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Border Collie collapse


Margie Rose
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Hi I'm Margie and new to this forum. I have a 2 year old Border Collie who for the first time yesterday had her back legs go weak and lost her balance hoping to chat with other owners who'd for baby may suffer from this disorder.  I am taking her to vets to get her thyroid and heart checked. Is this a painful thing for her to experience? TiA.

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I know that Paralysis ticks are not naturally found in WA but has another dog visited from an eastern state or have you travelled to the east? If this happened in Qld it would, most likely, be a tick

http://media.murdoch.edu.au/vets-warn-of-paralysis-ticks

had she been vigorously exercising yesterday?

and

when you bought her did her parents have good hip scores?

 

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That would have been scary, Margie Rose. :(  Did your dog recover fairly soon afterwards, and is she apparently normal now?  Did her tongue appear purple or depply coloured.  Was she stopping being able to respond to cue or directions before the episode?  Was she under any sort of stress (good or bad)?

 

If it was a BCC episode, you should know that the first aid for that is stopping activity as soon as you start to notice symptoms, and cooling the dog off with luke warm or cool (not ice cold) water for several minutes.  Something like a paddling pool or stock trough is ideal, but wet towels under the belly are good too.

 

The go to source of information is the University of Minnesota.

 

Be aware that many vets are not familiar with BCC syndrome, and that it is hard to diagnose after the event.  If it happens again, and you get the chance for someone to video it while you are helping the dog, that can be helpful.  U. Minn are collecting samples from dogs which have experienced several BCC episodes.

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You should still be able to search here I hope. I posted quite a lengthy post at some point regarding BCC. My now nearly 11 year old BC suffers from BCC and had her first episode about 14-16 months. There is a facebook group which has lots of people with dogs who are affected. I have to say I wouldn't wish it on anybody and so sorry if your dog does have it. My girl has quite a severe version of it and its basically been a constant stress for much of her life (unfortunate to say). Is your girl from a registered breeder? If so I would certainly be letting the breeder know as its unfortunately a condition which is starting to occur way to frequently in the breed. I am happy to try and answer any questions you might have.

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  • 3 months later...
On 12/10/2018 at 8:31 PM, ness said:

You should still be able to search here I hope. I posted quite a lengthy post at some point regarding BCC. My now nearly 11 year old BC suffers from BCC and had her first episode about 14-16 months. There is a facebook group which has lots of people with dogs who are affected. I have to say I wouldn't wish it on anybody and so sorry if your dog does have it. My girl has quite a severe version of it and its basically been a constant stress for much of her life (unfortunate to say). Is your girl from a registered breeder? If so I would certainly be letting the breeder know as its unfortunately a condition which is starting to occur way to frequently in the breed. I am happy to try and answer any questions you might have.

Hi Ness, I think our dog has BCC. I’ve just been searching online tonight which has lead me to this forum. Our boy is almost 2 years old and up until 2 weeks ago never had any issues. I watched him stagger and fall about 2 weeks ago after running a lot in the heat (which he has done all the time). I immediately though of paralysis tick and could not find one. He has collapsed again today with little running but was excited as we (mum and kids) arrived home after a week away (dad was home with dogs). We plan to take him to vet tomorrow but from what I’ve researched tonight it seems not many vets are aware of BCC. Can you advise the name of the Facebook group you mentioned please. I would like recommendations of vets in QLD (Jimboomba area) that may have some awareness in BCC.

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14 hours ago, Binz said:

Hi Ness, I think our dog has BCC. I’ve just been searching online tonight which has lead me to this forum. Our boy is almost 2 years old and up until 2 weeks ago never had any issues. I watched him stagger and fall about 2 weeks ago after running a lot in the heat (which he has done all the time). I immediately though of paralysis tick and could not find one. He has collapsed again today with little running but was excited as we (mum and kids) arrived home after a week away (dad was home with dogs). We plan to take him to vet tomorrow but from what I’ve researched tonight it seems not many vets are aware of BCC. Can you advise the name of the Facebook group you mentioned please. I would like recommendations of vets in QLD (Jimboomba area) that may have some awareness in BCC.

Hi Binz.  Ness might not be on here today, so may not get back to you quickly.  But I think this FB group might be the one .. or if not .. might have some useful stuff.

 

I don't know as much about BCC as Ness, but I know a bit.  At least in some dogs, it is not just heat that can trigger a collapse episode .. humidity plays a role, but part of the trigger stacking at least for some dogs may well be excitement/arousal/stress.

You're right in that a lot of vets are not too knowledgeable about BCC, so the more you can find out, the better.   In terms of management, you need to learn your dog's triggers, and try to avoid them. or at least avoid the stacking.  .. so not running round too muh in the heat … short spells, then rest .,.. preferably with access to a warm paddling pool.  Immediate first aid .. stop activity, and get the dog to somewhere where you can wet particularly the belly area with luke warm (not really cold) water, and have them relax in a cool shady place.

 

You've probably discovered these sources, but I'll link them anyway  https://www.vetmed.umn.edu/research/labs/canine-genetics-lab/genetic-research/border-collie-collapse

https://dogcare.dailypuppy.com/causes-border-collie-collapse-syndrome-7210.html

http://bordercolliesinaction.com/blog/border-collie-collapse-bcc/

http://www.usask.ca/vmc/small-animal/medicine/border-collie-collapse.php

 

 

 

Edited by Tassie
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