An adult West Highland White Terrier needs a complete food and a portion matched to its weight: for a neutered, moderately active Westie of 8 kg, that is about 336 kcal a day. Veterinary studies on thousands of Westies add three things worth knowing before you fill the bowl: skin problems are common but less so than the breed's reputation suggests, Westies are nearly three times as likely as crossbreeds to be diagnosed with diabetes, and the breed is one of those predisposed to copper building up in the liver.
Much of the advice on Westie food starts from a single idea: this is the itchy breed, so the answer must lie in the bowl. The largest set of real-world vet records draws a wider picture, and only part of it runs through food. We found no study showing that kibble, wet or cooked food suits Westies better than another format: what counts is a complete food, a portion that fits the dog in front of you, and knowing which of the breed's weak points the bowl can actually reach.
Those records come from VetCompass, the Royal Veterinary College programme that analyses the clinical notes of UK first-opinion vets. Of 6,605 Westies seen in 2016, a random sample of 2,058 was reviewed in detail, and the most common diagnoses were dental disease (15.7%), ear inflammation (10.6%), overgrown nails (7.2%), allergic skin disease (6.5%) and obesity (6.1%). Two of these five, skin and weight, have something to do with food. Teeth much less so: the breed standard asks for teeth "large for size of dog", which the authors suggest could favour a poor bite and dental disease. For those, see our guide on brushing your dog's teeth.
The FCI breed standard gives only a height, about 28 cm at the withers, and no weight; it does, however, ask for skin "free from obvious skin problems". The American Kennel Club gives 15-20 lb, about 7-9 kg, and that is the range of our table.
Real Westies are heavier. In the UK records the average adult weighed 9.6 kg: 10.1 kg for males and 9.0 kg for females. Growth curves drawn from more than 22,000 weighings show that Westies grow fast until one year of age but keep gaining weight until about five, then level off. The study does not say how much of that is fat, but obesity was the fifth most common diagnosis. So the scales alone will not tell you whether your Westie is right: under that dense coat, check with your hands. On the WSAVA 9-point body condition scale a score of 4-5 is ideal: ribs easy to feel without pressing, and a waist visible from above.
This is the least known point, and the one where weight counts most. In a VetCompass study of more than 480,000 dogs aged three or over, Westies had 2.88 times the odds of diabetes compared with crossbreeds; the Border Terrier was the only other breed with significantly raised odds. In the same study, dogs recorded as obese had 2.71 times the odds. In the breed study, 1.2% of Westies had diabetes on record in 2016. These are associations, not proof of cause, but a lean body is one of the few factors in the owner's hands.
A follow-up study adds a link with the skin: among the diabetic dogs of the breeds analysed, Westies were the most often treated with steroids in the six weeks before diagnosis (20.7% of them, against 6.8% of Westies without diabetes). Across all breeds, skin and ear problems were the most common reason for the steroids, and steroid treatment was itself associated with diabetes. Never stop a treatment on your own, but if your Westie starts drinking and urinating much more, or loses weight while eating well, tell your vet.
The Westie's reputation as an itchy dog has a basis. It is one of the breeds most often linked to atopic dermatitis, the environmental skin allergy: in Swedish insurance data it had an above-average risk, and in a US owner survey 23.2% of Westies were described as affected.
The UK records tell a more nuanced story: the authors themselves write that skin disease was less common than might be expected. Skin problems as a group affected 22.7% of Westies in one year, against 15.5% of dogs overall and 17.9% of French Bulldogs: more, but far from all. Formally diagnosed atopic dermatitis was only 2.5%, although the authors think many cases hide under other labels: the six skin-inflammation diagnoses together, from ear inflammation to inflamed paws and skin infections, reached 28%. One explanation they suggest: as the breed's popularity has fallen, there may be less pressure on breeding and more room to use healthier dogs, so Westie skin may genuinely be improving.
Itching has many causes, and food is only one of them. Westies do turn up often in studies of dogs with skin reactions to food: in a review of 825 such dogs, the five case series that recorded Westies counted 18 of them among 164 dogs (11%); the breed came out as predisposed in three studies, and together with German Shepherds, Labradors and Golden Retrievers, Westies made up about 40% of all the dogs reviewed. The same authors conclude, however, that there are no reliable data on breed predisposition.
As for chicken, we found no study showing that Westies react to it more than other dogs do. Across 297 dogs with documented food reactions, the most frequent culprits were beef (34%), dairy (17%), chicken (15%) and wheat (13%). The only way to find out is an elimination diet set up by your vet, with a protein the dog has never eaten, for at least 8 weeks: that is how long it takes for more than 90% of dogs with a food allergy to go into remission. Blood, saliva and hair tests are not reliable for this diagnosis.
