THESE smart little Terriers, which were made in Australia towards the end of last century by crosses of several British Terriers, have a considerable vogue in the Antipodes. First shown in England about 1908, they have found more admirers in recent years, and prospects seem hopeful. The Australian Terrier standard describes the dog as being rather low set, compact, active, with good straight hair, the harder the better. Coat approximately from 2 inches to 2* inches long.
Average Australian Terrier weight about 10 lb. or 11 lb., but it may be from S lb. to 14 lb. Average height about 10 inches, but it may be from 8 inches to 12 inches. The Australian Terrier head Is long and skull flat, full between the eyes, with a topknot of soft hair. Long, powerful jaw. Level teeth. Nose black. Eyes small, keen and dark. Ears small; set high; pricked; free from long hairs. Ears not to be cropped. Neck inclined to be long in proportion to body, with a decided frill of hair. Australian Terrier body rather long in proportion to height; well ribbed up; back straight.
The Australian Terrier Tail docked. Forelegs perfectly straight, set well under body. Slight feather to knee; clean feet. Strong thigh, hocks slightly bent. Feet small and well padded. Australian Terrier Colour of body blue, sandy or red. Tan on legs; richer the better. On face, tan below ears; black nose; blue or silver topknot.
Owners of Australian Terriers have been aware that our breed has a higher than normal incidence of diabetes and other endocrine diseases since the breed was in its formative years. It has become more prevalent and more of an issue for owners since the breed has become more popular and our numbers have grown. This disease is being diagnosed more efficiently and the internet certainly makes it more visible than it used to be. The August 2011 issue of The Whole Dog Journal refers to a study done by Banfield Hospitals which states that the incidence of diabetes in all breeds has increased by almost 1/3 since their last study done in 2006.
The following article is written by ATCA members with over 110 combined years in ATCA , and each one lived with one or more diabetic Australian Terriers during this time. This article is not intended as medical advice. Consult with your veterinarian before making any change in the daily schedule of your diabetic dog. The suggestions offered can make living with a diabetic Australian Terrier dog easier and less costly, and with good care and owner commitment, most diabetic dogs can be well regulated and live a normal lifespan.
There are a number of theories on why our breed seems to be affected more by diabetes than some other Australian Terrier breeders. In the early years the gene pool was quite small, resulting in closely bred pedigrees. There are theories that diet, the type and quantity of food used has been a contributing factor, as is age, since this almost always occurs in older Australian Terrier that unfortunately have completed their breeding career before being diagnosed. Having pancreatitis in the past, whether indicating damage to the pancreas or an inherent weakness is that organ may be a contributing factor. Overweight Australian Terriers, as in humans, may be predisposed to diabetes.
It has been documented that the use of steroids for other conditions can result in dogs becoming diabetic soon afterwards. And with a deficient endocrine system come other related disorders such as Cushing ’s disease, Addison ’s disease, thyroid abnormalities, and the devastating Sudden Acquired Retinal Degeneration (SARD), which although it affects the eyes, is actually precipitated by adrenal exhaustion and other endocrine system imbalances.
The most effective way in regulating your Australian Terrier diabetic is to use a monitor and do testing at home. Monitors are often for sale for a relatively low cost. They require a test strip that is good for only one use. There are some monitors available now that require an extremely small droplet of blood. I found that the easiest method of obtaining a blood droplet was to clip a nail. Remember you don’t need much blood so this is not a painful ordeal. A grinder will easily get to the quick if the nails are kept short. Other methods are a lip prick with the lancet and this produces a droplet of blood easily. Timing is everything with this method as the tongue can be very fast and multiple sticks may be needed initially while learning this method to get the blood on the test strip. Instructions can be found on the web for this method. It has been suggested that the ear is also a good place to stick. However, I never had much luck with this method.
Initially I did a Australian Terrier blood glucose curve each Friday and gave my vet the numbers at the end of the day. This record included feeding times and amount fed. My vet adjusted insulin as needed over several months. Any change in insulin dose requires several weeks to stabilize. The weekly chart was helpful to see the progression as the glucose level came down into normal ranges. As time progressed I changed from feeding two times a day to four times a day as the glucose level tended to not spike with more frequent small feedings. I did home monitoring instead of having to take my dog to the vet every several weeks as it was easier for my dog and less stressful to her than spending the day in the hospital. The stress of being left at the vets all day can skew the results of the glucose curve.
After the initial weeks of monitoring I became more aware of my Australian Terrier behavior when her sugar was high and especially if her sugar level was low and monitoring was only as necessary. The additional expense of the monitor and test strips is offset by the benefit of a healthy controlled diabetic.
Australian Terrier Video
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