Copper Coin of Retcoll (Ginnie) - owned by Kath Hardman
Ginnie was always hyperactive and was described as “not an easy dog” by many people. This was an understatement! When I told my vet that Ginnie had fitted – his reaction was “Her screw has finally come loose then?” He prescribed Mysoline tablets straightaway and although she is fully insured, he was quite content to go with his gut feelings. He told me that as she was not showing any other signs of illness – at this stage he would not subject her to any further tests, but he would treat her for Primary Epilepsy and we should monitor the situation.
I bought a book “The Management of Epilepsy in Dogs” which helped explain the causes and treatment of epilepsy and provided a diary, in which I recorded every fit and the dosage of medication at that time.
And the vet was right, she was on twice daily medication ever since that first diagnosis. Yes, we tried reducing the dosage, but if the fits returned we put the dosage back up. I bought a pill dispenser and every Saturday night I would fill it with the next week’s dosages. Having given tablets morning and night to Ginnie for nearly 14 years it would be so easy to forget whether the dose had been given for that day.
If you have a dog with epilepsy please do as a good friend told me - treat them as a normal dog, carry on with your training and exercise and enjoy your life with them.
Link to one of our early routines. Ginnie was 9 yrs old in this video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=om6rLEe9zsM
Ginnie competed in Heelwork To Music from 7 years old. This sport helped solve her aggressive behaviour and she soon stopped running off to find something good to do. We started HTM and Freestyle in 1999 and during her career she won 43 HTM/FS Competitions, was placed 2nd 11 times and 3rd 3 times. And equal first at Crufts.
A dog of a lifetime – yes! And apart from the epilepsy – she remained fit throughout her life.
Epilepsy or no epilepsy, she was my best friend and I would not have swapped her for all the world!
Kath Hardman
PS And now the journey continues as I have my second dog who has been fully diagnosed with Idiopathic Epilepsy – he is an ongoing problem as we are still hoping to find the correct medication that he needs.
Diagnosed August 2022 at 1 year, 1 week old. We will persevere!
I bought a book “The Management of Epilepsy in Dogs” which helped explain the causes and treatment of epilepsy and provided a diary, in which I recorded every fit and the dosage of medication at that time.
And the vet was right, she was on twice daily medication ever since that first diagnosis. Yes, we tried reducing the dosage, but if the fits returned we put the dosage back up. I bought a pill dispenser and every Saturday night I would fill it with the next week’s dosages. Having given tablets morning and night to Ginnie for nearly 14 years it would be so easy to forget whether the dose had been given for that day.
If you have a dog with epilepsy please do as a good friend told me - treat them as a normal dog, carry on with your training and exercise and enjoy your life with them.
Link to one of our early routines. Ginnie was 9 yrs old in this video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=om6rLEe9zsM
Ginnie competed in Heelwork To Music from 7 years old. This sport helped solve her aggressive behaviour and she soon stopped running off to find something good to do. We started HTM and Freestyle in 1999 and during her career she won 43 HTM/FS Competitions, was placed 2nd 11 times and 3rd 3 times. And equal first at Crufts.
A dog of a lifetime – yes! And apart from the epilepsy – she remained fit throughout her life.
Epilepsy or no epilepsy, she was my best friend and I would not have swapped her for all the world!
Kath Hardman
PS And now the journey continues as I have my second dog who has been fully diagnosed with Idiopathic Epilepsy – he is an ongoing problem as we are still hoping to find the correct medication that he needs.
Diagnosed August 2022 at 1 year, 1 week old. We will persevere!
Dash Bang Wallop (Dash) owned by Amanda Wilson
Dash is registered on the agility register ‘Dash Bang Wallop’. He was well named as he dashes and chases wherever possible. He was 1 month short of his 3rd birthday when I heard the dreaded sound of him having a seizure. This sound had obviously stayed with me for over 15 years as a previous collie had fits. I knew what it was immediately. Over the next 3 years the seizures got progressively worse and with shorter intervals between. Throughout this we still competed in agility as he was fine within 24 hours.
After much experimenting with meds and natural remedies I finally asked for a neurological consultation. His meds we tweaked and increased. I thought the increase was too much all at once so did it over a few months until he was stable. He’s now been seizure free for nearly two and half years
Throughout all this he did his agility and we started scentwork, hoopers and mantrailing. He has epilepsy meds 6 times a day – it’s quite a regime! He’s a happy and healthy boy who’s now nearly 8 years old. My previous collie with epilepsy was 15 when she died and she competed in agility too.
Amanda Wilson
Obedience Champion - Beckim Surprise Surprise (Vito) - Owner Ria McGovern
Vito (Ob.Ch Beckim Surprise Surprise).
Vito’s story starts about 12 years ago. We had been looking for a puppy for quite a while and saw him advertised on ObedienceUK. The advert said, “Blue Boy available”. I didn’t fancy a blue colour so thought, “nah, not for me”. But after talking to friends, we decided to go and have a look at him anyway. His lines went back to dogs we had owned before. As soon as I saw him, I knew he was “the one”. He ran up to me, grabbed a toy, and was full on playing and interacting with me from the moment we met.. He was such a lovely, happy, confident, busy boy and I was sold. The colour didn’t matter anymore. He was meant to be mine.
Six months passed and we were at a show when the breeder told me that a family member (repeat, earlier mating) of Vito had fitted. My heart stood still. Up until that moment I had never really thought about Epilepsy but there was nothing I could do about it. He was part of our family, and he was here for life. We neutered at 18 months as there was no chance we would ever consider breeding from him. No matter how much talent he had. Over the next few years, he had an extremely successful competitive career and the ideal house pet. Peter Perfect in every way. After being told that a family member had fitted, the fear of epilepsy was always at the back of my mind. Vito is a dream of a dog in every sense of the word. Lovely character, friendly, sublime working attitude, just everything you would want your dog to be. A true “dog of a lifetime”. He became an obedience champion, won multiple tickets and then in 2017 won Obedience’s top honour the Championships at Crufts.
Then, in 2018, my world fell apart. One night I woke up to see him having a fit. I just couldn’t believe it was happening. He was 7 years old, and we thought we had been lucky as we had seen nothing that suggested epilepsy. Over the next 3 weeks he had another 2 fits. One per week. The vet did some tests, but we stopped short of going for MRI’s etc. The only abnormality was that he had very high cholesterol. But the vet didn’t think that this would be the cause of the fits. I was completely distraught. Was there more I could do? Should I still work him? What would people think of me if I did keep working him? All these thoughts went through my mind. We decided to keep working him as the high point of his day, every day, was working. He simply lived to work.
We never, for one moment, considered keeping it a secret. Why would we? People should know what is happening with their chosen breeds. I am glad we did make it public, because the support and advice we received from our obedience friends was fantastic. I didn’t want him on “traditional” medication (yet). So, we went down the “alternative” route. We gave him CBD oil, Epitaur 500, SF50 and 3mg Melatonin each night. I also reduced the fat content in his food which lowered his cholesterol to normal levels.
