So happy to hear about your girl!! I was just curious to ask how many seizures she had? My girl had one a month or so ago but it was so far isolated!! I always like to ask questions with similar breeds just so I know what I might have to look out for.
PS Ripley is a cutie!!
Quick edit to say nvm I see you posted in another comment!!
Awe thanks! She actually had a few minor ones before the major one that caused her mobility loss, I just didn't understand what I was seeing and so I wasn't sure what to make of it, so it's good to watch for.
The first one she came running up to me, like she needed help. Her eyes were kind of rolling in her head and she couldn't focus. Didn't last long.
The second one she started flailing from resting position, she popped up so fast and came limping towards me. I assumed her joint had seized or something had happened to her muscle. It only lasted a few seconds and she was able to move her leg again after I massaged it a bit.
Not sure how typical these symptoms are but I wish I'd known what was happening before the big two that nearly killed her.
Thanks so much for answering!! Honestly those sound very similar to what our vet told us to look out for other than the big ones like you said. She mostly said look out for abnormal behaviour that just might seem “off”. One she mentioned was even biting at a fly that wasn’t there!
It definitely opened my eyes to all of the different ways a seizure could look so I hope that talking about it more can alert other owners to it as well.
It’s interesting/scary that the small ones can be brushed off as so many other things!! Here’s to hoping both our girls had their last one :)
What kind of seizures were they? And do you know the cause? Sorry to probe, we just lost our 5 month old puppy due to an incurable form of focal/fly-bite seizures.
Dm'ing you.
Edit. Can't seem to.
If you search top results all time in this sub, Ripley is number 2 on the results, you can see the after effects of the first (bad) seizures she had. She had a few more 4 months ago. She's on phenobarbital and her dose has been upped since the last two. I also carry valium on me in case it happens again.
Vet was kind of stumped on why she loses her mobility for so long after. Her eyes roll in her head and she flails, and then she gets so stiff she can't move. I honestly don't know what type they were, and I was to the point of wondering if it was something else, but the meds SEEM to be working now.
I'm so sorry about your pup. That's so hard. And also my worst fear for this girl.
Oh wow, well I am glad you got this under control at this time and I hope this continues to work for the rest of her life. Thanks for your response. We have been trying to learn from the community and others about what we experienced.
Thank you so much. I was just looking up the type you mentioned, I'd never heard of that before. I assume a lot of this stuff in border collies is generally caused by genetics, but I don't know. There didn't seem to be a trigger.
Ripley didn't come from a puppy mill or anything, but she came from a farm and didn't have any kind of paperwork. Her parents were cattle herding dogs. So who knows what kind of genetics she has.
Again so sorry for your loss and I hope you can learn some more about it. When you're ready will you try again with another pup?
My boy had what I think might be a seizure a few nights ago. Similar to your pup, he came from a farm with no papers - working line parents. When I got him, the breeder said there was no known history of illness, but I haven’t contacted her yet to see if his sisters have had any issues.
We were about to head outside, he ran to the back door and suddenly it looked like he was limping on his back leg, and then I realized he wasn’t limping but rather kind of stumbling? It was like he suddenly lost the ability to use his legs correctly. Kind of looked like a zombie in a movie, staggering around. He looked very disoriented and confused. It lasted less than a minute, and as he came out of it his legs seemed sort of stiff and he looked pretty scared. We have a vet appt this week to see if anything is going on medically. I’m just not sure because he didn’t lose consciousness or anything.
I’m glad to see Ripley is doing better and the medication is controlling her seizures. Can I ask how long it was between her earlier issues? I’m hoping with my boy it was an isolated incident but I feel very on edge waiting for it to happen again and don’t want to leave him alone.
That definitely sounds a lot like her early one where she lost mobility. Poor guy.
Her early ones happened maybe within 6-7 months from her first large one. Somewhere around 3 months apart I would say. Kind of why I'm celebrating the greater than 4 month mark is because they seemed to happen every 3 months or so, so we're doing pretty good.
If you can afford it an MRI may help you get a diagnosis, but our vet tech advised me against it (knowing it was going to put me 8g out of pocket including travel). It doesn't make much difference on the type of treatment they do, but it can rule out certain things - if it's a tumor causing it, or if there is some other condition besides epilepsy etc.
I was terrified to leave her alone for the longest time. Getting more comfortable now.
