Andie182

Check into or ask your vet about a medication called Atopica or cyclosporine. It is an immune system modulator. The same drug that is given to organ transplant patients to keep them from rejecting the organ. I have a 7 year old English Pointer who was bitten and envenomated by a rattlesnake several years ago. His allergies started shortly after that. Horrible- hair loss, bloody sores, thickened, crusty, sore ear pinna. He was miserable and nothing that we tried helped. Tried elimination diets, raw foods, nothing helped. I didn't want him to be on steroids long term because of all of the horrible side effects. I researched and learned that most allergies are environmental (and he does worsen at different times of the year)and then found the Atopica. He is a different dog!!! His hair has grown back, his ears are normal and you can touch them again without him hollering in pain, he doesn't itch and bleed, he has gained weight. It is spendy- I pay about $100/month for his medicine- but has been so worth it!!! Also, as Blackdawgs said, make sure that you treat for yeast and/or secondary infection. I still bathe with a medicated shampoo once a month to make sure that he does not get a recurrence of yeast.

When I researched the Iams food, I discovered that it has beet pulp for fiber and a prebiotic that the gut flora are supposed to love. I am thinking that it works so well because of those two factors? I am hoping, anyway.

I have an English Pointer that was bitten by a rattlesnake on his first time out on a hunt. We nursed him through that but then he developed severe, severe allergies. I tried every food available, including raw, tried Benadryl on a daily basis, numerous topical treatments. The vet that I had at the time, refused to give him steroid treatments which angered me and made me search for a new vet- the dog literally looked like he had mange, his ears were scabbed and thickened and you couldn't touch them, he spent his entire existence scratching some part of his body or another. I researched treatments and came across the drug "Atopica" or cyclosporine. It's the same drug that organ transplant patients are put on to keep them from rejecting the organ; an immune system modulator. That's when I started calling and interviewing vets to see how open they would be to actually treating my dog. The vet that I have now was like "absolutely, that's my go to drug of choice for this." Well, one round of antibiotics to take care of secondary infections and 2 months on the cyclosporine and my dog is a new dog!! His hair has grown back, his ears are soft, supple and normal and he is happy and loving life!!! He has been on the cyclosporine for 2 years now and is down to 3 doses/week and doing better than he ever has!!! I'm not sure if it would work on digestive issues or that I would medicate just a mild allergy like that but for anyone dealing with severe allergies with skin reactions, I would highly recommend it!!! It is a little on the spendy side, though. My BC girl has had some issues with diarrhea and after making sure that it wasn't coccidia or giardia or some other parasite, I'm convinced that it is totally stress related- she is definitely a Type A personality!!! After researching that, I have put her on Iams Low Residue dog food with incredible results!!! I know, I know all the bad publicity about Iams but she has not had a loose stool since I put her on it and I believe in the science that I have read that is behind it.

My ACD of 12 years went off of his food last fall and started deteriorating. I took him to our regular vet who drew blood with me right in the room and from the lab results, the next day, learned that he was in renal failure. I spent a week watching him grow thinner and weaker while I tried every trick in the book to get him to eat including pleading with him and giving sq fluids to keep him hydrated. At the end of that week, I realized that he had become completely blind and then noticed that his gait had gotten slightly unsteady. It was Friday and I called my vet and made an appointment to bring him in on Monday to have him euthanized because I just had not been able to stop the downward spiral. I wanted to have the weekend with him to spoil him, take some last photos and say goodbye. By Friday night, he could not walk on his own. On Saturday morning, he could not get up. My regular vet was closed but I couldn't bear to put him through any more so I called a friend's vet that was open on Saturday, explained what was going on and asked if I could bring him in to have him euthanized. When I arrived, they insisted on taking him in the back to start an IV. I caught a glimpse, at one point, when someone briefly opened the door and they had a muzzle on him!!!! The thought of that haunts me to this day. People were always intimidated by him and I guess the vet was no exception. Little did they know that he had never harmed a fly, that he would lie there and not move a muscle while they placed the IV, that he was a sweet, loving, obedient boy, even when he was sick. So he laid there and let them place that muzzle but it must have been so confusing to him. In the end, I got to hold him and pet him as he passed, his tail wagging until the end but that sight of him lying there, muzzled will stick with me forever and I hope that I never have to put a dog through that ever again.