Having a dog that fits is enormously stressful. I am always on “high alert” looking for the slightest sign. To this day, I wake up during the night if he moves at all. We have been lucky in the fact that Vito has never shown any other adverse symptoms of fitting. We cannot say that it is Epilepsy as we never received a definitive diagnosis.
Vito is now 12 and a half and is still living life to the full. His attitude to work is as strong as ever. He simply lives to work. All day, every day.
Everyone involved in breeding/working/owning a breed of dog with epilepsy in the lines will have their own views of what should be done. Our views are simple, no breeding from any line with Epilepsy. And give your dog the best possible quality of life that you can, for as long as you can.
Vito is not the only dog working Ticket with a history of fitting. There are others. Some people would rather keep quiet about it as they are afraid of what others will say. I added Vito to the Epilepsy data base the minute he had his first fit. Others may think that there could be a stigma about working a fitting dog. Each to their own. We went public and have never for one moment regretted doing so, and we have never heard one negative comment about our decision.
Ria and Vito
Vito’s story starts about 12 years ago. We had been looking for a puppy for quite a while and saw him advertised on ObedienceUK. The advert said, “Blue Boy available”. I didn’t fancy a blue colour so thought, “nah, not for me”. But after talking to friends, we decided to go and have a look at him anyway. His lines went back to dogs we had owned before. As soon as I saw him, I knew he was “the one”. He ran up to me, grabbed a toy, and was full on playing and interacting with me from the moment we met.. He was such a lovely, happy, confident, busy boy and I was sold. The colour didn’t matter anymore. He was meant to be mine.
Six months passed and we were at a show when the breeder told me that a family member (repeat, earlier mating) of Vito had fitted. My heart stood still. Up until that moment I had never really thought about Epilepsy but there was nothing I could do about it. He was part of our family, and he was here for life. We neutered at 18 months as there was no chance we would ever consider breeding from him. No matter how much talent he had. Over the next few years, he had an extremely successful competitive career and the ideal house pet. Peter Perfect in every way. After being told that a family member had fitted, the fear of epilepsy was always at the back of my mind. Vito is a dream of a dog in every sense of the word. Lovely character, friendly, sublime working attitude, just everything you would want your dog to be. A true “dog of a lifetime”. He became an obedience champion, won multiple tickets and then in 2017 won Obedience’s top honour the Championships at Crufts.
Then, in 2018, my world fell apart. One night I woke up to see him having a fit. I just couldn’t believe it was happening. He was 7 years old, and we thought we had been lucky as we had seen nothing that suggested epilepsy. Over the next 3 weeks he had another 2 fits. One per week. The vet did some tests, but we stopped short of going for MRI’s etc. The only abnormality was that he had very high cholesterol. But the vet didn’t think that this would be the cause of the fits. I was completely distraught. Was there more I could do? Should I still work him? What would people think of me if I did keep working him? All these thoughts went through my mind. We decided to keep working him as the high point of his day, every day, was working. He simply lived to work.
We never, for one moment, considered keeping it a secret. Why would we? People should know what is happening with their chosen breeds. I am glad we did make it public, because the support and advice we received from our obedience friends was fantastic. I didn’t want him on “traditional” medication (yet). So, we went down the “alternative” route. We gave him CBD oil, Epitaur 500, SF50 and 3mg Melatonin each night. I also reduced the fat content in his food which lowered his cholesterol to normal levels.
Having a dog that fits is enormously stressful. I am always on “high alert” looking for the slightest sign. To this day, I wake up during the night if he moves at all. We have been lucky in the fact that Vito has never shown any other adverse symptoms of fitting. We cannot say that it is Epilepsy as we never received a definitive diagnosis.
Vito is now 12 and a half and is still living life to the full. His attitude to work is as strong as ever. He simply lives to work. All day, every day.
Everyone involved in breeding/working/owning a breed of dog with epilepsy in the lines will have their own views of what should be done. Our views are simple, no breeding from any line with Epilepsy. And give your dog the best possible quality of life that you can, for as long as you can.
Vito is not the only dog working Ticket with a history of fitting. There are others. Some people would rather keep quiet about it as they are afraid of what others will say. I added Vito to the Epilepsy data base the minute he had his first fit. Others may think that there could be a stigma about working a fitting dog. Each to their own. We went public and have never for one moment regretted doing so, and we have never heard one negative comment about our decision.
Ria and Vito
Wren You Have It Flaunt It AW(G) (Wren) - Owner Angie Thornley
Wren aka “Wren You Have It Flaunt It AW(G)” on the Kennel Club Activity Register.
We’re based in the UK.
Wren is my second border collie, I got her for my 30th birthday just two weeks after losing my first collie, Meg at 16. I felt lost without a collie and hadn’t wanted to get a new puppy whilst Meg was old. I saw Wren advertised online and we went to see her. There were many available but I chose her because I thought she was quiet (I was wrong) and she has cute little beauty spots on her nose.
During her first few years, I was mindful to raise her naturally. Only had her puppy vaccinations, raw fed and use no flea or worming chemicals, etc. She got her Kennel Club Good Citizen Silver Award, did rally, took up Canicross and got her Trick Award titles. We also did agility (our first love). She’s always been such an honest, easy and consistent dog to run. We quickly went up the grades starting in Grade 1 and getting to Grade 4 just before lockdown.
Then in December 2020 our world got turned upside down. I woke up to a banging noise, came downstairs to see her having a seizure in the hallway. I was absolutely distraught, and felt awful that I couldn’t help my best friend. Took her to the vets and they took blood tests and everything came back fine. She was 4 and the typical age for idiopathic epilepsy. They were reluctant to medicate incase it was a one off. I didn’t see the point in an MRI and she isn’t insured so we left it at that. Unfortunately she had another one two weeks later, but then went without one for 10 months!
I must admit I was angry that she was diagnosed with idiopathic epilepsy. I had asked the breeder if epilepsy with in the line and was told no. I have since found out she has a half brother with it. I felt guilty that I could’ve not prevented it. Selfishly I was upset that this would be the end of agility for us.
I can remember going to my first agility show after her diagnosis and being in tears and emotional. I was just so grateful that she was still fit and able to continue. There I met a lovely couple, who have since become friends. I was talking to them about Wren, they completely understood, unfortunately they had lost their border collie to epilepsy. They have helped me so much over the years and so have many people in the Border-Collie epilepsy, fits and seizure awareness UK group. I am forever grateful to them, I don’t think they will appreciate how much so.
She has since had a few seizures since diagnosis. But again relatively mild to some of the horror stories I hear. We are ‘lucky’ in a way, she has generalised seizures, which are over within a minute. She recovers quickly and you wouldn’t even know she has had one. Granted she’s a bit wobbly, but I give her a lots of food, ice cream and honey to get calories into her. She always gets the day off after a seizure and plenty of rest and sleep.