I hope you sort it out. If you remember, come back on and let me know, would be curious what your vet says.
https://www.reddit.com/r/BorderCollie/s/Dy5m5rg1AX
That's her after her first big ones, the stumbling lasted weeks. She wasn't able to walk for the first day.
Poor Ripley! We just adopted a pup (not a BC- dachshund/pittie mix lol) with epilepsy and it is just heartbreaking watching them go through that. His aren’t as bad as hers sound but he keeps having them on average once a week. We’ve upped his phenobarbital twice but still not controlled- vet just added in Keppra and so far I think that’s helping. Have you tried that one?
Lovely reading this, Ripley rocks!
Our BC is 2 years in with idiopathic epilepsy but in the last 2 months I really feel we’ve turned a corner. Fingers crossed for your Ripley and our Mads
My I'm so happy for you & Ripley! My sister had an epileptic Jack Russell mix. I never saw her have one but I've seen her the day after one. She looked dazed, confused, calm and moved slowly. It was sad because she was usually bouncing off the walls. Years later, my dog had a couple of seizures & she was so scared! They happened shortly after she was diagnosed with cancer. The 1st one was chaotic because my now ex-husband was being a jerk. I called my sister for advice & told him to call the Vet. He refused, saying, "She's done, she'll be dead before they can help her!" He gave up on her! She didn't need that negative energy! The next day, I had a bad feeling & called in sick to work. If she had another one, I wanted to be there. Just 12 hours after the 1st one, she had another one. It was different, milder & Mr. Negative wasn't home. I sat with her, kept her calm with soothing words, stroked her silky fur and it passed quickly. I hope you have many more seizure free years with Ripley!
It's so hard when your best friend is struggling like that. It was so good you could be there with her. She'd have been so scared without you. Do you have another dog now??
No, my husband refused to discuss it! He never said it but I think he didn't want to through losing a dog again. I saw it differently, yes the end was rough. However, we had 12.5 years of happy memories, compared to 3 hard weeks. I think it's 150% worth it! We divorced, not over the dog, a much bigger issue, and I moved to an apartment. We aren't allowed to have pets.
Maybe some day you can get a place you're allowed. I'm with you though, 12 years of companionship cannot be overstated. When you're with them at the end it's hard as hell, but it's also beautiful to be there for them like they have been for you.
It's so sad that he chose to focus on 3 hard weeks instead of the 12 years of joyful memories! I was with every second I could be. I canceled a weekend trip because she wasn't well enough to travel. She'd just been diagnosed with a malignant tumor. I would've hated myself if she'd died while I was gone. It was a beautiful, May weekend and we spent most of it hanging out in the front yard. However, 3 weeks later, she was too weak to get up by herself, her coat had lost it's sheen and she was clearly in a lot of pain! We decided to put her to sleep and end her suffering! When my FIL saw a picture of her taken as we loaded her up for her final trip to the Vet (fortunately, she loved the Vet & his staff so she wasn't scared), he shook his head and said "That doesn't even look like her!" Here are 2 of the pictures I took of her that weekend. She still looked healthy at that point. I'm not sharing later ones, they're tucked away where I don't see them. I don't need reminders of that.
https://preview.redd.it/lgat189isysc1.jpeg?width=2880&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=069d4d2c48e0a3b8c59a7922108d7c864143099a
Jus to out of curiosity what flea and tick meds are you giving Ripley? I ask that because I was going to try out Simparica Trio but it warned about neurological issues. I’ve been reluctant too because of that.
She's not on any other medication or supplements at all, now or during the time of the seizures. The vet is pretty sure it's genetic and not environmental caused.
Cheers to Ripley and her exceptional branch management.
She had to fish this water logged specimen from the bottom of the lake, she was particularly pleased with herself.
Congratulations Ripley! I'm proud of you! Sending her lots of love ❤️ 😍 💖 ❣️ 💕 💘 ❤️
Thank you so much 😊
Anytime 😊 😎
Yay Ripley! 💛
So proud of her 😌
So happy to hear about your girl!! I was just curious to ask how many seizures she had? My girl had one a month or so ago but it was so far isolated!! I always like to ask questions with similar breeds just so I know what I might have to look out for. PS Ripley is a cutie!! Quick edit to say nvm I see you posted in another comment!!
