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SMALL BREEDS OF DOGS...
A  LOOK AT THEIR MEDICAL ISSUES

It was ten o’clock Sunday night so when the phone rang I knew it meant only one thing…I was about to head for work.  “She’s doing it again, Doctor.  Her pups are three weeks old now and she’s got that shaking and trembling condition and she can’t even walk!”  My client bred Chihuahuas and recognized a serious condition seen often in small breeds but only rarely in larger dogs… canine eclampsia.  (You can see a video of an actual case of eclampsia on this page.)  Because the nursing dog’s metabolism favors the production of calcium-rich milk, the shifting of calcium reserves into the mammary glands to support growing pups can lead to dangerously low blood calcium levels.  A serious and even life threatening situation results and veterinary intervention is needed.  These patients often have high fevers, low blood sugar levels and require slow and careful intravenous calcium therapy to get them through the crisis.

A normal dog’s metabolic processes strive to maintain homeostasis, which is a state of balance of chemicals and functions within narrow ranges.  Any deviation outside normal ranges will have an adverse impact on the dog and could lead to rather sudden death.  By their very nature, small breeds of dogs have less tolerance to deviations outside the homeostatic ranges.  One of the easiest homeostatic issues to envision is tolerance to temperature changes.  Large breeds of dogs, due to their surface to weight ratio, can tolerate extremes of environmental temperatures for longer times than a tiny breed.  That’s precisely why veterinarians are acutely aware of body heat loss with small breeds during surgery and postoperative recovery.

Blood levels of glucose must be maintained within homeostatic ranges and small breeds find doing that much more challenging than larger breeds. Internal Medicine Specialist M. Alexis Seguin, MS, DVM, describes the blood sugar issue in small breeds. “Small breed puppies commonly develop clinically significant hypoglycemia especially as a sequel to any vomiting or diarrhea.  It is more important to have them seen by a veterinarian in a timely manner if they are not eating or if they have a gastrointestinal upset.”   But that’s not all!  Seguin mentions a number of issues facing the small breeds.  “Small breed dogs also have an increased predisposition to certain congenital disorders of the vasculature through the liver.  Extrahepatic portosystemic shunts can occur where the blood vessels from the intestines bypass the liver entirely and the liver does not detoxify the blood as usual.  Some of these shunts may be corrected surgically.  Microvascular dysplasia, which is essentially the same blood shunting process but at a microscopic level within the liver itself, cannot be corrected surgically.  These blood vessel shunts make small breeds more prone to hypoglycemia. 

“Another congenital disorder that is common in very small dogs is called hydrocephalus.  In these cases normal caverns within the brain overfill and expand with cerebrospinal fluid.  The resulting brain dysfunction can lead to seizures, blindness, and behavioral changes including difficulty training a puppy in common tasks such as obedience and house-breaking.  Lethargy, lack of responsiveness, and occasionally hyperexcitability can be noted in hydrocephalic dogs.   Lastly, as small dogs head into adulthood, they are more prone than their large breed friends to mitral valve endocardiosis. This leaky heart valve causes a heart murmur and in some cases may eventually progress to congestive heart failure.” 

Cataracts in the eyes of small breeds can be a major problem for them as they grow older.	Easy to train, anxious to please... Small breeds are pure joy!	Many small breeds do require grooming and bathing routines to stay healthy and happy.	Small breeds can become dehydrated very quickly and veterinary attention may be needed.

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Orthopedic difficulties can plague our tiny friends, too.  Veterinary orthopedic specialists are kept busy trying to assist small breeds overcome some of their unique problems.  Veterinary surgeon Janice Buback mentions that patella luxation (dislocation) in small breeds is very common. “We also do see some congenital shoulder luxations (dislocations) in the little dogs. Small and toy breeds are also more prone to radius and ulna fractures because small dogs are so often carried about by their owners.  If they jump out of their owner’s arms or are accidentally dropped it doesn’t take much to break those fragile bones. Radius and ulna fractures usually do need rigid fixation such as a bone plate and don't heal as well with simple casts as larger bones partly because there is very little soft tissue in these areas and hence poor blood supply.”  Buback mentions it is easier to physically care for these small breed patients in the hospital and at home but their small size can present difficulties with the technical aspects of "fixing them". 

Specialists often deal with highly challenging cases, but your local general veterinary practitioner routinely works on an assortment of health issues of small breeds.  Reproduction difficulties are more prevalent in small breeds due to anatomical and physiological differences between large and small breeds of dogs.  Just ask any breeder of Pugs or Boston Terriers about dystocia (difficulty whelping) and they’ll tell you the anxiety they deal with in hoping that the whelping goes smoothly.  Cesarean section surgeries are done far more commonly on small breeds than large breeds, and litter size doesn’t approach the bakers dozen expected in such breeds as the Saint Bernard. 

Anesthetic concerns in small breeds are the same as larger breeds with just a few exceptions.  One is that administering the proper dose of injectable anesthetics and sedatives requires more precise dose parameters.  Give two tenths of a cc more anesthetic than needed to a four-pound Manchester Terrier and the consequences may be vastly different than the same amount given to a one hundred and sixty pound Bull Mastiff.

Medication dosages such as antibiotics and wormers need to be fine-tuned to the little body sizes of small breeds.  Caution is a key word to keep in mind when dealing with dietary changes in our little pals, too.  It doesn’t take much to upset the intestinal bacterial flora in the small breeds so any changes in the diet need to be made gradually and with discretion.  Even a half-teaspoon of fat, if the dog is not used to it in the diet, can trigger a severe pancreatitis episode with vomiting, pain, bloody diarrhea and dehydration.

Gingivitis and dental problems seem to occur more commonly in small breeds compared to larger breeds.  In pups under five months of age retained deciduous teeth often need to be removed so that adult permanent teeth can erupt properly.  In older small breeds one of the most hazardous and often overlooked health threats is chronic gum infection and loose, eroded teeth.  Oral bacterial invasion into the tissues and presence of bacteria and toxins in the blood stream can lead to severe kidney and heart damage.

Strong of character and packed with personality, small breeds do have some special medical needs.  It’s a good idea to research your particular small breed’s medical issues and then be on the alert for any signs of trouble.

See links to more articles below	MEDICAL ISSUES OF SMALL BREEDS	Tell your friends about ThePetCenter.com
Some small dogs will have difficulty whelping.  Their narrow pelvic canal, inability to store large depots of energy (glucose), lower capacity for prolonged exertion and tendency to develop uterine inertia can all factor into whelping problems.	Pomeranians and some other small breeds often have heart troubles, a condition called Tracheal Stenosis, and joint difficulties such as luxating (dislocating) patellas (knee caps).	This little Toy Poodle has a low grade hydrocephalus problem.  She was taken to a Specialist in Veterinary Neurology for a CT Scan where her anatomical problems were finally discovered.  With intermittent medication, she has done well for years.