Crawford Dogs

Loki's surgery consult was brief and to the point. Speciality surgeon recommends a neurology appointment and MRI. Concerned that he may have another congenitial neurological issue besides the obvious severe spondylosis. Sadly, ISU just lost their neurologist and its nearly a thousand more for an MRI in kansas. I'm a veterinary technician, which is a fancy way of saying I am poor and can't afford the care my own pets deserve despite working in vet med.

Wow, interesting posts in the past few days. I can vouch that Loki's issues are not caused by lack ofchiropractic adjustments.

Love it! Soon the dogs will argue with their handler's via text. "Really? I'm pretty sure the sheep dont5go in that pasture, we put them in the other field last week." and, "go bye? Don't you mean away you stupid human? "

Loki's been relaxing around the house and got to run errands with me last weekend. He was quite pleased with himself and was sure the bank drive thru was all about him-- I mean, treats come out of a tube? Wow! Loki is hanging in there and on some new supplements along with pain meds. At the vets office he couldn't stand/walk without help as the floor was too smooth to provide good traction. Very sad to see as he didn't used to have issues with it. I guess we all get old, some sooner than others. I didn't think it'd be at age 6 though.

Interesting but not suprising. The reason I won't get pups from heavy inbreeding. Turned down a free one last year for that reason and glad I did. My new puppy Fate has all the traits I want and isn't horrendously inbred.

Wow! I wonder which foods were tested? This study raises so many questions and I hope they do more studies.

Great info, thanks!

Well, Loki certainly knows how to pose for treats. I'm hoping a bit of rest will have him feeling better and able to do more?

I work in veterinary medicine as a registered vet tech and would call Loki's issues far from euthanasia. With rest he may still be able to return to some exercise. . Maybe once the inflammation decreases? He is happily playing bitey face with the puppy right now and will play a rousing round of roll the ball tonight. Still on nsaids but if drugs keep him comfortable and he can walk on his own power I see no reason for euthanasia. Of course I'm sure he finds roll the ball a stupid game compared to fetch.

Last year when Loki was 5 yrs old they had an incidental finding of grade 3 lumbosacral spondylosis and varying degrees of spondylosis throughout his lumbar vertebrae. The specialist said he had a spine of a 12 year old dog, was amazed he was ambulatory, and went on and on about genetics. He was asymptomatic and we were hopeful he would remain that way. It didn't. Since February Loki has become intermittently ataxic on his hind limbs, CP deficits that resolve with a few days rest, painful after/during activity, reluctance to jump, and occassional fecal incontinence. Rads show narrowed disc space in several areas and his spinal degeneration is progressing. Loki's been on rest for a couple weeks now since his latest problem. He spends his time looking longingly at the ducks (gotta help with the duck chores right? Time to sort'em? Pen them?) and gets quite upset when he is left behind while the other dogs go hiking in the woods. So how do you tell a 6 yr old dog that his body is failing him? That soon the 6 mo old puppy will begin training on stock-- his stock? Loki may be mentally in his prime but his body didn't get the message.

Here's my white girl Rose. She retired from agility at age 5 when the opthamologist said she was going blind. She wans't very good at it, but hey we enjoyed it. Guess who turns 9 next month? https://flic.kr/p/DGNM6K

In reply to Pam Wolf: You're joking right? That's like combining a sled dog with a herding dog? Sorry, the darned quote button won't work.

Ha haa!! I can't stop laughing. You've made my day! I would love to see similar studies done in ABCA border collies, it'd be nice to see data collected and revisited every decade or so. Not for any particular reason except to catch trends and it'd be interesting.

I put pups in a crate at eye level beside my bed (I put them in a crate on top of another crate). When they wake up they are reassured in their new home by my presence. If they need to potty they'll let me know. I've done that for the first couple weeks with each new pup I've brought home over the years and it works well. I get lots of sleep and pup gets pottied.

I have a mostly white border collie with a split face (shelter foster that never left). Severe fear aggression issues and poor socialization along with spine/pelvis/hip issues- background unknown but most likely from poor care/training by previous owner. Concerned about vision issues at 9 months, noted vision issues at age 4, confirmed going blind from autoimmune disorder before age 5. Also has issues telling which direction you are calling her from-- assume deaf in one ear but haven't bother to BAER test. BC's with primarily white bodies are at high risk for autoimmune disorders, allergies, etc. BC's with white on ears or over 50% white on heads (or littermates with such) are more likely to be deaf in one or both ears. BC's with white around eyes are more likely to have chronic issues with painful sunburns around eyes for their entire lives. I wouldn't get another white BC for all the money in the world. They can make nice pets however I've spent over 7 thousand in medical bills on my white BC. Also trained her in agility but can't trial her. She can trial in rally obedience either as blind dogs not allowed to compete in most venues. If you want a pet, then get the dog you like despite it's color. But get medical insurance right away before any health issues are found. No insurance company will insure my white BC. . I've tried. Having said that I've met lots of white BC's with little health issues and I know several with significant health issues. So yes, there is a risk.