I don't even know the whole story and I had tears in my eyes!!!! Glad your pup is doing well!!!

Look, I'm new to border collies but not new to dogs, ok. I also have a background in genetics, so know a little bit about that. I am trying to contribute to a conversation that was started when I posted something about a breeder. I realize that you may be an expert on border collies and dogs in general and know everything that there is to know about them and have nothing to learn from an ignorant newbie like me and I wholeheartedly apologize. I was attacked from the moment that I posted on here and have been on the defensive ever since. If this is how you treat newcomers, it is easy to see why so many may gravitate to other organizations. Good day.

I do not believe that I am denying the facts of genetics. I believe that I am acknowledging the facts of genetics. This is what I am talking about: http://www.bordercollies.nl/eborstam.shtml#OLD_HEMP It seems that these very early dogs were bred like crazy and their genetics concentrated- probably closer than what we do today- to get the uniformity of type. I believe there is some mention of bad traits that were passed by one of the dogs on this list also. We probably deal with some of those, still, today.

Poor breeding is not the same as line breeding.

I guess when it comes to the issue of line breeding I don't have a problem with it. Horses are so closely line bred these days that most of the time you are competing against the same horse as the one that you are riding!!!! They are all bred the same way practically. GSDs are line bred like crazy. Line breeding is a way to develop the traits that you want and have them breed true in your animals. Breeds were developed through line breeding- there is no other way to get that uniformity. are bad traits concentrated along with good? You bet. That is why the health screening exists. There is not a breed out there that doesn't have genetic issues and it is because every breed began through selective breeding and breeding in the same lines. The fact that there is so much variation in the Border Collies suggests that maybe less of it was done with them but it certainly is/was practiced to a degree otherwise you would not have the uniformity that you do in order to call it a breed. My guess is that it is more Common today in the cow dog lines because they want the toughness that is a little harder to find in some Border Collies so they are selecting for it. That is just my opinion, of course, I am new to BCs and still learning the ins and outs.

Mark, that's fine. We all do what we do. I have no issues with what you do with your dogs. I'd venture to say that the majority of people on here do not depend on ranching for a living- I'm certainly included in that category.

I noticed some of these same behaviors in our Viszla when he reached about 12 years old. Humans experience what is known as "Sundowners" when they start into the early stages of dimentia. They can seem fine during the day but get more confused, symptomatic at night. I often wondered if Jake, the Viszla, wasn't experiencing the same syndrome.

I came on these boards because I am new to Border Collies and thought that I could network and get some advice on training, behavior, what to expect, etc. Someone asked about a breeder; I had a good experience with mine. I learned a few things today that I didn't know. It doesn't change my mind about the dog that I have. I have no desire to put people down or judge others for what they do or believe. I hope that others on here can say the same. I hope that Desertcollie finds the dog of her dreams.

I have spoken with Patrick Shanahan on several occasions. I've been to his place a couple times. I live about 10 miles from him. He is a very nice man and an incredible dog trainer. I didn't get into this discussion to denigrate or judge anyone and so I will not get drawn into that. I like my pup, I like her sire and dam. I trialed GSDs in Schutzhund for years. I had an awesome trial dog a few years ago- he would have washed out for street work. He was a sport dog. I have no reservations about saying that. I ride AQHA registered horses in reined cowhorse competitions- my horse does not put in 10-12 hour days out on a ranch. She is a sport horse tucked safely into her stall bedded with shavings and with her blanket on because it is 40F (Brrrrr), she is not a working ranch horse. I am under no illusions- my BC was bred from working stock. I will have fun white water rafting and paddle boarding with her and working some cows in between. I am not insulting anyone in what they do with their dogs; I am honest with myself.

Mark, out here in Idaho, dogs that work these sheep would be considered working dogs as opposed to tending a small hobbyist flock or trialling on the weekends: http://www.lifeontherange.org/range-stories/frank-shirts.htm Just the same as a Schutzhund dog is a sport dog, not a working dog like a police k9. Or the same as a cutting horse that competes in the arena is for sport and different from a ranch horse.

Ldjxn