These are defects but we manage to live with them very well.
Obviously, defects can be serious and it is these that it is necessary to try to avoid when breeding. Anything that causes pain, prevents the animal from living a normal life, or requires considerable surgery to maintain a reasonable quality of life is serious and it is better to have the Cairn put to sleep when the condition is diagnosed rather than subject it to a miserable life.
At present, breeding is done 'in the dark' with most owners not knowing what their stock might produce. In some cases breeders have no way of knowing what faults their stock carries but in other cases owners are not honest enough to admit that their stock has produced faults. To add to the difficulty some problems such as Pigmentary Glaucoma do not develop until later in life.
There is not yet enough data to be able to say if a dog, or bitch is carrying a certain fault, or how that fault is passed on. Some faults can be handed down from generation to generation for many years until two carriers are mated together when the problem appears. In some faults many genes are involved, and in some the specialists do not yet know why the faults appear.
There is little doubt that DNA testing will one day become commonplace and then it will be possible to know for certain if a Cairn is a carrier for a problem. Until that time comes all anyone can do is try to avoid doubling up on a known defect and thereby probably producing it in the puppies. If the owner of a bitch wishes to use a particular stud dog they should ask the stud dog owner if the dog, his parents, or siblings has had, or has produced the problem they wish to avoid.
For day-to-day expenses the Health Watch is funded by donations
from Cairn owners and Cairn Clubs. We are very grateful for
these donations. We also wish to thank the Cairn Terrier Relief
Fund for their general help.
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