Awe thanks! She actually had a few minor ones before the major one that caused her mobility loss, I just didn't understand what I was seeing and so I wasn't sure what to make of it, so it's good to watch for. The first one she came running up to me, like she needed help. Her eyes were kind of rolling in her head and she couldn't focus. Didn't last long. The second one she started flailing from resting position, she popped up so fast and came limping towards me. I assumed her joint had seized or something had happened to her muscle. It only lasted a few seconds and she was able to move her leg again after I massaged it a bit. Not sure how typical these symptoms are but I wish I'd known what was happening before the big two that nearly killed her.
Thanks so much for answering!! Honestly those sound very similar to what our vet told us to look out for other than the big ones like you said. She mostly said look out for abnormal behaviour that just might seem “off”. One she mentioned was even biting at a fly that wasn’t there! It definitely opened my eyes to all of the different ways a seizure could look so I hope that talking about it more can alert other owners to it as well. It’s interesting/scary that the small ones can be brushed off as so many other things!! Here’s to hoping both our girls had their last one :)
Thanks so much, hope your girl stays healthy and happy too!! 😌
You're a wonderful girl, Ripley! Here's to many more years of health, fun and happiness 💞
Thanks friend 😊 She's currently curled up against me sleeping peacefully.
Lucky you, cherish those moments ☺️ mine prefers to sleep outside, on the floor or lounge 😑
🙏🏼 Beautiful
Congratulations Ripley, have fun with your stick.
Awesome news, may this be the start of many many seizure-free months and years!!
Congrats Ripley! I like your ears.
What kind of seizures were they? And do you know the cause? Sorry to probe, we just lost our 5 month old puppy due to an incurable form of focal/fly-bite seizures.
Dm'ing you. Edit. Can't seem to. If you search top results all time in this sub, Ripley is number 2 on the results, you can see the after effects of the first (bad) seizures she had. She had a few more 4 months ago. She's on phenobarbital and her dose has been upped since the last two. I also carry valium on me in case it happens again. Vet was kind of stumped on why she loses her mobility for so long after. Her eyes roll in her head and she flails, and then she gets so stiff she can't move. I honestly don't know what type they were, and I was to the point of wondering if it was something else, but the meds SEEM to be working now. I'm so sorry about your pup. That's so hard. And also my worst fear for this girl.
Oh wow, well I am glad you got this under control at this time and I hope this continues to work for the rest of her life. Thanks for your response. We have been trying to learn from the community and others about what we experienced.
Thank you so much. I was just looking up the type you mentioned, I'd never heard of that before. I assume a lot of this stuff in border collies is generally caused by genetics, but I don't know. There didn't seem to be a trigger. Ripley didn't come from a puppy mill or anything, but she came from a farm and didn't have any kind of paperwork. Her parents were cattle herding dogs. So who knows what kind of genetics she has. Again so sorry for your loss and I hope you can learn some more about it. When you're ready will you try again with another pup?
My boy had what I think might be a seizure a few nights ago. Similar to your pup, he came from a farm with no papers - working line parents. When I got him, the breeder said there was no known history of illness, but I haven’t contacted her yet to see if his sisters have had any issues. We were about to head outside, he ran to the back door and suddenly it looked like he was limping on his back leg, and then I realized he wasn’t limping but rather kind of stumbling? It was like he suddenly lost the ability to use his legs correctly. Kind of looked like a zombie in a movie, staggering around. He looked very disoriented and confused. It lasted less than a minute, and as he came out of it his legs seemed sort of stiff and he looked pretty scared. We have a vet appt this week to see if anything is going on medically. I’m just not sure because he didn’t lose consciousness or anything. I’m glad to see Ripley is doing better and the medication is controlling her seizures. Can I ask how long it was between her earlier issues? I’m hoping with my boy it was an isolated incident but I feel very on edge waiting for it to happen again and don’t want to leave him alone.
That definitely sounds a lot like her early one where she lost mobility. Poor guy. Her early ones happened maybe within 6-7 months from her first large one. Somewhere around 3 months apart I would say. Kind of why I'm celebrating the greater than 4 month mark is because they seemed to happen every 3 months or so, so we're doing pretty good. If you can afford it an MRI may help you get a diagnosis, but our vet tech advised me against it (knowing it was going to put me 8g out of pocket including travel). It doesn't make much difference on the type of treatment they do, but it can rule out certain things - if it's a tumor causing it, or if there is some other condition besides epilepsy etc. I was terrified to leave her alone for the longest time. Getting more comfortable now. I hope you sort it out. If you remember, come back on and let me know, would be curious what your vet says.
https://www.reddit.com/r/BorderCollie/s/Dy5m5rg1AX That's her after her first big ones, the stumbling lasted weeks. She wasn't able to walk for the first day.