Last year she had a fit a few hours after returning from an agility show. In hindsight she wasn’t running right and most likely was feeling ill. But she carried on regardless because she wants to please. I felt so bad. After that I approached the vet and asked for medication. Again they were hesitant because of how infrequent they were. Since this episode I am definitely more mindful of how she is working and if I can see she’s not right we don’t do it. Her health and happiness comes first.
We continued with agility winning into Grade 6 and her gaining her Gold Agility Warrant Award. She has had 7 wins at Grade 6, unfortunately not all clear, we just need one more clear win to move up! I would love for her to get to Grade 7 and have a go at Champ just to say we have done it.
She absolutely loves agility, it’s all she has ever known. I find that if we change her routine she is more likely to have a fit. We will carry on with it for as long as she is fit and healthy. If she has to go on medication in the future, we will have to adjust things, especially if she has side effects.
I do sometimes feel that we are running out of time. That I need to get to Grade 7, but these are my issues, Wren doesn’t care as long as she gets to have fun. I do get so annoyed in agility sometimes, when some people blame their dogs when it was the handler not cueing something. It’s never the dogs fault! Always reward them! Just be grateful that your dog is here and playing the game, it really is meant to be a bit of fun. I thought it was going to get snatched away from me, I’m just grateful we’re still here.
At the weekend I had to give myself a telling off. Wren got eliminated on the last jump, I was annoyed, not at her, but at me. Yes I could’ve got upset. But I got my head together, grabbed Wren’s toy, played tug and told her how bloody amazing she is! Because she is truly the best dog in the world, she is my heart dog, and my best friend. She doesn’t know we got eliminated, and it doesn’t really matter at the end of the day.
It breaks my heart every time she has a fit. You always wonder if it will it still be the same dog that comes round? Unfortunately she had a fit last weekend, just one day shy of being 10 months seizure free. But she’s absolutely fine, back at training and competing and still getting placed. She is still the same stroppy, sometimes neurotic cuddle monster. She is absolutely spoilt, yes she does get her own steak if we’ve been competing at the weekend. She sleeps on my bed every night and I try and provide the best things I can afford.
My lifestyle is different now. Having a dog with epilepsy is not good for someone who also suffers from stress and anxiety. I will admit I can’t remember the last time I slept through the night. Every sound or bump in the night I think it’s Wren having a fit. When we go on holiday I have to see where the nearest vet it. I always pack her emergency medication (never had to use it yet), and take extra food. I make sure she has rest days as I think her being over tired may contribute to fits. We have taken up mantrailing, as it’s another outlet for her. Not sure she really gets the point of it, probably not as exciting for her as agility.
Sorry to rabble on, in a way writing our story and journey gets it off my chest, almost like therapy! Until you’ve had to live with the monster you never really truly understand and appreciate how horrible and cruel this disease is. Yes, our story isn’t the worst case, but in the back of my mind, I am always thinking ‘what if?’ I can’t imagine my life without Wren. I just appreciate what we have, live day by day, take her on the best holidays and have fun competing. I tell her she is amazing and that she’s the best because she is. She will be 7 in October, I just hope we have many more happy, healthy years to go.
*edited to add Wren has since won into Grade 7 since the time of writing. I am very proud of her and I managed to hold back the tears (just)!
We’re based in the UK.
Wren is my second border collie, I got her for my 30th birthday just two weeks after losing my first collie, Meg at 16. I felt lost without a collie and hadn’t wanted to get a new puppy whilst Meg was old. I saw Wren advertised online and we went to see her. There were many available but I chose her because I thought she was quiet (I was wrong) and she has cute little beauty spots on her nose.
During her first few years, I was mindful to raise her naturally. Only had her puppy vaccinations, raw fed and use no flea or worming chemicals, etc. She got her Kennel Club Good Citizen Silver Award, did rally, took up Canicross and got her Trick Award titles. We also did agility (our first love). She’s always been such an honest, easy and consistent dog to run. We quickly went up the grades starting in Grade 1 and getting to Grade 4 just before lockdown.
Then in December 2020 our world got turned upside down. I woke up to a banging noise, came downstairs to see her having a seizure in the hallway. I was absolutely distraught, and felt awful that I couldn’t help my best friend. Took her to the vets and they took blood tests and everything came back fine. She was 4 and the typical age for idiopathic epilepsy. They were reluctant to medicate incase it was a one off. I didn’t see the point in an MRI and she isn’t insured so we left it at that. Unfortunately she had another one two weeks later, but then went without one for 10 months!
I must admit I was angry that she was diagnosed with idiopathic epilepsy. I had asked the breeder if epilepsy with in the line and was told no. I have since found out she has a half brother with it. I felt guilty that I could’ve not prevented it. Selfishly I was upset that this would be the end of agility for us.
I can remember going to my first agility show after her diagnosis and being in tears and emotional. I was just so grateful that she was still fit and able to continue. There I met a lovely couple, who have since become friends. I was talking to them about Wren, they completely understood, unfortunately they had lost their border collie to epilepsy. They have helped me so much over the years and so have many people in the Border-Collie epilepsy, fits and seizure awareness UK group. I am forever grateful to them, I don’t think they will appreciate how much so.
She has since had a few seizures since diagnosis. But again relatively mild to some of the horror stories I hear. We are ‘lucky’ in a way, she has generalised seizures, which are over within a minute. She recovers quickly and you wouldn’t even know she has had one. Granted she’s a bit wobbly, but I give her a lots of food, ice cream and honey to get calories into her. She always gets the day off after a seizure and plenty of rest and sleep.
Last year she had a fit a few hours after returning from an agility show. In hindsight she wasn’t running right and most likely was feeling ill. But she carried on regardless because she wants to please. I felt so bad. After that I approached the vet and asked for medication. Again they were hesitant because of how infrequent they were. Since this episode I am definitely more mindful of how she is working and if I can see she’s not right we don’t do it. Her health and happiness comes first.
We continued with agility winning into Grade 6 and her gaining her Gold Agility Warrant Award. She has had 7 wins at Grade 6, unfortunately not all clear, we just need one more clear win to move up! I would love for her to get to Grade 7 and have a go at Champ just to say we have done it.
She absolutely loves agility, it’s all she has ever known. I find that if we change her routine she is more likely to have a fit. We will carry on with it for as long as she is fit and healthy. If she has to go on medication in the future, we will have to adjust things, especially if she has side effects.
I do sometimes feel that we are running out of time. That I need to get to Grade 7, but these are my issues, Wren doesn’t care as long as she gets to have fun. I do get so annoyed in agility sometimes, when some people blame their dogs when it was the handler not cueing something. It’s never the dogs fault! Always reward them! Just be grateful that your dog is here and playing the game, it really is meant to be a bit of fun. I thought it was going to get snatched away from me, I’m just grateful we’re still here.
