Rat Terrier

Rat Terrier

EnergeticLovingSmart

Ratties or Rat Terriers are loving, loyal, and extremely energetic. They love to play and romp around with their family. They are also very friendly toward people they know. You and your family are the first priority.

Health
Personality
Lifetime Care

Breed Profile

Height

10 - 18

Inches

Weight

10 -25

Pounds

Life Span

12-18

Years

Health

health

Demodectic Mange

Affects
10%
of dogs

What is it?

Demodectic mange is a condition where your pup will develop hairless patches on their skin. They also tend to have sores or lesions in those areas. The cause of these patches is an overabundance of the Demodex mite.

Usually, a pup will have some Demodex mites in their hair follicles, but their immune system prevents them from causing too much trouble. When your dog has more mites than usual, their immune system can’t keep up, which makes younger pups particularly susceptible.

Clinical signs:

Dry, hairless skin ,lesions, redness, itchy spots, rash skin thickening, scaling, inflamed lymph nodes in extreme cases, bacterial infections, highly inflamed skin

Treatment:

Mild cases resolve themselves, topical medication, miticidal treatment (oral or topical), antibiotics if a secondary infection occurs.

Health risks:

Secondary skin infections

Ivermectin, a miticidal treatment, can negatively affect dogs with the MDR1 mutation.

Eligible vet bill

$102

Reimbursement Rate

Amount a Spot accident & illness plan could cover*

$92

Your Net payment

$10

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*Hypothetical reimbursement examples illustrate reimbursement of an eligible vet bill at the noted reimbursement rate, assuming the annual deductible had already been satisfied and the annual coverage limit has not yet been met. Annual deductible, co-insurance, benefit and coverage limits, and exclusions may apply. Eligibility may vary. Visit https://www.spotpetinsurance.ca/sample-policy for full terms. For Canada enrollments only, reimbursement rate is based on the pet's age.

health

Epilepsy

Affects
1%
of dogs

What is it?

Epilepsy is a condition that can affect dogs and humans. It causes seizures, but the exact reason is unknown. Brain injuries are believed to be one cause of seizures, but epilepsy seems to be a condition that can be inherited genetically.

It causes abnormal brain waves, but the brain itself seems normal. When seizures occur, there is an electrical surge in brain activity.

Clinical signs:

Seizures: stiffening in legs and neck, trembling and shaking, uncontrollable drooling and/or chewing, uncontrolled bladder, vocalizing.

Pre-seizure: anxious, fearful, dazed. Post-seizure: sleepy, confused, dazed, disoriented.

Treatment:

Anticonvulsants

Health risks:

injury during seizures, seizure clusters, which can lead to status epilepticus, a constant seizure state that is life-threatening, severe/grand mal seizures, which are increasingly violent seizures.

Eligible vet bill

$5,000

Reimbursement Rate

Amount a Spot accident & illness plan could cover*

$4,500

Your Net payment

$500

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*Hypothetical reimbursement examples illustrate reimbursement of an eligible vet bill at the noted reimbursement rate, assuming the annual deductible had already been satisfied and the annual coverage limit has not yet been met. Annual deductible, co-insurance, benefit and coverage limits, and exclusions may apply. Eligibility may vary. Visit https://www.spotpetinsurance.ca/sample-policy for full terms. For Canada enrollments only, reimbursement rate is based on the pet's age.

health

Patellar Luxation

Affects
15%
of dogs

What is it?

Patellar Luxation is a condition affecting the knees of your pup. It occurs when a dog's kneecap slips out of its place. The seriousness of the illness and the treatment are based on how many legs are affected by this condition.

If your dog has only one leg that’s affected, the treatment is much easier. If there are multiple affected kneecaps, your pup may need to undergo surgery to help correct the problem.

Clinical signs:

clinical signs, skipping or hopping, kicking leg out to pop the kneecap into place, intermittent lameness, lifting affected leg when moving, weight shifting.

Treatment:

in less severe cases, arthritis medication, in more severe cases, surgery.

Health risks:

osteoarthritis, kneecap instability, intermittent lameness

Eligible vet bill

$2,980

Reimbursement Rate

Amount a Spot accident & illness plan could cover*

$2,682

Your Net payment

$298

Click For Price

*Hypothetical reimbursement examples illustrate reimbursement of an eligible vet bill at the noted reimbursement rate, assuming the annual deductible had already been satisfied and the annual coverage limit has not yet been met. Annual deductible, co-insurance, benefit and coverage limits, and exclusions may apply. Eligibility may vary. Visit https://www.spotpetinsurance.ca/sample-policy for full terms. For Canada enrollments only, reimbursement rate is based on the pet's age.

Personality

Energetic

Ratties are loving, loyal, and extremely energetic.

Playful 

They love to play and romp around with their family.

Fun 

These little dogs are tons of fun and need lots of activities and play.

Excitable

Both like to bark, whether at the mailman or a squirrel. This can make them great watchdogs.

Smart

Their intelligence and desire to make you happy mean they’re easy to train and learn quickly.

Lifetime Care

Coat

Rat terriers have a short and smooth coat with varied markings.

Colors

They are a colorful breed ranging from black and white to red and tan, as well as, tricolor.

Hypoallergenic

No, these dogs are not hypoallergenic.

Grooming

Weekly or bi-weekly grooming is best for a rat terrier.

Training

Socialization is also a necessary part of training, so your dog knows how to interact with new people and dogs.

Rat terrier life stages 

  • Puppy: 0-5 months

  • Adolescent: 5-13/15 months

  • Adult: 13/15 months - 10 years

  • Senior: 10-18 years