HEALTH & WELFARE

The  Club has an appointed Health and Welfare Officer, they have 
responsibility for monitoring the general health of the breed; 
to support any English Toy Terrier found to be in distress, 
and also their owners who may be in temporary need of support.

HEALTH TESTING

Grants Now Available to Members!!

Click here for Health Grant Forms

and the 

Vets Patella Scoring Form

In line with the KCs initiative to encourage the breeding of sound, healthy dogs, the Officers and Committee of the English Toy Terrier (Black and Tan) Club supports and encourages the testing for Patella Luxation, particularly for breeding stock.

To ensure a consistent approach is used within the scheme the patellas should be X-rayed and the test carried out under sedation or anaesthetic using the Putnam (1968) testing and scoring method.

The BVA advise us to continue and applauds the club for striving to improve the health of our breed.

Luxated patellas are a congenital (present at birth) condition. The actual luxation may not be present at birth, but the structural changes which lead to luxation are present. Most researchers believe luxated patellas to be heritable (inherited), though the exact mode of inheritance is not known. Researchers have suggested that due to the high risk factor in toy breeds, breeding trials or retrospective pedigree analyses should be undertaken by national breed clubs to answer some of these questions .

The stifle is a complicated joint which is the anatomical equivalent of the human knee. The three major components involved in luxating patellas are the femur (thigh bone), patella (knee cap), and tibia (calf or second thigh). In a normal stifle, the femur and tibia are lined up so that the patella rests in a groove (trochlea) on the femur, and its attachment (the patellar tendon) is on the tibia directly below the trochlea.

The function of the patella is to protect the large tendon of the quadriceps (thigh) muscle as it rides over the front of the femur while the quadriceps is used to extend (straighten) the stifle joint. Placing your hand on your patella (knee cap) while flexing and extending your stifle (knee) will allow you to feel the normal movement of the patella as it glides up and down in the trochlea.

Luxation (dislocation) of the patella occurs when these structures are not in proper alignment. Luxation in toy breeds most frequently occurs medially (to the inside of the leg). The tibia is rotated medially (inward) which allows the patella to luxate (slip out of its groove) and ride on the inner surface of the femur. While the patella is luxated, the quadriceps is unable to properly extend the stifle, resulting in an abnormal gait or lameness. In addition, the smooth surface of the patella is damaged by contact with the femur, rather than the smooth articular (joint) cartilage present in the trochlea.

With time this rubbing will result in degenerative joint disease (arthritis). Furthermore, while the patella is luxated, the quadriceps puts a rotational force on the tibia, which over time will increase the rotation of the tibia, thereby increasing the severity of the problem. The additional strain caused by the malformation of the bones may also lead to later ligament ruptures. Many individuals are affected bilaterally (both legs).

Signs of luxation may appear as early as weaning or may go undetected until later in life. Signs include intermittent rear leg lameness, often shifting from one leg to the other, and an inability to fully extend the stifle. The leg may carried for variable periods of time. Early in the course of the disease, or in mildly affected animals, a hopping or skipping action occurs. This is due to the patella luxating while the dog is moving and by giving an extra hop or skip the dog extends its stifle and is often able to replace the patella until the next luxation, when the cycle repeats.

The Canine Inherited Disorders Database (www.upei.ca/~cidd/intro.htm) recommends that any dogs with patellar luxation not be bred, nor should  their parents or littermates.

PUTNAM (1968) SCORING

 www.vssoc.com/petella.html - 24k

 www.swiftwaterfarms.com/ swiftwater/p21PatellaLuxation.htm - 33k 

To help and encourage more owners and breeders to use this scheme, ETT Club members can now apply for a grant towards the cost of the test - please contact the Health Officer for details.  The details can be found at the bottom of this page.

The following lists are of the dogs whose results have been given to the club, to help us now and in the future. The lists will be regularly updated; ALL results are needed to allow the breed to prosper.

Patella Luxation Results

USING PUTNAM ‘68 X-RAY SCREENING

DOGS NAME	GRADE	SIRE /GRADE	DAM/GRADE	OWNER
CH.Juleko Henry James at Amalek	0:0	NZ&AUS CH Juleko Arumus (n/t)	NZ&AUS CH Kethran Dancing Plate (n/t)	Wilson
CH.Amalek Top Hat andTails	0:0	CH.Caesarea Cock Robin (n/t)	CH.Joruben a Touch of Class at Amalek 1:1	Wilson
CH,Amalek Mac the Knife	0:0	CH.Juleko Henry James at Amalek 0:0	CH.Amalek High Society 0:0	Wilson
CH.Amalek I Got Rhythm	0:0	CH.Juleko Henry James at Amalek 0:0	CH.Amalek High Society 0:0	Wilson/GourleyLeonard
AUS.CH Sasndash King Arthur	0:0	Sasndash Rocket Booster (n/t)	Sasndash Narcisse (n/t)	Wilson
AM.&CH.Animalhouse Partytime Moe	0:0	CAN/AM CH. Heaven Hi’s Strike up the Band (n/t)	AM.CH.Partytyme Shera Dee-Light (n/t)	Gourley/Leonard
AM.CH Amalek Jolly Swagman	0:0	AUS.CH Sasndash King Arthur 0:0	CH.Amalek Sophisticated Lady 0:0	Burrows/Mackesey
Warwells Beau	1:3	Rottsrus Mission Impossible (n/t)	Warwells Gold Top(n/t)	Hytccann
Menushkin Quite Smart	0:1	Carrlea Sir Lancelot at Kadaz (n/t)	Menushkin Quite A Caution (n/t)	Caldwell.
Sid (unregistered)	4:4	CH.Pooghans Premier Noel (n/t)	Quatt Holly (n/t)	D’Arcey
AM.CH. A Sorcerers Tale of Maggical Paws at Amalek	0.0			Wilson

:      **** Tested at 6 ½ years
It is worth reminding owners the correct times to have the dogs tested, obviously it is preferable to have them tested BEFORE they are bred; to this end the RECOMMENDED age to have the test preformed is between 14-18 months.
This will be before they are bred .. if you are upholding the Clubs Code of Ethics ! The bones are fully formed and set by this age, giving a true record of the dogs genetic status. When tested at a later age there is always the possibility of injury giving the dog a higher score than if it was tested at the correct time.

Please contact the Secretary for further details.

Nick Gourley

01335 300769

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