At the weekend I had to give myself a telling off. Wren got eliminated on the last jump, I was annoyed, not at her, but at me. Yes I could’ve got upset. But I got my head together, grabbed Wren’s toy, played tug and told her how bloody amazing she is! Because she is truly the best dog in the world, she is my heart dog, and my best friend. She doesn’t know we got eliminated, and it doesn’t really matter at the end of the day.
It breaks my heart every time she has a fit. You always wonder if it will it still be the same dog that comes round? Unfortunately she had a fit last weekend, just one day shy of being 10 months seizure free. But she’s absolutely fine, back at training and competing and still getting placed. She is still the same stroppy, sometimes neurotic cuddle monster. She is absolutely spoilt, yes she does get her own steak if we’ve been competing at the weekend. She sleeps on my bed every night and I try and provide the best things I can afford.
My lifestyle is different now. Having a dog with epilepsy is not good for someone who also suffers from stress and anxiety. I will admit I can’t remember the last time I slept through the night. Every sound or bump in the night I think it’s Wren having a fit. When we go on holiday I have to see where the nearest vet it. I always pack her emergency medication (never had to use it yet), and take extra food. I make sure she has rest days as I think her being over tired may contribute to fits. We have taken up mantrailing, as it’s another outlet for her. Not sure she really gets the point of it, probably not as exciting for her as agility.
Sorry to rabble on, in a way writing our story and journey gets it off my chest, almost like therapy! Until you’ve had to live with the monster you never really truly understand and appreciate how horrible and cruel this disease is. Yes, our story isn’t the worst case, but in the back of my mind, I am always thinking ‘what if?’ I can’t imagine my life without Wren. I just appreciate what we have, live day by day, take her on the best holidays and have fun competing. I tell her she is amazing and that she’s the best because she is. She will be 7 in October, I just hope we have many more happy, healthy years to go.
*edited to add Wren has since won into Grade 7 since the time of writing. I am very proud of her and I managed to hold back the tears (just)!
Clancy - Owner Debbie Williams
This is my Story about beautiful Clancy.
I had only just started competing in sheep and cattle dog trials with my gorgeous boy Clancy when he started having seizures about every 2 weeks. I opted to continue his life as normal as possible without medication and this included still working stock - which he loved.
His seizures were only at night and fairly quick but one weekend he started to seizure nearly none stop so I had him euthanised- worst thing I’d ever had to do as apart from the seizures he was a healthy happy young dog.
Rest easy Clancy allways missed.
I had only just started competing in sheep and cattle dog trials with my gorgeous boy Clancy when he started having seizures about every 2 weeks. I opted to continue his life as normal as possible without medication and this included still working stock - which he loved.
His seizures were only at night and fairly quick but one weekend he started to seizure nearly none stop so I had him euthanised- worst thing I’d ever had to do as apart from the seizures he was a healthy happy young dog.
Rest easy Clancy allways missed.
Tillychance Diamond Geezer (Boss) - Owner Suzanne Buglass
Where to start!! I wanted my own line of collies and I studied my chosen line and health tested my girl. No epilepsy anywhere and I know a lot of dogs in the line. When my first litter was born I kept the only boy. He was going to be my stud dog and he was just a loving boy that got spoiled and cuddles.
I competed in obedience and flyball with his mother and my older collie. I had no intention of doing sports with him but let him play at flyball. A month before his 2nd birthday he had his first seizure.
My dogs were fed raw however Boss seemed to struggle with constipation. I tried to reduce the bone content but he would only be ok for a short while. Boss’ bloods came back and although there was no single point that was extremely raised or low count, there were a few factors that were a bit raised or a bit low. Boss had to have B12 injections and had crystals in his urine which meant he needed to go on libromide for his blood and Cystopro for his urine. He was also put on epiphen. In the beginning Boss had a seizure every 1-3 months. This turned into 1 a month however, he recovered straight away and went about life as normal. No one would know he had had a seizure as he totally bounced back. Sometimes he would have a really strong urine smell.
Just over a year ago I decided to go back and do some flyball with him. I also changed his diet to Millie’s Wolfheart which is gluten and grain free. Since January he has gone from 1 a month to the last seizure being in January. I still have everything crossed and terrified I put it into the universe for him to have another seizure.
This weekend Boss competed in his 2nd flyball show racing with his mum and his brother in the team. I am so proud of him.
I hope his story helps other dogs x
I competed in obedience and flyball with his mother and my older collie. I had no intention of doing sports with him but let him play at flyball. A month before his 2nd birthday he had his first seizure.
My dogs were fed raw however Boss seemed to struggle with constipation. I tried to reduce the bone content but he would only be ok for a short while. Boss’ bloods came back and although there was no single point that was extremely raised or low count, there were a few factors that were a bit raised or a bit low. Boss had to have B12 injections and had crystals in his urine which meant he needed to go on libromide for his blood and Cystopro for his urine. He was also put on epiphen. In the beginning Boss had a seizure every 1-3 months. This turned into 1 a month however, he recovered straight away and went about life as normal. No one would know he had had a seizure as he totally bounced back. Sometimes he would have a really strong urine smell.
Just over a year ago I decided to go back and do some flyball with him. I also changed his diet to Millie’s Wolfheart which is gluten and grain free. Since January he has gone from 1 a month to the last seizure being in January. I still have everything crossed and terrified I put it into the universe for him to have another seizure.
This weekend Boss competed in his 2nd flyball show racing with his mum and his brother in the team. I am so proud of him.
I hope his story helps other dogs x
Power Tripp’s Pure Bliss (Bliss) - Owner Charlotte Isnor
My dog Bliss was diagnosed, at nearly 6 years of age, with epilepsy (2013). He had been competing in agility and flyball. It took a couple of months to get him diagnosed.
He was put on 30mg of phenobarbital twice a day. I took a break from all sports, observed him for a couple of years, gradually returning him to full activity (minus flyball) in 2015. He has done very well. He has not had another seizure to date. The medications have worked very well for him. I didn’t return him to flyball because I didn’t feel the intensity and risk of the sport was good for him.
I am conscious to keep his excitement level as minimal as possible.
He retired from competition in 2019 at 11 years old and managed to earn his Agility Trial Champion of Canada title.
Bliss is now 14 years old and will be Fifteen in two months. He is doing very well.
The photo of him is in 2015 at the first competition after his diagnosis.
He was put on 30mg of phenobarbital twice a day. I took a break from all sports, observed him for a couple of years, gradually returning him to full activity (minus flyball) in 2015. He has done very well. He has not had another seizure to date. The medications have worked very well for him. I didn’t return him to flyball because I didn’t feel the intensity and risk of the sport was good for him.
I am conscious to keep his excitement level as minimal as possible.
He retired from competition in 2019 at 11 years old and managed to earn his Agility Trial Champion of Canada title.
Bliss is now 14 years old and will be Fifteen in two months. He is doing very well.