I'm so sorry. You did the best you could do with Trooper and gave him a good life. He was a very lucky boy to have gotten the care he did. As Journey said I wouldn't assume your other dog is a carrier without doing testing. If he is a carrier and you do decide to breed him down the road be honest with the owner of the dam and the puppy buyers. As long as the dog he was bred to was clear and the puppy buyers were told you should be fine. I've had dogs with a slight chance of being CEA carriers (but no chance of being affected) and was ok with it. Obviously if I'd bred a possible carrier I'd have done a DNA test first.

"Click to Calm" by Emma Parsons has very well thought out explanations and training information. I found it very useful in rehabbing my one-time foster Rose (fear aggressive, long history of repeatedly biting before coming to me). Like everyone else said, keep your dog away from children and those situations until you have seen a trainer AND have a training plan in place. I'd highly recommend using an all-positive trainer who is both properly trained and experienced. Good luck! Bethany, Rose, and Loki

My guys shed regularly with the changing of the seasons. I love my old undercoat rake but Jeffer's rake looks pretty awesome, might be worth a try. I won't ever use a furminator as I've seen enough animals come into the clinic after it was over/improperly? used. An undercoat rake gets the hair out quick and easy. I do find it interesting that my long, curly coated red dog (Loki) sheds much less than my rough coated white dog (Rose, hair about half the length). My house is always covered in white hair and red hairs are rarely seen and a brushing session yields over twice the amt of hair from Rose than Loki.

Many border collies don't start maturing until age 3 (or later!). How old were her parents when they mentally matured? If she's just a naturally "spazzy" dog (personality trait? not sure what you mean here) it may just be who she is. My older gal Rose was a spaz and is still a spaz at 8 1/2 yrs old. My youngster Loki was a very driven youngster who thought 90 mph was the correct speed. At 5 yrs of age he'd still prefer to work stock at 90 mph but steady's up when asked. He's a novice learning with me (a novice). I will tell you though that since he got his own ducks this spring and the regular lessons those brought he has learned more self control, even more focus (scary!), and more confidence. His personality remains the same, he's just more intensely himself. So, if it's just a lack of focus or maturity working stock may help improve those. But if it's simply the personality you may be out of luck. I'm a novice in stockwork though so perhaps some more experienced people will chime in? Bethany

Pretty common issue in spayed females. My Rose has urinary incontinence along with many other urinary issues. It can be treated using a few different medications although to date all affected dogs I've owned have been treated with Proin. It's usually pretty easy to treat, your vet will know the best option for your dog, and I'm sure your vet will get it under control. So no worries, although your dog may be restricted to the linoleum floor for a while. Bethany

I've put it on my Amazon wish list. It sounds fascinating! Thanks for sharing. Bethany

Ouch! Sounds like her feet are very sore. I've had issues with my Loki- he doesn't have allergies but will occasionally get cuts/punctures in the interdigital space and then lick it until he develops a secondary infection. So when he has a cut between his tootsies he gets that foot bathed with malaseb shampoo twice a week, oral antibiotics, and gets to wear an e-collar or sock until it's getting fairly healed. There are a lot of approaches depending on your dogs particular issues and your vet can help you find the best one. So if the first method the vet recommends doesn't work check back with them for advice on another approach. Bethany

I've read the entire thread and am still clueless as to why the general public is giving their dogs coconut oil. Seriously, who gives their dog coconut oil and why in such large quantities it causes pancreatitis? I'm going to wonder all night. . . Bethany

Well, she's coming due for bloodwork again next month so maybe that'll answer some questions. Her veterinary chiropractor says she just wasn't build well and has a lot of health issues. She also says she's lucky to be alive. I guess we'll see? Bethany

Rose, my white BC from a shelter, turned 8 yrs old this spring but acts like she's 10 +. She slowed down quite a bit as she went mostly blind (autoimmune disease) and even more after pinched spinal nerves (IVDD suspected) last year. She plays infrequently and only plays for short periods of time when Loki or I get her into the mood. She rarely runs but when she does it's only for brief spurts with a bad pace (yes, she is on a joint supplement). She has become sound sensitive and has escalated her CCD behaviors- finally got her e-collar off after another round of self mutilation has healed up. She's such a wild child when really excited but of course, I wonder how much more she will slow down and if others have dogs that have slowed down at such a young age? What experiences have you had with your dogs? Bethany, Rose, and Loki