The Shih Tzu
The following diseases are reported to occur more frequently in the Shih Tzu than in the general dog population. In some cases the disease either has, or is believed to have, a genetic, hereditary cause but many of the diseases listed here do not have a proven genetic basis. 

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If you do not find the disease that you are looking for in this list the disorder has probably not been reported to occur more frequently in this breed than in the dog population as a whole. Try to find it through the search button.

Alimentary tract diseases
This section includes diseases that involve the mouth, oesophagus (gullet), stomach, small intestine (duodenum and ileum), large intestine (colon and rectum), liver and pancreas.

Diseases involving the mouth

• Cleft palate

Diseases affecting the gullet (oesophagus)

Diseases involving the pancreas

Diseases involving the stomach

• Pyloric stenosis (antral hypertrophy)

Diseases affecting the small intestine

Diseases affecting the large intestine

Heart valve disorders

• Endocardiosis

Abnormal development of major blood vessels to the heart

Heart muscle disease

Other

• Ventricular septal defect

Diseases of the eyeball

• Vitreal syneresis

Diseases of the eyelids

• Distichiasis
• Entropion
• Proptosis
• Trichiasis (caruncular)

Diseases of the third eyelid (nictitating membrane)

Diseases of the cornea

• Corneal ulcer (refractory)
• Keratoconjunctivitis sicca (dry eye)
• Pigmentary keratitis

Diseases of the lens

Diseases of the optic nerve

• Micropapilla
• Optic nerve hypoplasia

Diseases of the retina

Immune system diseases

Kidney & Urinary tract disease

• Familial renal dysplasia
• Renal glucosuria
• Urolithiasis - calcium oxalate
• Urolithiasis - Struvite
• Urolithiasis - Calcium phosphate
• Urolithiasis - silica

Liver diseases

Nervous system diseases

• Intervertebral disc disease

Orthopaedic diseases

• Achondrodysplasia (normal for breed)
• Intervertebral disc disease

Respiratory diseases

• Tracheal collapse

Skin diseases

• Atopy (allergy)
• Dermoid sinus
• Follicular cyst
• Sebaceous adenitis (reported)
• Skin tumours

Other

• Alopecia reaction to corticosteroid injection