Westie nutrition: skin allergy, lung disease and weight

Skin disease is the defining health problem of the West Highland White Terrier, and it is where diet decisions matter most. Atopic dermatitis is common in the breed, food allergy sits alongside it in a minority of dogs, and the two are easy to confuse. The breed also has a lung disease of its own, and a few conditions of puppyhood and middle age that affect how a Westie is fed. The American Kennel Club gives the adult weight as 15 to 20 pounds (about 7 to 9 kg) and life expectancy as 13 to 15 years, so small changes in portion size go a long way.

Atopic dermatitis and food allergy

Atopic dermatitis is an inherited tendency to react to allergens, mostly environmental ones such as house dust mites and pollen, through the skin. Westies are highly predisposed. A study that followed about 90 Westie puppies from their breeders' homes for three years found that 52% developed atopic dermatitis, most of them in their first year. Adverse food reactions were diagnosed in 24% of the dogs. For an owner, the practical lesson is that itching in a young Westie is common, starts early, and may have more than one cause.

The typical signs are licking and chewing at the paws, rubbing the face, scratching the armpits and belly, red skin, and repeated ear infections. Secondary bacterial and yeast infections often make it worse and need treating in their own right.

Testing for a food component

Diet cannot switch off environmental allergy, but it can remove food as a trigger, and that has to be tested properly. The standard method is an elimination trial: a hydrolyzed diet, or a protein and carbohydrate the dog has never eaten, fed with nothing else. No treats, chews, flavored medicines or table scraps. A review of the evidence found that a trial should last at least eight weeks to show improvement in more than 90% of dogs with food-related signs. If the itching settles, the old food is reintroduced, and a flare after it returns confirms the diagnosis.

• Novel protein: it has to be genuinely new to that dog. Many foods now use lamb, duck, venison or fish, so check every food and treat the dog has had.
• Hydrolyzed diet: proteins broken into pieces too small to trigger most reactions, prescribed by a vet. It avoids guessing about past exposure.
• Grain-free: not an elimination diet. Most grain-free foods still contain common proteins such as chicken or beef.

If the trial shows no food component, the dog has environmental atopic dermatitis, which is managed with medication, skin care and control of infections. Fish oil is often added for itchy dogs; it is best treated as a supplement to that plan, agreed with the vet, rather than a treatment on its own. A food labelled complete and balanced already supplies the linoleic acid, zinc and B vitamins that the skin needs, and extra doses of these have no proven benefit for a healthy Westie.

Westie lung disease

Canine idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (CIPF) is a progressive scarring of the lungs that affects mainly older West Highland White Terriers. The cause is unknown and there is no treatment that reverses it. In a recent survey of owners covering more than 500 Westies, the median age at diagnosis was 11.6 years and median survival after diagnosis was one year. Crackles in the lungs were reported in 87% of affected dogs.

Early signs are easy to put down to age: a dry cough, breathing faster at rest, tiring sooner on walks. A resting breathing rate counted while the dog sleeps is a useful number to track; a rate that climbs over weeks is worth reporting. Blue-tinged gums or labored breathing at rest need a vet the same day.

No food or antioxidant has been shown to slow CIPF. The dietary goal is a lean body weight, since extra fat on the chest and abdomen makes breathing harder, and keeping weight on if the dog begins to lose muscle late in the disease. Smaller, more frequent meals can be easier for a dog that is short of breath.

Calories and weight

The Merck Veterinary Manual gives the standard starting point. Resting energy requirement (RER) is 70 times body weight in kilograms raised to the power 0.75. An intact adult needs about 1.8 times RER, a neutered adult 1.6 times, and a dog that gains weight easily 1.4 times. The AKC notes that some Westies are prone to getting overweight.

Figures are rounded to the nearest 5 kcal and are starting points, not fixed allowances. On a dog this size a daily chew or a few pieces of cheese can add 10% or more to intake, which is why weighing food on a kitchen scale beats a scoop. Two measured meals a day suit most adults. Puppies need more per kilogram: Merck gives 3 times RER before four months and 2 times RER after that, split into three or four meals.

