Grooming:

The BRT "clip" continues to undergo metamorphosis and remains open to interpretation and personal prference. In some areas the coat is grown considerably longer than diagram posted above. Here is a link to the "new" grooming regime http://d-keitos.narod.ru/QUESTIONS/195a.htm 

In my opinion the BRT coat should not be overly shaped or as teased as the Kerry Blue Terrier or the Poodle - the coat should visibly 'move' as the dog moves. The eyebrows and beard should be thick and substantial but neat. Here is a link to the previous grooming pattern including explanations http://odervyn.free.fr/brt_grooming.htm.

Health Issues: 

Structural/skeletal problems in the breed

·                    Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) Rupture:  The knee along with the external support (i.e., collateral leg) has two ligaments inside the joint that help prevent forward movement (i.e., cruciate). Insult/injury can cause this ligament to rupture and result in acute lameness (the animal will not want to bear weight) on the affected limb.

·                    Elbow Dysplasia:  Elbow dysplasia encompasses several different conditions, all of which are indicative of abnormally formed or fused elbow joints and all can result in lameness and pain for the animal.

·                    Fragmented Coronoid Process (FCP) – This form of elbow dysplasia is generally the most difficult to treat if the fragments are actually loose in the joint.

·                    Osteochrondritis Dissecans (OCD) - A nutritionally based developmental disease. It is separation of joint cartilage caused by too rapid growth. It is known to occur in elbows, shoulders, hocks and stifles but it can occur anywhere in the body. It is a defect in the cartilage overlaying or attaching to the bone.

·                    Ununited Anconeal Process (UAP) - In BRTs the Anconeal Process can close later than in smaller breeds, as late as one year of age.

·                    Hip Dysplasia  (HD):  Hip dysplasia is a painful condition caused by abnormally formed hips. The animal becomes lame in the hind quarters due to the pain associated with the degeneration of the hips. There remains ongoing debate about the degree of genetics vs environment involved in HD. In order to minimise the potential we hip score our dogs before breeding and also strongly recommend that new puppy owners adhere to the exercise regime given out when they purchase their pup.

·                    Hypertrophic Osteodystrophy (HOD):  A nutritionally based developmental disease that manifests with toes turning in or out, roached toplines, pinched rears, and in advanced stages fever, lethargy, pain in joints, inability to stand or function. This is a problem of intake in calories versus output of energy - too many calories consumed and/or unbalanced diet disrupted by supplementing. It can be easily managed by a change of diet and decrease in exercise until the joint pain settles. Cartrophen injections have been beneficial in this area.  

·                    Panosteitis (Pano or Wandering Lameness):  Another nutritionally based developmental problem associated with too rapid growth. Lameness can occur in one limb or over time in all limbs. It is self-limiting and spontaneously disappears.

Eye Problems

·                    Cataract: Lens opacity that may in part or in total affect one or both eyes. Blindness results when cataracts are complete and in both eyes.  

·                    Distichiasis: Eyelashes abnormally located in the eyelid margin which may cause ocular irritation. 

·                    Ectropion: Conformational defect resulting in eversion of the eyelids, which may cause ocular irritation due to exposure.  

·                    Entropion: Conformational defect where eyelid margin inverts, or rolls inward, toward the eye causing eyelashes and hair to rub against the cornea resulting in ocular irritation.  

·                    Macroblepharon: Abnormally large eyelid opening; may lead to secondary conditions associated with corneal exposure.  

·                    Persistent Pupillary Membranes (PPM): Persistent blood vessel remnants in the anterior chamber of the eye which fail to regress normally in the neonatal period.  

·                    Progressive Retinal Atrophy (PRA): Degenerative disease of the retinal visual cells which leads to blindness. In BRTs the age at which PRA can be detected varies from as young as 6 months to as late as 42 months. Typically BRTs with PRA go blind gradually, first loosing their night vision and then their day vision. Many do not go completely blind until they are 8 years old or older.  

·                    Retinal Dysplasia: Abnormal development of the retina present at birth and recognized to have three forms: folds, geographic, and detachment. A BRT with just folds will pass CERF and the folds may disappear over time.

