cwb3

Love this thread! What an adorable pup!!

FWIW, melatonin works pretty well to take the edge off in the evenings. For my epileptic border collie, I had my holistic veterinarian precribe a tablet form of CBD oil that paired with melatonin worked very well on those nights after a seizure when otherwise nobody in the house would get any sleep.

Yes I am transitioning a 9 1/2 y/o dog from Aglity to Nosework. She has a good amount of hound in her mix so it should be a nice fit.

Let us know what oyu find out Sue. At her age it is likely not epilespy, but a symptom of something else. Given her kidney history and her age I'd be hesitant about putting her on any conventional seizure medication. Losing control of bowel/bladder is pretty common during a seizure. Is she restful the hours and night following a seizure? If so that is good for you and her. Echo the comments about the general usefulness of vanilla ice cream or honey for the blood sugar. Melatonin and CBD oil are good if the seizures are followed by a period of restlessness or anxiety. Expect also that she is essentally blind for several moments following a seizure. I'm sorry to hear this, my border collie had epilespy and I don't wish that on any one's pup.

I am so sorry to hear the news. Read his book "Border Collie Wars" soon after getting Cowboy. It changed how I will think and act concerning Border Collies forever. His voice on the board was always one to read and listen to. I will certainly order An American Homeplace shortly. RIP good Sir.

You can try these links for additional research on Flyball opprotunities in your general area. https://www.flyball.org/getstarted/index.shtml https://flyballdogs.com/locator.html I am in Northern VA about 60 miles west of DC. The Mid Atlantic region is pretty good for flyball.

I do not know how far away you are from Blacksburg, but New River Rapids (NRR) is an active flyball club that hosts tournaments there a couple times a year. https://www.nrrflyball.org/ There are teams and tournaments in Roanoke, Blacksburg, several other sites in North Carolina, Virginia, and Tennessee within a 3 to 6 hour drive from where you live. NRR might be the closest Flyball club from where you live however.

Nice to have the board back up and running!

Trust your instincts and love every day with your pup.

I would so buy a pair of pajamas with that pattern on it!

I am so very sorry for your loss. Too soon. May Trout run free.

The epilepsy and the seizure meds had an effect of making him constantly hungry. To the point where he stated to go after poop, his or other animals. Sometimes I could call him off of it, other times I had to drag him off it. That was one of several reasons we chose to fade out the seizure meds. But once the poop eating habit was formed, it was hard to break. Just one of the multiple side complications that arose with the epilepsy. A rough disease that I hope someday we can get our arms around. Cowboy was a great and fun loving dog through it all however. I am so glad to have had him in my life.

Yes even though we were conditioned to expect bad things due to the epilepsy, having Cowboy go down so fast from organ failure was jarring. we kept up with all the regular bloodwork and all that. But did he eat something out in the woods/fields that smashed his pancreas? I never saw anything in particular and will never know I guess. He was from two good pups. No papers but I knew both sire and dam and they were both good border collies that most here would have liked. One other pup in Cowboys litter did have to be put down really young for epilepsy. Only learned that after Cowboy starting having seizures at age 4. Such a rough affection. Cowboy is the most wonderful and rewarding dog I've had in a whole lifetime of having dogs. Once I get my masters degree done in 2 years I will want to get another border collie to make a life with. All of you on this board, and everyone I see at USBCHA/VBCA, have taught me so much about the beauty and grace of the border collie bred for the right reasons. There is no finer canine creature. Cowboy really taught me that. You all demonstrate that is no accident. Peace/respect. Chuck Bimba

Rest In Peace my Cowboy. 2/5/12 - 3/25/18 Just 2 weeks following a wonderful Flyball weekend where Cowboy earned his Onyx title. We are almost positive it was his pancreas that failed. Little guy fought for 2+ years first with a mast cell tumor in his leg that was successfully removed. Then a short 2 months later he developed ideopathic epilespy. We were never able to get the seizures well under control, no matter what medication and combination of meds we tried. His seizures were every 12 to 14 days like clockwork starting around the age of 4. Eventually we started cycling him off the seizure meds, instead relying on alternatives such as coconut oil and CDB oils. That really helped his mood and his quality of life between the siezures. But the damage was done I guess to his organs, plus approximately 60 seizures total over the course of the illness. To his credit, Cowboy never lost his sweet demeaner, his friendlyness around other people and dogs, nor his love of doing a job well done. Be it agility, flyball, making sure every loose tree branch and stick was delivered to my feet. . . 6 years is too short, he had so much promise years 0-4, and was a sweet fighter over his last 2 years. May he be at peace now. . .going to miss this boy.

What if you are the DOG's emotional support animal? I guess we are doing it wrong!