The Westie Skin Diary
For a West Highland White Terrier, skin monitoring is the centre of home care, because this breed's troubles so often announce themselves through itching long before anything else changes. Keep a simple skin diary: date, body area, what you see, and how much scratching, licking or chewing happened that day. Part the white coat and look at the skin itself — pinkness on the belly, rusty staining on licked paws, flakes along the back, a yeasty smell from the armpits or groin. Record possible triggers beside each flare: a new food, a bath, wet grass walks, a boarding stay, a season turning.
Ears, Eyes and Head Shaking
A West Highland White Terrier's upright ears are easier to monitor than a floppy-eared breed's, but they still need a weekly look. Record odor, redness just inside the ear, dark wax, head shaking and scratching at one side, noting whether ear signs arrive together with a skin flare, since in Westies the two often travel as a pair. A sudden squint or a painful-looking eye is a same-day call, while mild tear staining that is stable can wait for the routine visit with your notes.
Appetite, Drinking and Digestion
Log appetite for a West Highland White Terrier with the same care as skin, because appetite is often the first non-skin signal that something is brewing. Record refused meals, grazing instead of eating, or new fussiness, and set the entry beside digestion notes: stool consistency, vomiting, grass eating and any scavenged find on a walk. Note water intake if the bowl empties faster than usual across several days, especially in an older Westie, and record whether night-time urination changes with it. A single off day after excitement is ordinary terrier life; appetite, drinking and energy all drifting together across a week is a pattern to phone in. Dating these entries precisely lets the vet order sensible tests instead of guessing at duration.
Weight, Stamina and the Ageing Westie
A West Highland White Terrier's sturdy little frame should stay lean, so weigh monthly and record the number rather than trusting the look of a dog in a full white coat. Log walk stamina: the usual route finished keenly, or lagging, sitting down, or refusing the second outing. Senior Westies deserve extra entries — stiffness on rising, hesitation at stairs, longer naps, and whether the dog still hears the treat packet. Note breathing changes too, including coughing after excitement or at night. These ageing entries, taken monthly, build a baseline that makes genuine decline visible early, when it is most manageable, instead of being recognised only in hindsight at a crisis visit.
When Watching Becomes Calling
Phone the vet for a West Highland White Terrier who scratches himself raw or bleeds, whose skin smells strong and worsens despite your usual care, or who has repeated ear flare-ups in the same ear. Sudden appetite loss with vomiting, blood in stool or urine, marked lethargy, or a Westie who cannot settle at night also move from diary to call. A rapidly growing lump, sudden limping or collapse is same-day territory. For the slow background entries — seasonal itch, a stable small lump, mild tartar — bring the diary to the routine visit and agree on written thresholds: the exact changes that should trigger a call before the next check. Adding those thresholds to the diary keeps the whole household consistent.
The Diary and the Clinic Record Together
A Westie's home skin diary and the clinic's exam findings are two halves of one story, and each is weaker without the other. KinsLe's Pet Passport keeps your West Highland White Terrier's home observations, visit summaries and agreed vet thresholds in one portable packet, so nothing you noticed at home gets lost before it can help.