Tibetan Terrier care, DNA tests and coat grooming

The most serious inherited disease in Tibetan Terriers, a late-onset form of neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis (NCL), can be ruled out in a puppy before it is born, because the mutation behind it is known and a DNA test exists. Ask for that result, and the parents' hip and eye results, before anything else. The rest of Tibetan Terrier care is mostly coat work and ordinary good feeding. The American Kennel Club gives a height of 14 to 17 inches (36 to 43 cm), a weight of 18 to 30 pounds (8 to 13.6 kg) for males, with females slightly smaller, and a life expectancy of 15 to 16 years.

Despite the name, this is not a terrier in the working sense. The AKC calls it the "Holy Dog of Tibet", an ancient watchdog and companion long associated with Buddhist monasteries, with a profuse coat and "snowshoe" feet.

Neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis

NCL is a group of inherited storage diseases. Nerve cells cannot clear certain waste material, which builds up as fatty, fluorescent deposits until the cells stop working and the brain and retina shrink. It is sometimes lumped in with progressive retinal atrophy because sight is affected, but it is a disease of the whole nervous system and it is fatal.

In Tibetan Terriers the disease starts late. The study that mapped the mutation found that affected dogs first showed visible signs at 5 to 7 years of age. Every one of the 24 known cases carried two copies of a single-letter deletion in a gene called ATP13A2, and all 35 known carriers had one copy. A second research group reached the same gene independently and described the course in affected dogs: brain atrophy, behavior changes, cognitive decline and cerebellar ataxia, a loss of balance and coordination. Signs owners may notice include:

• trouble seeing, such as bumping into things or hesitating on steps
• confusion in familiar places, anxiety or a change in temperament
• a swaying or unsteady gait
• a steady decline in the dog's ability to cope with daily routines

Inheritance is recessive. A dog with one copy stays healthy but can pass the mutation on, and only dogs with two copies develop the disease. If both parents test clear, no puppy in the litter can be affected by this form of NCL. For an adult dog with unknown parents, the same test answers the question directly. No diet, antioxidant or supplement has been shown to prevent or slow it.

Eyes, hips and the tests breeders use

The Tibetan Terrier Club of America recommends that both parents of every litter have hip certification through OFA or PennHIP, an eye examination by a veterinary ophthalmologist within the 12 months before breeding, and DNA tests for NCL and primary lens luxation. The club also lists optional tests: hearing tests on puppies from 35 days old, DNA tests for other forms of progressive retinal atrophy, and OFA screening for patellar luxation and autoimmune thyroiditis.

Primary lens luxation

The lens of the eye is held in place by fine fibers. In primary lens luxation they give way and the lens drops out of position. If it moves forward it can block fluid draining from the eye, and pressure rises quickly. The Tibetan Terrier is one of the breeds on the UC Davis Veterinary Genetics Laboratory's test list for the mutation, and the laboratory reports carriers with one copy as being at slight risk. Sudden squinting, watering, a red or cloudy eye, or pawing at the face is a same-day emergency.

Hip dysplasia

A malformed hip joint wears into arthritis over years. Genes set the risk, so parental hip scores matter most. What an owner controls is weight: a puppy that grows slim and an adult that stays slim put less load on a loose hip. A complete puppy food fed to a lean body shape needs no extra calcium, and joint supplements have not been shown to prevent the condition.

Coat care

The coat is a double one, with a soft woolly undercoat under a long outer coat, and it mats where it rubs. Mats pull on the skin, trap moisture and hide sores.

• Brush every two or three days at least, working in sections down to the skin with a pin brush, then check with a metal comb.
• Mist the coat with water or a detangling spray first. Dry brushing breaks the hair.
• Behind the ears, the armpits, the groin and between the toes mat first.
• Brush out every tangle before a bath. Water tightens mats rather than loosening them.
• A shorter pet trim cuts grooming time sharply and suits a dog that is not being shown.

Food shows in the coat mainly when something is wrong with it. The Merck Veterinary Manual lists a dull, unkempt coat among the signs of protein deficiency or of protein out of balance with calories. A Tibetan Terrier on a complete and balanced diet in the right amount should not run short. A poor coat on a good diet can also come from skin disease or an underactive thyroid, and autoimmune thyroiditis is one of the conditions the breed club lists for optional screening.

Weight and feeding

Merck's formulas give a starting point. Resting energy requirement is 70 × (body weight in kg) raised to the power 0.75. A neutered adult needs about 1.6 times that, an intact adult 1.8 times, and a dog prone to weight gain about 1.4 times. For a 10 kg Tibetan Terrier that works out at roughly 630 kcal a day neutered, 710 intact and 550 for an easy gainer. At 13 kg the neutered figure is about 770.

The coat makes body shape hard to judge by eye. Feel for the ribs under a thin layer of fat and for a waist behind them, weigh the dog every month, and weigh food in grams rather than scooping it.

Exercise and temperament

The AKC describes the breed as affectionate, sensitive and clever. It was kept as a companion and watchdog, not for endurance work, so a daily walk plus play and some training covers most adults. The heavy coat holds heat, so summer exercise belongs in the cool of the morning or evening, with shade and water available.

Training works best with rewards and short sessions. Calm, early introductions to visitors, other dogs and grooming handling make adult life easier for a dog that will be brushed several times a week for the rest of its life.

Sources

1. Tibetan Terrier dog breed information. American Kennel Club.
2. A one base pair deletion in the canine ATP13A2 gene causes exon skipping and late-onset neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis in the Tibetan terrier. PLoS Genetics, 2011.
3. A truncating mutation in ATP13A2 is responsible for adult-onset neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis in Tibetan terriers. Neurobiology of Disease, 2011.
4. Health statement. The Tibetan Terrier Club of America, via the American Kennel Club.
5. Primary Lens Luxation (PLL). Veterinary Genetics Laboratory, UC Davis.
6. Nutritional requirements of small animals. Merck Veterinary Manual.