The photo of him is in 2015 at the first competition after his diagnosis.
Blue - Owner Sue Bell
My name is Blue! I'm a wall-eyed pure bred wsd from a working farm. I was born on 16-05-2013 and chose my human the first time she came to look at me and my siblings! Unfortunately things did not seem to go to plan as she wanted a girl ( she'd never had boys before!) so she chose my sister. Every time she came to visit I made a fuss of her and sniffed her ears but all she whispered back to me was " you're lovely but I'm sorry, I don't do boy dogs!"
Well the day came for her to collect my sister and off they went leaving me behind feeling very sad and unwanted as none of the farmers wanted me either.
Then a miracle happened!! My sister did not want to live in a home - she wanted to herd sheep - and my human immediately recognised this so she contacted my owner and agreed to take me instead. The next day she returned and I began the start of the best life with the promise of doing flyball as soon as I was old enough!!
All went fantastically for 18months. I became part of the Geordie Racers Flyball Team, travelling all over to competitions in my caravan and winning lots of rosettes - then 'the monster' struck.
At first it was awful for everyone. Vets visits, medication changes etc etc with my human looking into what alternative food and supplements I should have. I must add that throughout this I did keep on flyballing and despite all the seizures, never missed a competition. For a few years my human had a real tough time and I know she never thought I'd reach 6 years old but here I am, 10 years old and still winning awards.. I have been on epiphen, libromide, cbd oil, kefir and various other powders for many years now and luckily I've managed to fend off any major seizures since I was 5.
I am so glad that my human found me....it takes a great deal of courage and love to battle epilepsy but it is soooo worth it!! I know not every epi warrior is as lucky as I have been but please, please don't ever lose hope.
You just never know what is achievable unless you keep fighting.
Well the day came for her to collect my sister and off they went leaving me behind feeling very sad and unwanted as none of the farmers wanted me either.
Then a miracle happened!! My sister did not want to live in a home - she wanted to herd sheep - and my human immediately recognised this so she contacted my owner and agreed to take me instead. The next day she returned and I began the start of the best life with the promise of doing flyball as soon as I was old enough!!
All went fantastically for 18months. I became part of the Geordie Racers Flyball Team, travelling all over to competitions in my caravan and winning lots of rosettes - then 'the monster' struck.
At first it was awful for everyone. Vets visits, medication changes etc etc with my human looking into what alternative food and supplements I should have. I must add that throughout this I did keep on flyballing and despite all the seizures, never missed a competition. For a few years my human had a real tough time and I know she never thought I'd reach 6 years old but here I am, 10 years old and still winning awards.. I have been on epiphen, libromide, cbd oil, kefir and various other powders for many years now and luckily I've managed to fend off any major seizures since I was 5.
I am so glad that my human found me....it takes a great deal of courage and love to battle epilepsy but it is soooo worth it!! I know not every epi warrior is as lucky as I have been but please, please don't ever lose hope.
You just never know what is achievable unless you keep fighting.
Hennessey - Owner Mirtha Wong
Hennessey - Where to begin with your story, I still feel a lump in my throat when I say your name.
Hennessy came into our life as a bargain puppy, we saw an ad for a border collie puppy in a farm it wasn’t Henny, it was his brother Oreo. When we went to collect Oreo the breeder told us he had an extra puppy that nobody was going to want because he was defective, he had a testicle that wasn’t descending and he offered him to us almost for free.
We just took one look at him, this chunky puppy with a pink nose that looked like a possum and decided to bring him into our home. Boy was he full of energy. He was a very independent doggie that wanted to be the boss. His first 2 years went by without any major events (aside from eating my living room furniture, I needed a new couch anyways) until February 2020 when our perfectly happy world changed; he had a grand mal seizure and we were running like crazy to the ER where we were told that it was better to be kind and let him go as his quality of life was not going to be good, but how do you say that to a fur parent who loved this beautiful boy so much. We decided to get a second opinion and he started medication first a more homeopathic route that didn’t work for us. We went to four different veterinarian hospitals and they all said the same thing, "IDIOPATHIC EPILEPSY".....… what a horrible sentence!
My family and I spent days looking for some sort of hope and I stumbled across this wonderful group.
For the first time since we found out about this horrible condition we didn’t feel alone, there was hundreds of people like us, fighting to give our fur babies a chance. The support and the comfort I felt has no measure. I felt the love for our fur baby in all the kind words and amazing advise that kept us sane for the 3 years he fought this demon.
He lost his battle on March 26th of 2023 - he was the goodest of boys and we miss him every single day. I still wake up to look at his leash and collar and my heart breaks when I remember he is no longer here. We will never forget the puppy that taught us so much love and patience and more importantly hope.
Hennessy came into our life as a bargain puppy, we saw an ad for a border collie puppy in a farm it wasn’t Henny, it was his brother Oreo. When we went to collect Oreo the breeder told us he had an extra puppy that nobody was going to want because he was defective, he had a testicle that wasn’t descending and he offered him to us almost for free.
We just took one look at him, this chunky puppy with a pink nose that looked like a possum and decided to bring him into our home. Boy was he full of energy. He was a very independent doggie that wanted to be the boss. His first 2 years went by without any major events (aside from eating my living room furniture, I needed a new couch anyways) until February 2020 when our perfectly happy world changed; he had a grand mal seizure and we were running like crazy to the ER where we were told that it was better to be kind and let him go as his quality of life was not going to be good, but how do you say that to a fur parent who loved this beautiful boy so much. We decided to get a second opinion and he started medication first a more homeopathic route that didn’t work for us. We went to four different veterinarian hospitals and they all said the same thing, "IDIOPATHIC EPILEPSY".....… what a horrible sentence!
My family and I spent days looking for some sort of hope and I stumbled across this wonderful group.
For the first time since we found out about this horrible condition we didn’t feel alone, there was hundreds of people like us, fighting to give our fur babies a chance. The support and the comfort I felt has no measure. I felt the love for our fur baby in all the kind words and amazing advise that kept us sane for the 3 years he fought this demon.
He lost his battle on March 26th of 2023 - he was the goodest of boys and we miss him every single day. I still wake up to look at his leash and collar and my heart breaks when I remember he is no longer here. We will never forget the puppy that taught us so much love and patience and more importantly hope.
Glennie Glen (Glen) - Owner Sue Benstock
Glen's Story-
I volunteer at The Border Collie Spot Rescue, and had been involved in arranging transport to bring in to the centre, some working dogs, being given up by a shepherd. I was there to assess them on arrival. A dog and bitch. The dog was beautiful, friendly and very kind natured. Running my hand over the lively black and white bitch, I felt that familiar swelling behind her rib-cage. I was pretty sure that she was pregnant. She was!
