECS. It is a movement disorder that causes sudden, involuntary muscle movements. The authors write that it “remains poorly clinically characterised to date”.

Telling them apart. The paper says dogs with CECS stay fully conscious during an episode, and episodes often last longer than focal seizures. It also says usual seizure medicines don’t control CECS well. The authors suggest some CECS cases may be misclassified as seizures that respond poorly to treatment.

Our note: We describe CECS from this paper alone. Filming an episode may help your vet.

→ First Seizure: What to Do, and What Counts as an Emergency

5. If you have, or want, a Border Terrier

  • Start tooth brushing early, and ask about dental checks.
  • Keep your dog lean.
  • If your dog has an episode of shaking or cramping, film it if it is safe to, and show your vet.
  • If buying, ask the breeder whether the parents have had seizures or cramping episodes.

Our note: These points are ours.

→ Is My Dog Overweight? Body Condition Scoring Without Guesswork · → Choosing a Breed or a Mix: The Health Data Breeders Don’t Lead With

6. What we could not verify

Commonly saidWhat we found
“Border Terriers are a healthy, hardy breed”Mostly supported. They lived longer than dogs overall, but the death count was small.
“Border Terriers get epilepsy”Seizures were recorded more than in dogs overall. Some may be CECS instead.
“CECS is well understood”No. The authors say it is still poorly characterised.

Sources

Always confirm with your vet before acting on anything on this page.