Tag archives: bleeding disorder

The Irish-bred, Kerry blue terrier (KBT) is historically a well-rounded working dog with its roots in hunting small game and rodents. However, their intelligence and diverse abilities have also led to their success as guard dogs and as a herding breed. Like many terriers, the KBT is known for its high energy and tends to benefit greatly from daily exercise. Though early KBTs were often selected for their tenacity and aggressiveness to perform their duties as hunters and guard dogs, these attributes historically made them less suitable companions for other dogs. However, modern breeding efforts have focused on maintaining their high energy while decreasing tendencies toward aggression.

One of the most striking attributes of the KBT is their characteristic hair coat. Kerry blue terriers are born black, but develop their beautiful, soft and wavy blue/gray coat during the first two years of life in a process of color fading, commonly referred to as “clearing”. Dogs displaying black coloration on the body after 18 months of age are disqualified from the AKC show ring. However, black on the extremities (muzzle, head, ears, tail, and feet) is allowed at any age.

This spirited breed, though relatively healthy, has developed some inherited disease concerns ...

Since the first exhibitions of the modern basset hound in the late 19^th century, their mellow and charming personality has made them a popular family dog. Though according to the Basset Hound Club of America, it is not unusual for a basset hound to be a little stubborn or to have “selective hearing” (especially if following a scent trail), this minor annoyance is easily tempered by their affectionate and sensitive disposition. Originally bred for hunting with a person on foot, the basset hound’s short legs kept them from outrunning their handler while following their exceptional nose. Unfortunately, like other purebred dogs, the basset hound has also been unable to outrun susceptibility to certain inherited diseases. One such condition is a disease of blood platelets known as thrombopathia that occurs due to a mutation in the RASGRP1 gene.

Dogs affected with thrombopathia produce a dysfunctional form of a protein important in the aggregation of platelets during blood clotting. The resulting inability to produce functional blood clots leads to easy bruising and frequent episodes of spontaneous bleeding from the gums, nose, and the gastrointestinal tract. Affected dogs may also show signs of lameness due to spontaneous bleeding in joints. Loss of ...

In my years as an undergraduate college student, struggling to make ends meet, I lived next door to a woman with an old, Labrador mix named Bubba.  By initial impression, he seemed to be a very normal, happy and well-socialized dog.  However, one day, during my daily greeting from Bubba, I noticed some blood around his mouth.  At the time, I was a biology major trying to wade through prerequisites for admission to veterinary school and I hadn’t yet been exposed to the world of clinical veterinary medicine.  So, when I saw the blood around Bubba’s mouth, I didn’t pay much attention.  I had seen blood in my own dog’s mouth on occasion after chewing on a toy or a bone and it never amounted to much.  So, my uninformed mind had little to worry itself about.  I later learned from Bubba’s owner that he had bled like this since he was young.  However, the owner had never taken Bubba to a veterinarian for a diagnosis and to this day I still don’t know what was wrong with him.  Though the memory of Bubba had ...