Although I had no intention of having another dog at the time, somehow (with a lot of encouragement from Gill at the rescue!) I found myself taking home the only male pup in the litter. He was the image of his kind and gentle father. I hoped that he would inherit his lovely nature, so I called him Glen after his dad. A few months later Gill asked if I would like to have the ISDS paperwork from Glen's parents. She hadn't looked at it, but knew I would be interested. I was hugely surprised and thrilled to see that baby Glen had a very illustrious pedigree.
Excitedly I mentioned this on my fb page, and received a message from someone, who advised that there was a history of epilepsy in his lines. Knowing that so many lines are effected, I decided not to let that become an issue, although I was no stranger to the disease, having had 2 other animals with epilepsy in the past. Glen fulfilled all the good looks and promise of his gentle father as he matured. Then at just 2 years of age, he developed a black spot on the iris of his right eye. It was a melanoma. He had immediate laser surgery, which against the odds, and thanks entirely to his brilliant ocular surgeon, not only saved his eye, but also his life. The recovery was slow, with many x daily applications of eye drops. Thank goodness his beautiful, trusting nature meant that it was easy for me to help him.
We began to look forward again with hope. Then I heard that Glen's sister had been diagnosed with idiopathic epilepsy... She was pts when the drugs were no longer working for her. Unfortunately in collies this is often the case. Shortly after this, at just five years of age, early one summer morning, Glen had his first grande mal seizure. Within 24 hours he had a second. Knowing only too well about the drugs side effects from my two previous epileptics, and how they had not worked for his sister, I decided to go down the natural route for my boy. I'd done research in to the medical uses of cannabis, and was aware of several severely epileptic children in the UK who were seizure free after receiving free (illegal) indica cannabis oil, kindly supplied and made by the late Jeff Ditchfield from his grow in Spain. I was already using a legal, much diluted indica oil for one of my dogs who had a firework phobia, so I had it at home already. On the day of his first seizure I gave Glen a few drops of the oil. On the day of his second, I gave him 3 doses, 8 hours apart.
My life revolves around him. He is virtually never left. Either myself or my partner are always with him. He sleeps in our room. He has tiny snacks throughout the day, as I know low glucose levels in one of my previous epileptic boys would trigger fits. I always make sure he is well hydrated, using a mix of goats milk and water to ensure that he does drink regularly. Apart from me always being vigilant, Glen himself leads a happy and normal life. The indica cannabis cbd does make him sleep longer and more soundly, and gives him a very healthy appetite, but other wise has no negatives at all. It has no effect on the liver, even in massive doses, unlike pharmaceutical drugs, so there is no need for regular blood tests. In researching, and over time, I have added a few other supplements. He has always been raw fed, but I make sure now that his diet is a practically grain free, keto diet.
This is the protocol that I've devised for him: Glen's Protocol 365 days seizure free. (He has not had any vet drugs so far: (1). CBD Brothers Silver Edition Indica Cannabis Oil. * 3 x 1 drop daily directly on to tongue or on a small treat.
(2). Predominantly raw Keto diet. (no grains)
(3). Epitaur 500 (Central Nervous system support for dogs) * 3 capsules daily with food.
(4). Nutriva Organic MCT Oil * 2 x level teasps daily in food or goats milk.
(5) Ossa grassfed beef gelatine *1 heaped teaspoon daily
**************** Evidence from others using it, who's dogs are now seizure free for a year or more, leads me to believe that the most important and effective part of his regime is the INDICA Cannabis Oil. Indica relaxes the brain, so is ideal for the treatment of epilepsy. NB: Do NOT use Sativa cannabis or sativa hemp....which is most commonly available, and can unfortunately cause seizures, due to it's stimulating effect on the brain.
Always remember: INDICA = RELAXING - SATIVA = ENLIVENING
I would encourage anyone with a fitting collie to please add its pedigree to the database, so that prospective breeders and puppy owners are aware, and can avoid bringing more epileptic collies in to the world.
I volunteer at The Border Collie Spot Rescue, and had been involved in arranging transport to bring in to the centre, some working dogs, being given up by a shepherd. I was there to assess them on arrival. A dog and bitch. The dog was beautiful, friendly and very kind natured. Running my hand over the lively black and white bitch, I felt that familiar swelling behind her rib-cage. I was pretty sure that she was pregnant. She was!
Although I had no intention of having another dog at the time, somehow (with a lot of encouragement from Gill at the rescue!) I found myself taking home the only male pup in the litter. He was the image of his kind and gentle father. I hoped that he would inherit his lovely nature, so I called him Glen after his dad. A few months later Gill asked if I would like to have the ISDS paperwork from Glen's parents. She hadn't looked at it, but knew I would be interested. I was hugely surprised and thrilled to see that baby Glen had a very illustrious pedigree.
Excitedly I mentioned this on my fb page, and received a message from someone, who advised that there was a history of epilepsy in his lines. Knowing that so many lines are effected, I decided not to let that become an issue, although I was no stranger to the disease, having had 2 other animals with epilepsy in the past. Glen fulfilled all the good looks and promise of his gentle father as he matured. Then at just 2 years of age, he developed a black spot on the iris of his right eye. It was a melanoma. He had immediate laser surgery, which against the odds, and thanks entirely to his brilliant ocular surgeon, not only saved his eye, but also his life. The recovery was slow, with many x daily applications of eye drops. Thank goodness his beautiful, trusting nature meant that it was easy for me to help him.
We began to look forward again with hope. Then I heard that Glen's sister had been diagnosed with idiopathic epilepsy... She was pts when the drugs were no longer working for her. Unfortunately in collies this is often the case. Shortly after this, at just five years of age, early one summer morning, Glen had his first grande mal seizure. Within 24 hours he had a second. Knowing only too well about the drugs side effects from my two previous epileptics, and how they had not worked for his sister, I decided to go down the natural route for my boy. I'd done research in to the medical uses of cannabis, and was aware of several severely epileptic children in the UK who were seizure free after receiving free (illegal) indica cannabis oil, kindly supplied and made by the late Jeff Ditchfield from his grow in Spain. I was already using a legal, much diluted indica oil for one of my dogs who had a firework phobia, so I had it at home already. On the day of his first seizure I gave Glen a few drops of the oil. On the day of his second, I gave him 3 doses, 8 hours apart.
My life revolves around him. He is virtually never left. Either myself or my partner are always with him. He sleeps in our room. He has tiny snacks throughout the day, as I know low glucose levels in one of my previous epileptic boys would trigger fits. I always make sure he is well hydrated, using a mix of goats milk and water to ensure that he does drink regularly. Apart from me always being vigilant, Glen himself leads a happy and normal life. The indica cannabis cbd does make him sleep longer and more soundly, and gives him a very healthy appetite, but other wise has no negatives at all. It has no effect on the liver, even in massive doses, unlike pharmaceutical drugs, so there is no need for regular blood tests. In researching, and over time, I have added a few other supplements. He has always been raw fed, but I make sure now that his diet is a practically grain free, keto diet.
