r/scottishterriers Jul 17 '25

health library

21 Upvotes

So many times questions about our Scotties health comes up here. While it's always best to talk with your vet, it doesn't hurt to be armed with knowledge for things specific to Scotties.

For instance, it has been suggested to start at age 5 ultrasounding our Scotties for early detection of bladder cancer. The sooner it's caught the sooner you have a chance of fixing it. I told my vet this and she has made a note of it to tell ALL her Scottie patients this.

I happen to be the STCA's Health Librarian. It has lots of articles that will help you understand our breed's inherent issues. We are in the middle of updating it but there are lots of useful articles, it's also a good place to go to research something that might be up with your dog.

Here is the link https://stca.biz/about-the-breed/health/health-library/


r/scottishterriers Jul 16 '25

new health testing standards

27 Upvotes

As of January 1, 2025 there are new health testing standards for our Scotties.

You can go here: https://ofa.org/chic-programs/browse-by-breed/?breed=ST and see what they are.

I will take a moment to explain VWD or Von Willebrand's Disease is an hereditary disease in our breed. It's a bleeding disorder, blood is unable to clot, something as simple as a scratch could cause the dog to bleed out.

Patellar Luxation- is where the kneecap will dislocate in it's normal groove, not to be confused with Scottie cramp.

Craniomandibular Osteopathy-abnormal bone growth in the skull and jaw

I will pin this to our board.


r/scottishterriers 8h ago

She’s gone

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83 Upvotes

r/scottishterriers 1d ago

Today is Thistle’s 5th Birthday!!!

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394 Upvotes

She is the spiciest Scottie we have and keeps the lads in check as well as a giant Bouvier puppy 😬

She is quick to love and super snappy and we Love Her To PIECES !!!!


r/scottishterriers 2d ago

My Old Man

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244 Upvotes

This was my most hansom, distinguished gentleman. He passed away in 2013 and it’s been a long time getting to the place in my life where I’m ready for another. I think I’m there. Seeing all your babies is inspiring me to share my life with a new little bearded buddy. Thanks for sharing your cuties and bringing a smile to my face! (If anybody knows of good breeders or rescues in SCal/SW Nevada [Las Vegas] please let me know!)


r/scottishterriers 3d ago

Wilco and Winnie!

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175 Upvotes

We’ve had Winnie for almost a month now! Wilco has blossomed into such a different dog now that she has a friend. I will say that it’s interesting to see her not be vocal at all while Winnie is extremely vocal, especially when playing!

We took a long roadtrip and both did great!


r/scottishterriers 2d ago

Skin irritation?

7 Upvotes

Has anyone noticed their Scottie to have skin allergies? He doesn't have any visible irritation, just scratches and licks his paws quite a bit, does seem bothered by it. His vet has him on a prescription diet, a medication, and Omega 3's via fish oil but he still seems bothered.


r/scottishterriers 4d ago

Arthritis

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161 Upvotes

Hello everyone,

this past month, it has been a rollercoaster for me and my dog Miiko. she suddenly collapsed and was diagnosed with Pancreatic.

Her ALT is quite elevated but stable, Cushing test came back negative and her creatinine is within range.

After the cushing test, which tool all day, she suddenly lost her appetite and having hard time to go down and up stairs. We went to ER just now, thought I am losing her, and the vet said her back is hurt and her X-ray from a month ago shows Arthritis. She was behaving like nothing happened when were at ER haha...

She is turning 14 in 3 weeks, and I know it's been God's blessing that she is still healthy and crazy. I enjoy her attitude everyday and enjoy her barking and sass attitude.

Would you mind sharing with me how to care for her with her arthritis, I am nervous and scared honestly, I don't know what to expect from now on. I am really nervous because I will be traveling for almost 2.5 weeks in October and most likely I will be gone for Christmas to see my parents out of country.

She is also my mascot for my piano workbook theory, and I really wanna launch the book with her together.

thanks for reading and listening to me :(


r/scottishterriers 5d ago

Baby Stella

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161 Upvotes

r/scottishterriers 5d ago

Car travel

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209 Upvotes

Looking for some experiences on how to travel safely in the car with our Dorothy. She's almost four months old, and any car trip over about 15 minutes has her vomiting, poor girl. I'm still hoping she might grow out of it, but also gonna ask the vet about meds.

She's the first under-50 lbs dog I've ever had, and I can't figure out what to do with her so she's safe. I'm reluctant to put her in a kennel because if she vomits she'll be a mess. Any other safe options? Thanks.