The Westie is one of the breeds predisposed to copper-associated chronic hepatitis, alongside the Bedlington Terrier, Labrador, Dobermann and Dalmatian, according to the consensus statement of the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (ACVIM). A 1986 study showed that the copper storage problem is inherited in the breed: of 71 Westies whose liver tissue was analysed, 44 had raised copper levels, in some cases up to 22 times the average of healthy mixed-breed dogs, and matings between high-copper dogs produced high-copper puppies. More recently, in 4,559 dog liver biopsies examined in the United States between 2010 and 2020, the Westie was one of three breeds associated with abnormally high copper, with the Dobermann and the Labrador.
Food plays a part: the ACVIM panel writes that excessive copper intake from food strongly influences how much builds up, in predisposed breeds and others, and that many commercial foods contain 2-4 times the copper recommended by the US National Research Council. Two cautions, though. Not every liver problem in a Westie is copper: in a series of 17 Westies with liver disease, 2 had copper toxicosis. And a definitive diagnosis needs a liver biopsy with copper measurement. If your vet finds copper building up, a copper-restricted diet, prescribed by the vet, becomes part of lifelong management; until then, ask before adding mineral supplements.
Every Pappa Fresh recipe contains one meat and lists the percentage of each ingredient on the label, so you always know what your Westie is eating and can discuss it with your vet:
They are cooked in the pouch and keep outside the fridge until opened; once opened, they go in the fridge and should be used within 2-3 days. For a Westie one 400 g pouch covers about 1.4 days of meals, so it is finished well within that limit. If you would rather keep part of your Westie's usual kibble, the Mix plan covers half the daily ration. And if your vet has prescribed a specific diet, ask before adding anything to the bowl.
An adult Westie of 8 kg, neutered and moderately active, needs about 336 kcal a day: with our Chicken recipe that is about 295 g of wet food, with the richer Beef 247 g. An intact Westie burns more, about 421 kcal (369 g of Chicken). The table runs from 7 kg to 9 kg, the AKC range. Many Westies weigh more, as the UK records show: if yours does, check its body condition first. If it is lean, the quiz works out the portion from its real weight; if it is carrying extra, the quiz takes body condition into account too.
Compared with a bag of kibble the grams will look high, and that is normal: kibble is far more concentrated (around 350-400 kcal per 100 g, against 110-136 for our recipes), so the same calories weigh about three times as much in wet food. For the general logic behind portions, see our guide how much should a dog eat.
| Weight | Energy need (kcal/day) neutered / intact | Grams per day neutered / intact | Complete plan | Mix (½) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 kg | 304 / 380 | 267 g / 333 g | €4.93/day | €2.43/day |
| 8 kg | 336 / 421 | 295 g / 369 g | €5.45/day | €2.69/day |
| 9 kg | 367 / 459 | 322 g / 403 g | €5.96/day | €2.92/day |
Grams based on the Chicken recipe (114 kcal/100 g); with Beef, which is richer (136 kcal/100 g), you need about 16% less. Prices for a neutered dog.
Figures calculated with the same method as our quiz (FEM×K: maintenance energy adjusted for breed, activity, neutering and body condition). They are an estimate: take the quiz for your dog's exact plan, and talk to your vet about any health concern.
Two minutes: enter weight, age and activity to get the exact portion, with 30% off your first order.
An adult Westie of 8 kg, neutered and moderately active, needs about 336 kcal a day, which is about 295 g of our Chicken recipe. At 9 kg it is about 367 kcal, or 322 g. These are estimates: the right portion also depends on body condition, and the quiz calculates it for your dog.
The American Kennel Club gives 15-20 lb, about 7-9 kg, while the FCI standard gives only a height of about 28 cm. In UK vet records adult Westies averaged 9.6 kg: 10.1 kg for males and 9.0 kg for females. More than the number, check body condition: ribs easy to feel and a waist visible from above.
Not as far as the studies show. Westies turn up often in studies of dogs with skin reactions to food, but we found no study showing that they react to chicken more than other dogs. In 297 dogs with documented food reactions, beef was the most common culprit (34%), ahead of dairy and chicken. Only an elimination diet supervised by your vet can tell.
Yes, more than most dogs: in UK vet records Westies had 2.88 times the odds of diabetes compared with crossbreeds, and obesity was also associated with diabetes in the same study. If your Westie drinks and urinates much more than usual, or loses weight while eating well, see your vet.
Only if the vet finds copper building up in the liver, which takes a biopsy to confirm. The Westie is one of the breeds predisposed to copper-associated hepatitis, and in that case the vet prescribes a copper-restricted diet for life. Do not switch a healthy Westie to one on your own: most copper-restricted diets are also lower in protein.
Written by the Pappa Fresh editorial team from published veterinary studies (see sources). Not a substitute for your vet's advice.
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