Pictured below is Delta Dawn, an adorable Cairn Terrier. This ball of fur is in constant motion, exploring the world around her. She loves to make new friends. After a quick sniff, she wiggles into your arms and gives lots of licks.
Cairn Terriers are prone to a bony disease that makes it difficult to eat. Name the disease and other breeds it affects.
Diagnosis: Craniomandibular Osteopathy (CMO)
Craniomandibular osteopathy is a proliferative bone disease that affects the bones of the head. In my experience, the mandible is the hardest hit. Puppies with this condition have problems opening their mouths making it hard to eat. They may also have fevers from the inflammation and atrophy of the muscles of the head. On x-rays, the bones look fuzzy with diminished calcium content. It usually occurs in puppies, age three to ten months.
Although this disease has been reported in many breeds, it is most commonly seen in Scottish terriers, Cairn terriers, West Highland white terriers and Boston terriers. Craniomandibular osteopathy is an autosomal recessive disease of West Highland white terriers. A genetic inheritance pattern has not been established in the other terriers listed. In general, I do not recommend breeding any individual who suffered from this disease as a puppy.