Jack Russell Terrier Health Care & Feeding

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Jack Russell Terrier Health Problems

Or check out my advice for raising a healthy Jack Russell Terrier puppy or adult dog:

Complete list of Jack Russell Terrier health problems

Eye diseases

Eye diseases are the main concern in Jack Russells, especially lens luxation (which can lead to secondary glaucoma) and cataracts.

Other eye diseases include eyelash abnormalities, persistent pupillary membranes, and progressive retinal atrophy (PRA).

Sadly, we see a lot of blind Jack Russell Terriers.

Heart diseases

Cardiomyopathy, patent ductus arteriosus, and sub-aortic stenosis are three big heart diseases that occur in Jack Russells.

Neurological/neuromuscular diseases

Epilepsy (seizures of unknown cause) is a serious concern in the breed.

Jack Russell Terriers are vulnerable to cerebellar ataxia, myasthenia gravis, and lysosomal storage disease.

Another neurological syndrome called spinocerebellar ataxia can appear during adolescence, but is not as devastating as cerebellar ataxia.

Mild abnormalities of the brain may also be responsible for the excessive shaking or tremors of the rear legs that sometimes occur in Jack Russells.

Inherited deafness

Many Jack Russell Terriers are born deaf (partially or completely).

Orthopedic diseases

The big four are luxating patella (loose knees), Legg-Calve-Perthes disease, hip dysplasia, and elbow dysplasia. All of these cause pain and lameness and may require expensive surgery.

Unfortunately, many breeders aren't even testing their Jack Russells for orthopedic diseases before breeding them. So we don't know how widespread these problems may be in the breed.

Jack Russell Terriers are supposed to be square in build (length should approximately equal their height at the shoulders).

But there are a lot of Jack Russells with short (dwarfed, bowed) legs and a longish back, which is a deformity called chondrodysplasia. These dogs have an increased risk of malformed joints and intervertebral disk disease.

Miscellaneous health problems

• Allergies (which cause itchy skin and often leading to pyoderma) are very common in all terrier breeds.
• Blood-clotting diseases include von Willebrand's and factor X deficiency.
• Hormonal/endocrine system diseases include hypothyroidism and occasionally diabetes.
• Liver shunt and hernias occur more often in Jack Russells than in many other breeds.

Preventing health problems

Some health problems are inherited. For example, if your dog inherits from his parents the genes for an eye disease called PRA, he will go blind and there's nothing anyone can do about it.

But most health problems can be prevented by the ways you raise your dog.

My best-selling book, 11 Things You Must Do Right To Keep Your Dog Healthy and Happy shows you how to raise your Jack Russell Terrier in all the right ways that help prevent health problems. Become your dog's health care champion!