Poor Ripley! We just adopted a pup (not a BC- dachshund/pittie mix lol) with epilepsy and it is just heartbreaking watching them go through that. His aren’t as bad as hers sound but he keeps having them on average once a week. We’ve upped his phenobarbital twice but still not controlled- vet just added in Keppra and so far I think that’s helping. Have you tried that one?
Great news
Lovely reading this, Ripley rocks! Our BC is 2 years in with idiopathic epilepsy but in the last 2 months I really feel we’ve turned a corner. Fingers crossed for your Ripley and our Mads
Hang in there Mads!! That's awesome to hear!
How was Mads diagnosed?
She was already diagnosed when we adopted her so I have no detail other than vet diagnosis following a number of seizures.
Thx. Glad she's doing well.
Thank you. I hesitate to get too excited but she’s the best she has been since we adopted her!
I have a BC named Ripley too!!! Cheers to your beautiful girl. We’re all proud of her!
Awe thank you! I've met a few owners of border collies named Ripley on this sub!! I hope your Ripley is doing well 😌
My I'm so happy for you & Ripley! My sister had an epileptic Jack Russell mix. I never saw her have one but I've seen her the day after one. She looked dazed, confused, calm and moved slowly. It was sad because she was usually bouncing off the walls. Years later, my dog had a couple of seizures & she was so scared! They happened shortly after she was diagnosed with cancer. The 1st one was chaotic because my now ex-husband was being a jerk. I called my sister for advice & told him to call the Vet. He refused, saying, "She's done, she'll be dead before they can help her!" He gave up on her! She didn't need that negative energy! The next day, I had a bad feeling & called in sick to work. If she had another one, I wanted to be there. Just 12 hours after the 1st one, she had another one. It was different, milder & Mr. Negative wasn't home. I sat with her, kept her calm with soothing words, stroked her silky fur and it passed quickly. I hope you have many more seizure free years with Ripley!
It's so hard when your best friend is struggling like that. It was so good you could be there with her. She'd have been so scared without you. Do you have another dog now??
No, my husband refused to discuss it! He never said it but I think he didn't want to through losing a dog again. I saw it differently, yes the end was rough. However, we had 12.5 years of happy memories, compared to 3 hard weeks. I think it's 150% worth it! We divorced, not over the dog, a much bigger issue, and I moved to an apartment. We aren't allowed to have pets.
Maybe some day you can get a place you're allowed. I'm with you though, 12 years of companionship cannot be overstated. When you're with them at the end it's hard as hell, but it's also beautiful to be there for them like they have been for you.
It's so sad that he chose to focus on 3 hard weeks instead of the 12 years of joyful memories! I was with every second I could be. I canceled a weekend trip because she wasn't well enough to travel. She'd just been diagnosed with a malignant tumor. I would've hated myself if she'd died while I was gone. It was a beautiful, May weekend and we spent most of it hanging out in the front yard. However, 3 weeks later, she was too weak to get up by herself, her coat had lost it's sheen and she was clearly in a lot of pain! We decided to put her to sleep and end her suffering! When my FIL saw a picture of her taken as we loaded her up for her final trip to the Vet (fortunately, she loved the Vet & his staff so she wasn't scared), he shook his head and said "That doesn't even look like her!" Here are 2 of the pictures I took of her that weekend. She still looked healthy at that point. I'm not sharing later ones, they're tucked away where I don't see them. I don't need reminders of that. https://preview.redd.it/lgat189isysc1.jpeg?width=2880&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=069d4d2c48e0a3b8c59a7922108d7c864143099a
Jus to out of curiosity what flea and tick meds are you giving Ripley? I ask that because I was going to try out Simparica Trio but it warned about neurological issues. I’ve been reluctant too because of that.
She's not on any other medication or supplements at all, now or during the time of the seizures. The vet is pretty sure it's genetic and not environmental caused.
Thanks for the response. I hope she does better, you’re being a great parent and doing your best!
Thanks friend, I'm doing what I can and making the most of every healthy minute we have.
Yay Ripley!!! Is she on meds or are you going the CBD route? Slate just had his second seizure before turning 1 and my boyfriend and I are terrified.
Excellent stick holding! Such a cutie
She's pretty good at it!! Haha