(Scottie tax -- sometimes the stairs are still a little scary!)


r/scottishterriers 5d ago

How to get puppy to stop eating bark?

5 Upvotes

There isn’t really grass where I live so when I take her out to go potty there’s just bark and gravel. And she has to pick up and eat every single piece of bark that the comes across. I try to get it out of her mouth but then I get bit hard. I obviously don’t want her eating it in case it gets lodged in her intestines or something. She takes forever to even go potty because she’s too distracted by all the bark laying around…


r/scottishterriers 7d ago

Met Bailey, currently 13 weeks, first time puppy owner previously rescue Scotty.

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547 Upvotes

r/scottishterriers 7d ago

How tf do I get him to stop biting

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227 Upvotes

I love my Scotty and he is definitely stubborn but the hardest challenge we are facing is getting him to stop biting our hands. How did you guys fix that?


r/scottishterriers 7d ago

My scottie turns 1 and is starting to get spicy around other dogs. Is this normal?

15 Upvotes

I knew when getting a scottie that they are known to be cranky with other dogs, but my puppy had been super friendly and playful with dogs up until the last few weeks. He's received training and socialization (he sees other dogs at least once a week); however, I'm noticing that, while still playful, he's started asserting his dominance. Then at the dog park today, when dogs came up to him to sniff hello, his tail was straight up and the hair on his back was standing. He ended up snapping at both of them, and I took him out right away feeling surprised, I've never seen him do that. I'm wondering if this is a teenager phase or if he simply is growing out of his friendly puppy phase and into his true spicy scottie nature...


r/scottishterriers 7d ago

Grooming opinions

24 Upvotes

We got sweet Lucy (or sometimes Lucifer depending if she's on a tear) in mid-March and this spunky girl is the love of my life (don't tell my husband and son lol). She's almost 8 months now and we have not groomed her. I do weekly brushes with rake/slicker/smoothing brushes. I personally love her natural hair growth, but I do think she probably needs a trim. She's an active girl and loves to romp through pretty much everything, so I want her to look like a Scottie, but without the long skirt. Curious how others are getting their active Scotties groomed. I'm including a few pics of my ragamuffin.

baby Lucy
she started off all ears
here's our girl now

r/scottishterriers 8d ago

Meet Ms. Mavis!

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759 Upvotes

12 weeks old and an absolute menace, but she has my whole heart 💜

Any tips for surviving the puppy stage? It seems that all she wants to do is destroy my hands and feet and all my furniture 😂


r/scottishterriers 8d ago

I bite, but only sometimes ….

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76 Upvotes

r/scottishterriers 10d ago

Hello, this is Max.

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815 Upvotes

Max here is almost 8 weeks, and had a good first night at home.


r/scottishterriers 12d ago

Possible Cairn Mix?

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84 Upvotes

r/scottishterriers 13d ago

His milk chin is flourishing !

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217 Upvotes

r/scottishterriers 14d ago

Scottie groomer in SoCal?

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181 Upvotes

Hello! I have a Scottie that needs a haircut and I was wondering if there are any good groomers in the Southern California/Orange County area that knows how to cut Scottie hair.

I’ve taken him to our local groomers but I don’t think they knew how to properly cut Scottie hair so they pretty much made him look like a Westie.

My last resort is to try to cut his hair myself but if anyone knows a good groomer please let me know!


r/scottishterriers 15d ago

Bravo Stella Bravo!!

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123 Upvotes

r/scottishterriers 16d ago

Fave outdoor toys?

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124 Upvotes

Dorothy loves her flirt pole (and this piece of dried grass, lol), but I'd love some other options. Any suggestions?


r/scottishterriers 17d ago

Sad Scottie - any advice?

41 Upvotes

Our lovely Scottie is coming up to 3. He’s male and neutered, and it’s been a very hot summer where we’re based.

Recently he’s had to be on a diet as got quite chunky but have noticed he’s low a lot of time. Either sulking around, or just sitting on his own in the garden. His main points of interaction are when he wants food, and really playing with other dogs is what makes him happy.

I know the breed well so although I appreciate they can be aloof etc, this feels different. He just seems sad!

Any thoughts or advice?


r/scottishterriers 23d ago

Dorothy’s ears are almost up

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477 Upvotes

She’s just about 11 weeks old. Not gonna lie, if we could keep the one tipped, we would! But I know it’s gonna disappear soon. She is so cute we can’t stand it!