Miscellaneous other health issues in the breed:

Most forms of cancer have been diagnosed in some members of the breed. Probably some forms of cancer are hereditary while others occur spontaneously or even due to environmental toxins. 

·                    Cystinuria (from Dr. Giger's description of Cystinuria): Cystinuria is an inherited metabolic disease caused by a defective kidney transporter for cystine and some other amino acids. Because cystine readily precipitates in acid urine crystals and later calculi (stones) can form in the kidney and bladder. These calculi can result in serious illness, especially in males. Cystinuric animals may show recurrent clinical signs of a urinary tract disorder from a few months of age until late in life.    

·                    Epilepsy: Epilepsy is a seizure disorder which can have multiple causes. Age of onset of the inherited form is 6 months to 5 years of age. Generally difficult to treat successfully in BRTs and other large breeds. There are two research efforts at this time.    

·                    Gastric Dilation, Torsion, Volvulus (Bloat): Bloat is a hideous killer of giant breed animals, and BRTs are no exception. Without warning, the stomach fills with air (dilation), can twist 180 degrees (torsion) on its long axis, or more than 180 degrees (volvulus) thereby cutting off blood and oxygen to vital organs. Bloat can be primary or secondary, caused by emotional or physical stress, improper nutrition or feeding habits, guzzling water, inappropriate exercise, as well as other causes that we do not understand. Every BRT owner needs to familiarize themselves with bloat symptoms and have a plan of action to get the animal to an emergency medical facility at the onset of the first symptom. A dog that is bloating has approximately 3 hours to live without medical intervention.  

·                    Heart Disease : The most common heart problems are aortic stenosis, mitral valve dysplasia and cardiomyopathy. Early detection and treatment are essential for a good prognosis. Some BRTs have heart murmurs that are mild and not a cause for concern. If a heart murmur is detected it is essential to have it checked to see if it is an "innocent" murmur or a serious problem.     

·                    Hypothyroidism : Hypothyroidism is the result of an abnormally functioning thyroid gland resulting in a lower than normal level of thyroid hormone (T3 or T4). This lack of thyroid hormone can have serious health consequences including coat and skin problems, intolerance to cold, weight gain or loss, infertility, sudden aggression, and immune system malfunctions. The inherited form is autoimmune thyroiditis where the body's own immune system attacks and destroys the thyroid gland or reduces it's function. Autoimmune thyroiditis is diagnosed by measuring the FT4D, cTSH & TgAA. Acquired hypothyroidism can be caused by various problems such as stress for long periods of time, poor nutrition, prolonged infections, and chemical agents.   

·                    von Willebrand's Disease (vWD) : An abnormal bleeding disorder due to a lack of normal clotting. An animal's life can be threatened by bleeding due to an injury, or during spaying/neutering or any other condition resulting in bleeding.   

·                    There has, in Australia, been a recorded case of a negative reaction by a litter of BRT’s to Protech® Duramune® C4 Vaccine resulting in the deaths of 4 puppies.  For this reason I do not use Fort Dodge vaccines and follow an altered vaccination regime as recommended by Dr Jean Dodds. Likewise one of my dogs has had a very pronounced reaction to Metacam (a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug – NSAID) so I advise using against it or the drug Rimadyl.   

·                    Miscoloured coats: As this is still such a new breed the occasional off-coloured pup is born. If this occurs the pup must be registered on the Limited Register and, although entitled to compete for working titles, cannot be shown in conformation shows or used for breeding. Generally the off-colour may be an entire red/brown coat or black coat with noticeable brown patches (not sunburn to the coat). Apart from coat colour there is generally nothing wrong with these pups.   

Allergies and infections: Some BRT’s are prone to allergies - most often seen in ear infections and other “hairy” spots such as beards. I do not advocate plucking hair from ears but do suggest that a regular wipe out with a baby wipe and a flush out every now and again with a product such as Epiotic will help keep this at bay. Beards should be washed and conditioned regularly to ensure that  food and dirt do not build up leading to skin infections.  Itchy skin may indicate a food allergy. One of my girls is completely intolerant of grains so she is on a completely raw diet.

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