Westie Lung Disease

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF, also commonly called Westie Lung Disease) is a chronic progressive disease that causes gradual scarring and stiffness of lung tissue in dogs.

As the name suggests, the cause is unfortunately unknown.

Common symptoms of IPF are puffing, coughing, breathing difficulties, and loss of energy.

Some owners report that they can hear a crackling sound when their dog breathes. Older West Highland White Terriers are over-represented, but it also can occur in middle-aged and older dogs of any breed. Heart disease can cause similar symptoms and thus must be ruled out prior to the commencement of treatment.

Diagnosis of IPF involves a blood test to check the basic health status of your dog, a chest x-ray to check for signs of scarring of lung tissue, and a cardiac ultrasound to rule out heart disease and check for pulmonary hypertension, which commonly occurs in the late stage of IPF.

The current recommended treatment for IPF is administration of prednisolone, fluticasone propionate (Flixotide), and Class IV laser therapy. Prednisolone will be reduced to the lowest dose once laser treatments kick in to minimise its side effects.

From our experience, dogs with IPF tend to react poorly to bronchodilators, which are not recommended or must be kept at a low dose.

Ogawa Vet Clinic has been successfully helping dogs with IPF improve their quality of life.

The recommended laser therapy protocol is a daily treatment for three days, then 3–5 treatments every other day, then weekly or twice-weekly treatments until response plateaus. Then we taper to treatments to once every 2–4 weeks as maintenance. Some patients need weekly to fortnightly treatment to maintain their comfort.

We understand that most of our clients have busy lifestyles, and this protocol can be difficult to adhere to sometimes.

At the first consultation, we will examine your pet and make a treatment plan aiming for the best treatment outcome for your dog that also suits your schedule and budget.

For more information, please join Facebook group Westie Lung Disease--IPF in USA (Treatments, Symptoms, Studies, Etc.). 

There is a lot of useful information and support available from the community.