This is the protocol that I've devised for him: Glen's Protocol 365 days seizure free. (He has not had any vet drugs so far: (1). CBD Brothers Silver Edition Indica Cannabis Oil. * 3 x 1 drop daily directly on to tongue or on a small treat.
(2). Predominantly raw Keto diet. (no grains)
(3). Epitaur 500 (Central Nervous system support for dogs) * 3 capsules daily with food.
(4). Nutriva Organic MCT Oil * 2 x level teasps daily in food or goats milk.
(5) Ossa grassfed beef gelatine *1 heaped teaspoon daily
**************** Evidence from others using it, who's dogs are now seizure free for a year or more, leads me to believe that the most important and effective part of his regime is the INDICA Cannabis Oil. Indica relaxes the brain, so is ideal for the treatment of epilepsy. NB: Do NOT use Sativa cannabis or sativa hemp....which is most commonly available, and can unfortunately cause seizures, due to it's stimulating effect on the brain.
Always remember: INDICA = RELAXING - SATIVA = ENLIVENING
I would encourage anyone with a fitting collie to please add its pedigree to the database, so that prospective breeders and puppy owners are aware, and can avoid bringing more epileptic collies in to the world.
Round Robin Mag (ISDS BE/328292) / Round Robin Mac Gyver (NHSB 2969720)
(MaQ) - Owner Ankie Houthuis
MaQ, pronounced as Mack (I have something with the Q, all my boys names start with the Q but since he knew his name already I put the Q at the end of his name), came to me very unexpectedly at a sheep-herding trial (which Quando and I went to), when he was 12 weeks old. He is my third Border Collie and second one with epilepsy. He is a lovely sweet boy with an enormous will to please. Of course I didn’t check the background in his lines as I didn’t want a pup yet. After my first Border Collie ‘Quickstep’ having epilepsy I really should have. I followed the litter through a friend who had already reserved his litter brother and I knew she did the health checks and checked the lines for epilepsy. Since there is hardly any line free of epilepsy these days, the known epileptic dogs in the lines were minimal. As it turns out we both ended up with an epileptic dog. MaQ’s litter brother has epilepsy too, their sisters are, as far as I know, free of epilepsy.
We started training UK Obedience and Sheep-herding and have been doing so ever since, only for fun. I have to take in account that he can’t concentrate and move like a healthy Border Collie. There is some brain damage after several cluster periods. He always had trouble controlling his backside and to get better control we started doing Balance and Coordination lessons. In Sheep-herding we switched from the ISDS Collecting Style to FCI Traditional Style because of his epilepsy. The fields in Traditional Style are fenced and you also work close by your dog and sheep. Something to take in account in case he has a seizure and runs off.
MaQ was 5 and a half when he had his first seizure. I immediately knew I had my second one with epilepsy, the first one was Quickstep. So after all the tests it came out idiopathic epilepsy. Except for this he is a very healthy boy.
I look after his raw meat diet, exercise, and everything that might trigger him in a seizure. I used to have both my boys (Quando and MaQ) in the same space when I travelled but since the first seizure they travel separate, each in a crate. They (now only MaQ as Quando was pts last December) went on camping trips, shows, trials and everything we’d like. We are sooo lucky we are still able to do all the fun stuff, we only had to adapt a little. It could have been quite different.
When we are camping (with a campervan) he sleeps with his harness on. In case of a seizure I only have to clip on a lead and take him walking. Luckily he has only one trigger I found and that was the ring on my cellphone. So I changed it to a tune and he has no problem since. The seizures he had I could not trace to something causing it, except the Rabies vac., after which he clustered for several months.
It took me a couple of years to get him stable. He had several cluster periods but since the homeopath changed his homeopathy, he is very stable. Next May he is one year seizure free. He is now 8 years. Each seizure takes a lot of energy. Not only for him but also for me. I have to walk with him till he shakes it off. Sometimes I don’t sleep for 24 hours or more.
Next to his diet MaQ takes a lot of medication and supplements. He has the regular Phenobarbital and further CBD-oil, MCT-oil and Homeopathy. I really found the homeopathy very helpful since that is the only thing that gets him out of a seizure very fast and also keeps him seizure free for a longer time.
We have adapted to his problems and it is always on my mind. He sleeps next to me and I am awake at every suspicious move he makes. His world is my world and in everything we do I have to take his epilepsy into account. ‘Don’t forget the medicine’, not when we go camping, training or even on a walk. I have a camera on the place he sleeps when I am at work. I even had to come home from work a couple of times when I saw him in a seizure (luckily I am able to do that).
The world changes when you have an epileptic dog. You have to plan things ahead and you need to be able to adapt to your dog. It is also very costly; all the medication, supplements, blood-tests every 6 months and may be you can’t do the things you planned with your dog. In my case I had to switch to Traditional Style Trials for his safety but I am very lucky I can get do the things I like with him, may be not at the level we wanted and he was good enough for, but we still have fun. I always have to watch that he doesn’t do too much as he keeps going on.
If you have a fitting Border Collie and know the pedigree, get him/her on the database to help others with the info. If you know of any testing for DNA, donate blood and info of your dog as I did. It is so needed to stop the epilepsy in the Border Collie. It is a terrible disease and we desperately need a DNA test to prevent it going further. The database is a very good help but it is only the tip of the iceberg.
MaQ is a great boy and I love him to bits. Even if I regret he has epilepsy, I never, ever regret taking him home.
He is my sweet boy.
We started training UK Obedience and Sheep-herding and have been doing so ever since, only for fun. I have to take in account that he can’t concentrate and move like a healthy Border Collie. There is some brain damage after several cluster periods. He always had trouble controlling his backside and to get better control we started doing Balance and Coordination lessons. In Sheep-herding we switched from the ISDS Collecting Style to FCI Traditional Style because of his epilepsy. The fields in Traditional Style are fenced and you also work close by your dog and sheep. Something to take in account in case he has a seizure and runs off.
MaQ was 5 and a half when he had his first seizure. I immediately knew I had my second one with epilepsy, the first one was Quickstep. So after all the tests it came out idiopathic epilepsy. Except for this he is a very healthy boy.
I look after his raw meat diet, exercise, and everything that might trigger him in a seizure. I used to have both my boys (Quando and MaQ) in the same space when I travelled but since the first seizure they travel separate, each in a crate. They (now only MaQ as Quando was pts last December) went on camping trips, shows, trials and everything we’d like. We are sooo lucky we are still able to do all the fun stuff, we only had to adapt a little. It could have been quite different.
When we are camping (with a campervan) he sleeps with his harness on. In case of a seizure I only have to clip on a lead and take him walking. Luckily he has only one trigger I found and that was the ring on my cellphone. So I changed it to a tune and he has no problem since. The seizures he had I could not trace to something causing it, except the Rabies vac., after which he clustered for several months.
