Common Diseases and Disorders affecting Collies:
In general, the Collie is a healthy dog with few medical concerns. However,the folowing diseases or disorders have been reported. This is why it is important that you purchse your collie puppy from a reputable breeder that do health tests on parents as well as eye checks on puppies from a board certified Ophthalmologist.
CEA: Normal: This is the highest rating. A dog can be a normal/non-carrier or a normal/carrier. Non-carriers are genetically clear of the genes for CEA/CH- this can only be determined by specialized testing of a blood sample. Normal/affected are normal eyed dogs that carry the affected gene and they can pass either the normal or the affected gene to offspring. "Go Normals", are dogs that where diagnosed as very mildly affected that as the eye grows they appear to be normal, but genetically are affected and will pass the affected genes on to the offspring. Choroidal Hypoplasia: Most common abnormality found in Collie eyes. CH is also referred to as mild CRC, or Grade I. The dogs vision is good and will not go blind. Staphyloma, Coloboma: Refer to a bulging in the eyeball usually in the area of the optic disc. The size and location of the Coloboma/Staphyloma may affect the vision on the affected side. Retinal Detachment: Loosening or separation of the retina. This may involve a small area or the entire retina, in one or both eyes. If there is a complete detachment, the dog will be blind in the affect eye. Above are the official certificates for examination of Collie Eye Anomaly. The front of the certificate has the owners name, registration number of dog/pup, the birth date, breed/markings/variety, the date of the exam, the results, and the Ophthalmologist Veterinarian signature. The back of the form is what the owner fills out (basically the same as the front), but puts in their home address vs the breeder and of course their credit card information to pay to have it recorded. If the owner chooses to send the exam in w/payment they receive a certificate stating their dog is normal eyed and it can be looked up on line. As a collie purchaser you want to see this form or one similar with all the appropriate information to show it goes with the pet you are receiving. If you would like to read more about CEA/CH please visit: http://www.optigen.com/opt9_test_cea_ch.html MDR1 and Problem Drugs: Collies and other herding dogs can have adverse reactions from the drugs listed below, to see the full list and research more information follow this link to the MDR1 web pages from Washington State University http://www.vetmed.wsu.edu/depts-VCPL/ The MDR1 is a single mutant gene that makes them susceptible to certain drugs that can cause adverse reactions, toxicity and death in Collies as well as other Herding Breeds when given certain drugs and at certain dosages. Some documented drugs that can cause problems to MDR1 mutant dogs are: Ivermectin antiparasitic agent Loperamide ImodiumTM; antidiarrheal agent Acepromazine tranquilizer and pre-anesthetic agent Butorphanol analgesic and pre-anesthetic agent Vincristine, Vinblastine, Doxorubicin chemotherapy agents The MDR1 tested dogs can be: Mutant/mutant- highest risk for these drugs. Can only pass on mutant gene to offspring Mutant/normal- Some research shows these dogs can have dosages at lower percentage Normal/normal- they do not carry the mutant gene and can only pass the normal gene to offspring. Seizures : Seizures can be caused from Epilepsy a neurological disorder that affects the brain, from drugs and toxins as well as other causes such as trauma. Epilepsy is a chronic medical condition produced by temporary changes in the electrical function of the brain, causing recurrent seizures which affect awareness, movement, or sensation. A single isolated seizure would not be epilepsy. Studies have shown some family lines are more prone to seizures, and that it is best not to use dogs known to have epilepsy in breeding programs. Bloat: Bloat is a medical condition in which the stomach becomes overstretched by excessive gas content that is unable to escape due to the stomach twisting. It is also commonly referred to as torsion, gastric torsion, and gastric dilatation-volvulus when the stomach is also twisted. Bloat is a life threatening emergency and needs to be treated by a veterinarian. Symptoms include restlesness, lethargy, abdominal distention, and appear very quickly. Studies have been done that show bloat can be more prevelant in certain lines of dogs, but on the other side studies have shown there is no family link to bloat. For more Collie health information please follow the link to Collie Health foundation. |
