What health problems do Shelties have?

Although the Shetland Sheepdog is relatively free from major health problems, you should be aware of a few issues.

Shelties can be affected by the hereditary eye problems CEA & GPRA. A paper on the subject can be downloaded from our Downloads pages or click here

There is a DNA test for CEA(CH) but this is not a substitute for physical eye examination of puppies at 6 weeks old, which will also identify other eye problems such as coloboma and distichiasis. Both can also be hereditary.

It has been discovered recently that there are two variants of GPRA in Shelties; CNGA1 and BBS2. Both can cause blindness. CNGA1 is early onset and BBS2 is late onset. Both can be identified by regular eye examination and there are DNA tests for both conditions. DNA testing for both conditions is now available. Click here for details.

Hip Dysplasia has been known to affect some Shelties. A number of breeders are now getting their breeding stock hip scored.

Shelties can suffer adverse reactions to an anti-parasitic drug called Ivermectin. It has been discovered that some breeds of dog, mainly, but not exclusively varieties of Collie, are unable to produce a protein which is essential for pumping drugs and toxins out of the central nervous system. Ivermectin is just one of several drugs which are now known can cause this reaction and the condition is generally referred to as MDR1 because the protein responsible is known as the Multi-Drug Resistance protein. MDR1 is not a disease and as long as a dog with the sensitivity is not exposed to any of the dangerous drugs then it will not be at risk of a reaction. A comprehensive article was published in issue 120 of the Nutshell. The article was updated in January 2013 and is available here or from our Downloads pages.

Dermatomyositis (DM or FCD) is an extremely serious, but fortunately rare, skin disease which can affect Shelties. You can download a copy of a paper, originally given by Mrs Marion Withers at the Club's Annual General Meeting in 2004 and updated in January 2010, from our Downloads pages or click here. Please note that this paper contains photographs of some dogs affected by this condition, which some of you may find disturbing. Larger images of these photographs can be viewed from the Downloads pages or click here.

You may also find this article about dental issues interesting.

The ESSC is a member of the Pastoral Breeds Health Foundation which is actively fundraising & promoting research into health issues and promoting health testing of Pastoral Breeds. Their website has a lot of useful information which you can find here. 

The Shetland Sheepdog is a bright, lively dog with a fairly long lifespan, averaging twelve to fourteen years. However, the breed does have quite a few medical conditions that can end up being costly and even shorten their lives. It’s important to talk to any breeder you are thinking about adopting from to make sure they are doing the necessary tests on their breeding dogs. Whether you own a Sheltie or are thinking of getting one, it’s good to know what to watch for. The following are the top three health concerns for your Shetland Sheepdog.

#1 – Dermatomyositis

Also called DM or sometimes Sheltie Skin Syndrome – which is a false name as it affects several herding breeds – is a mysterious genetic disease that causes hair loss on the head, face, forelegs, and tail. It usually shows up around four to six months old and is often mistaken for mange. However, a deep tissue biopsy can determine if it is DM or not. Severe forms effect the muscles and dogs may have to be euthanized. Researchers have not been able to map it’s genetic marker in order to do a DNA test to see if a dog is carrier or has it. Puppies in the same litter can be affected or not afffected (for example my fourteen-year-old sheltie who is still going strong had a littermate with it). What they don’t know is if, for instance, my dog is a carrier, which is why a dog from a litter that had even one DM puppy should not be bred.

#2 – Patent Ductus Arteriosus

Shelties are at high risk for this congenital defect where the ductus arteriosus (a blood vessel connecting two major ateries in a fetus) stays open after birth, causing a reverse flow of blood through the open passage. This allows for increased blood flow to the lungs, or less common, blood will flow in the opposite direction through the vessel into the left side of the heart. If left untreated, most dogs die of heart failure within their first year of life. A strong heart murmur at the puppy’s first check-up is a warning sign of the defect.

#3 – Deafness

As they age, Shetland Sheepdogs are prone to hearing loss, which is not really a big deal. You can plan for it by teaching your dog hand signals as well as verbal cues prior to hearing loss. However, they can also have congenital deafness due to the degeneration of sensory inner ear structures. The likelihood of deafness is tied to coat color genetics and therefore there is an increased risk of deafness in Shelties with a lot of white in their coat. This is just one of the many reasons why no one should breed two merle-colored dogs together.

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Are Shelties prone to deafness?

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