Cairn Terrier health

Question
Hi Becky,

 My friend has a full bread Cairen terrier puppy, and he had to put him to sleep because of kidney failure. His puppy was only about 10 months old. I also have a cairn terrier, and he's about 14 months old, and i was concerned about him too. Is it common for Cairn terriers to have kidney failure? If it's not a common problem, then what do you think could have caused his kidneys to fail? Please E-mail me back ASAP. thanx a million,
        
                  ~ nicole ~  

Answer
Hi Nicole,

Your friend's dog probably had a genetic birth defect. I have not heard of this being a common ailment in Cairn Terriers. I really don't think you need to worry about it.  I'm so sorry this happened to your friend's dog, but more than likely he was born with the problem for it to affect him at such a young age.

God Bless,
Becky