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 Published: 03 Jan 2018 | Last Updated: 03 Jan 2018 17:46:22

The Border Terrier is a working terrier type that is generally considered to be a relatively healthy and hardy breed. A new VetCompass™ has explored these beliefs using anonymised clinical data from hundreds of veterinary clinics in England. These new VetCompass™ findings highlighted a decreasing trend in the popularity of Border Terriers from 1.46% of all puppies born in 2005 to 0.78% in 2014. The breed was relatively long-lived, with a median longevity of 12.7 years. The most common disorders in the breed were periodontal disease (17.63% of dogs affected), overweight/obesity (7.01%) and otitis externa (6.71%, 95% CI: 5.42–8.19). Predisposition to dental and neurological disease was suggested. These results provide a comprehensive evidence resource to support improved health and welfare within the breed.  

The full paper is available open access at       

O'Neill DG, Darwent EC, Church DB, Brodbelt DC. Border Terriers under primary veterinary care in England: demography and disorders. Canine Genetics and Epidemiology. 2017;4(1):15.