As in all breeds, Westies are prone to specific medical problems. You will find many covered in the Health portion of this website, directly or through links to other sites. Of course, individual dogs will come up with conditions that are not as common or recognized at this time.
PAIN
Dr. Petty’s Pain Relief for Dogs: The Complete Medical and Integrative Guide to Treating Pain
(Dr. Petty has helped several of our dogs with pain issues.)
When your Westie has been diagnosed with a medical condition, it is often helpful to do research to expand your understanding and care of the dog. On this page you will see links to several sites which have excellent information on medical issues. These sites are not necessarily Westie-specific but the information given is very good and understandable.
FIRST AID
MAKE A SIMPLE FIRST AID KIT
TRAVEL FIRST AID KIT
DIGESTIVE PROBLEMS
Vomiting in dogs can be caused by several things and can be a sign of a number of severe problems. It can also be a sign of something as simple as an empty stomach. Vomiting a yellow bile in the night or early morning is very common among Westies. You can often resolve this simply by giving the dog a bedtime treat containing fiber so that his tummy will have something in it overnight. (A nice biscuit, a piece of stew beef, or some other treat should work.) If this does not help, contact your vet about vomiting. He/She can determine what is wrong and how to best treat it.
VOMITING PROBLEMS IN DOGS
IDIOPATHIC PULMONARY FIBROSIS (IPF),
https://www.facebook.com/groups/327689790763155/ or Westie Lung Disease–IPF in USA (Treatments, Symptoms, Studies, Etc.)
This is a Facebook page dedicated to this subject in Westies.
HELP FOR BLIND DOGS
CLICK HERE for instructions on “How To Make A Collar For A Blind Dog”.
WHITE SHAKER SYNDROME
CLICK HERE to read about White Shaker Syndrome, a treatable disease that sometimes affects Westies.
Canine epilepsy Guardian Angels
The sites given here are meant to supplement your Vet’s diagnosis and not to be used as a substitution for proper medical care. Please click on the links to go to any one of several medical resources.
NATIONAL WESTIE CLUB
MARVISTAVET MEDICAL CENTER
MERCK VETERINARY MANUAL
In almost every dog owner’s life, there comes a time when their beloved little friend requires some sort of surgery. This is a difficult time emotionally for both humans and pets. The humans, of course, understand what has happened and are concerned for the health of the pet and also feel a great responsibility towards the special care that will be required. But we must not overlook the feelings of the other family pets. No one can really explain to them what has happened or why their friend is not feeling well. They need to be included in the care picture. If it is possible, allow them to gently greet their sick friend and see that he or she is alive but in need of special care. They will almost always react with concern and will somehow understand that they cannot play roughly. It is very likely that they will want to take care of their friend if only by being there with the sick dog. In this photo, little Molly has two guardian angels watching over her.
FINANCIAL AID FOR PETS
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These sites provide many sources for financial assistance. We do not have first-hand knowledge of these organizations and cannot recommend them. It is your responsibility to research and evaluate them yourself. We hope it will provide a good start for such a search during these hard financial times.