The harsh white coat hides fat well. Feel for ribs under a thin layer and a waist behind them. A dog on an elimination trial or a hydrolyzed diet should still be weighed every couple of weeks, because prescription foods differ in calorie density from what the dog ate before.

Legg-Calvé-Perthes disease

In Legg-Calvé-Perthes disease, the blood supply to the ball of the hip joint fails and the bone collapses. It is a disease of young small dogs; VCA Animal Hospitals names terriers among the breeds affected. The sign is a slowly worsening hind-leg lameness, often with muscle loss on that leg. A young Westie that starts to limp or carry a back leg should be examined and X-rayed rather than rested and watched.

The usual treatment is surgery to remove the damaged femoral head, after which a false joint forms and most dogs regain good use of the leg. VCA describes it as hereditary, and no diet is known to prevent it. After surgery, the useful steps are keeping the dog lean while its activity is restricted, so it does not gain weight during recovery, and following the physiotherapy plan. Joint supplements are not needed for recovery from this surgery unless the vet recommends them for another reason.

Addison's disease

Hypoadrenocorticism (Addison's disease) is a failure of the adrenal glands to make enough cortisol and, usually, aldosterone. In UK primary-care records, the West Highland White Terrier had increased odds of the disease compared with crossbreeds. The most common signs in confirmed cases were lethargy, loss of appetite and vomiting. They come and go, so a Westie with repeated bouts of unexplained vomiting, weakness or poor appetite should be checked for it. Collapse is an emergency.

Treatment is lifelong hormone replacement, adjusted to regular blood tests of sodium and potassium. Diet supports that treatment but does not replace any of it:

• Keep meals and medication at the same times each day.
• Do not change salt intake, or switch to a low-sodium or prescription diet, without the vet, because medication doses are balanced against electrolyte results.
• Change foods gradually over a week or more. A sudden change that causes vomiting can be hard to tell apart from an Addisonian episode.
• Ask the vet about extra medication for stressful events such as boarding or travel.

Craniomandibular osteopathy

Craniomandibular osteopathy (CMO), sometimes called "Westie jaw", is excessive new bone growth on the jaw and skull of growing dogs. The AKC lists a CMO test among the health screens for the breed. In a CT study of 20 cases, dogs presented between 6 weeks and 12 months of age, and 80% were terriers, most of them Scottish terriers rather than Westies. The disease is self-limiting, which means the bone growth usually stops and partly remodels as the dog matures, but the active phase is painful.

Signs are pain when opening the mouth, reluctance to eat or chew, drooling, and swelling along the lower jaw. Pain relief from the vet comes first. Feeding changes help the puppy keep eating in the meantime:

• Soak kibble in warm water to a soft mash, or switch temporarily to a wet puppy food.
• Offer smaller meals more often if the puppy eats only a little at a time.
• Keep feeding a complete growth diet. Do not add calcium or other bone supplements.
• Weigh the puppy weekly. A growing dog that stops gaining needs a recheck.

Sources

1. West Highland White Terrier breed information. American Kennel Club.
2. Atopic dermatitis in West Highland white terriers - part I: natural history of atopic dermatitis in the first three years of life. Veterinary Dermatology, 2020.
3. Critically appraised topic on adverse food reactions of companion animals (1): duration of elimination diets. BMC Veterinary Research, 2015.
4. A questionnaire-based survey of owner-reported environment and care of West Highland white terriers with or without canine idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. Veterinary Journal, 2026.
5. Nutritional Requirements of Small Animals. Merck Veterinary Manual.
6. Legg-Calve-Perthes Disease. VCA Animal Hospitals.
7. Hypoadrenocorticism in dogs under UK primary veterinary care: frequency, clinical approaches and risk factors. Journal of Small Animal Practice, 2021.
8. Computed tomographic characteristics of craniomandibular osteopathy in 20 dogs. Frontiers in Veterinary Science, 2024.