PERTHES DISEASE - Request for Information 

This a developmental disease involving the hip joint , specifically the head of the femur.

Interference occurs to the blood supply to the femoral head which leads to bone death and remodelling. It is a painful condition which causes varying degrees of lameness and ultimately leads to severe arthritic changes in the joint.

Most cases become apparent at 5-6 months of age and nearly all will be noticed before 12 months. The disease is diagnosed by X-ray and many affected dogs will require surgical removal of the femoral head, a major and expensive surgery.

Perthes tends to affect small breeds and in most individuals only one hip will be affected. The majority of cases are genetic in origin but the means of inheritance is unknown.

Terrier breeds are frequently affected though it is regarded as a fairly rare condition and not many reports of it have been received via our ongoing Health Survey.

Recent conversations have suggested that the incidence of the condition may be being under reported and I am keen to find out if this is the case and if this is a condition which the Breed Health Group should be paying attention to.

I would be grateful if owners of affected dogs could fill in one of our questionnaires on borderterrierhealth.org.uk.

Remember, it is only by sharing information that we can help to pinpoint problems.

Regards, Eddie Houston , Breed Health Coordinator