It took me a couple of years to get him stable. He had several cluster periods but since the homeopath changed his homeopathy, he is very stable. Next May he is one year seizure free. He is now 8 years. Each seizure takes a lot of energy. Not only for him but also for me. I have to walk with him till he shakes it off. Sometimes I don’t sleep for 24 hours or more.
Next to his diet MaQ takes a lot of medication and supplements. He has the regular Phenobarbital and further CBD-oil, MCT-oil and Homeopathy. I really found the homeopathy very helpful since that is the only thing that gets him out of a seizure very fast and also keeps him seizure free for a longer time.
We have adapted to his problems and it is always on my mind. He sleeps next to me and I am awake at every suspicious move he makes. His world is my world and in everything we do I have to take his epilepsy into account. ‘Don’t forget the medicine’, not when we go camping, training or even on a walk. I have a camera on the place he sleeps when I am at work. I even had to come home from work a couple of times when I saw him in a seizure (luckily I am able to do that).
The world changes when you have an epileptic dog. You have to plan things ahead and you need to be able to adapt to your dog. It is also very costly; all the medication, supplements, blood-tests every 6 months and may be you can’t do the things you planned with your dog. In my case I had to switch to Traditional Style Trials for his safety but I am very lucky I can get do the things I like with him, may be not at the level we wanted and he was good enough for, but we still have fun. I always have to watch that he doesn’t do too much as he keeps going on.
If you have a fitting Border Collie and know the pedigree, get him/her on the database to help others with the info. If you know of any testing for DNA, donate blood and info of your dog as I did. It is so needed to stop the epilepsy in the Border Collie. It is a terrible disease and we desperately need a DNA test to prevent it going further. The database is a very good help but it is only the tip of the iceberg.
MaQ is a great boy and I love him to bits. Even if I regret he has epilepsy, I never, ever regret taking him home.
He is my sweet boy.
Ink Credible (Ink) - owner Dawn Greer
Ink was diagnosed with idiopathic epilepsy in August 2021 just before his 3rd Birthday. Since then my life has changed dramatically. I take Ink almost everywhere I go as I’m terrified to leave him, I watch him like a hawk day and night, the monster of epilepsy is NEVER out of my mind. I don’t sleep properly and it’s so hard to make any plans because if he has a seizure then we will not go anywhere for at least 24 hours after, in case he has another as cluster seizures are common.
I have had great support from Siobhán Owens who is also going through this and we felt it was important that there was more awareness of this disease. The fact is no one can fully understand the impact unless you’ve lived through it, unless you’ve watched your dog have a seizure and be able to do so little to help, terrified they are going to die, praying it will stop soon, crying your eyes out. I too have been through this before, twice. When I was a teenager we had a beautiful Great Dane who had epilepsy, it was heartbreaking to watch and she died at age 8. Then when my Jess was 12 she started to have seizures. One morning on a walk she just dropped down and started paddling. She had seizures until she died age 14.
Ink had a bad seizure early one Sunday morning so in discussions with my vet we are looking at altering dosages or changing his current medication. Epilepsy can be particularly hard to control in Border Collies as well. There is no one size fits all to this, it doesn’t go away and he will be on medication for life. Along with the life changes like not being able to go anywhere is the expense of monthly medication too and we are talking hundreds. He currently gets his meds at 6am, 8am, 2pm, 8pm and 10pm every day which is also very life limiting in that I have to be with him at those times every single day.
Now for those of you who like to go out and have dinner or lunch, to the cinema, theatre etc, imagine the impact on your life? I am trying to keep his life as normal as possible but to add to our complications he is a fearful dog and absolutely terrified of the vet so in order to get a blood test the last time he had to be sedated, this again hugely limits our options as I won’t put him through that on a regular basis. But I will not stop fighting for my boy. We will try everything to keep his life as normal as possible and as long as he’s happy that’s what matters.
As Siobhán rightly says, ‘epilepsy is the devil’ and I hope that none of you reading this ever have to go through it
I have had great support from Siobhán Owens who is also going through this and we felt it was important that there was more awareness of this disease. The fact is no one can fully understand the impact unless you’ve lived through it, unless you’ve watched your dog have a seizure and be able to do so little to help, terrified they are going to die, praying it will stop soon, crying your eyes out. I too have been through this before, twice. When I was a teenager we had a beautiful Great Dane who had epilepsy, it was heartbreaking to watch and she died at age 8. Then when my Jess was 12 she started to have seizures. One morning on a walk she just dropped down and started paddling. She had seizures until she died age 14.
Ink had a bad seizure early one Sunday morning so in discussions with my vet we are looking at altering dosages or changing his current medication. Epilepsy can be particularly hard to control in Border Collies as well. There is no one size fits all to this, it doesn’t go away and he will be on medication for life. Along with the life changes like not being able to go anywhere is the expense of monthly medication too and we are talking hundreds. He currently gets his meds at 6am, 8am, 2pm, 8pm and 10pm every day which is also very life limiting in that I have to be with him at those times every single day.
Now for those of you who like to go out and have dinner or lunch, to the cinema, theatre etc, imagine the impact on your life? I am trying to keep his life as normal as possible but to add to our complications he is a fearful dog and absolutely terrified of the vet so in order to get a blood test the last time he had to be sedated, this again hugely limits our options as I won’t put him through that on a regular basis. But I will not stop fighting for my boy. We will try everything to keep his life as normal as possible and as long as he’s happy that’s what matters.
As Siobhán rightly says, ‘epilepsy is the devil’ and I hope that none of you reading this ever have to go through it
Drac at Carfeld (Drac) - owner Yvonne Carpenter
This is Drac.
He was diagnosed with IE nearly nine years ago. He successfully competed in WT until early retirement and now competes in SWUK. He captivates everyone who meets him. He's charismatic, manipulative, a thief of food and toys, and I love him to pieces.
This is my life though - I live every moment knowing that next time he goes into status ellepticus I may have to watch him die. I don't just have to think about his epilepsy once a day - he gets essential meds every eight hours. I can't risk him missing a meal- that will trigger a seizure. Everywhere I go (including daily walks), I have to take emergency meds with me in case he goes into status. He can't be left alone for more than 20 minutes in case he goes into status. Every time we leave home we have to plan to make sure we've enough meds and food for however long we're going to be away. This doesn't even touch on the financial aspect of spending thousands of £s on medication, blood tests, emergency veterinary care, etc.
I live with the knowledge that statistics say it's likely that he will go into continuous seizures and that's how he'll die. I also know for a fact that there are Working Trials and Obedience dogs NOT yet on the database. I suspect there are also breed dogs not on there.
Border Collies are getting an international reputation for one of the breeds to avoid because of epilepsy.
STOP BEING IN DENIAL. Get your dogs, dams and sires on the database
He was diagnosed with IE nearly nine years ago. He successfully competed in WT until early retirement and now competes in SWUK. He captivates everyone who meets him. He's charismatic, manipulative, a thief of food and toys, and I love him to pieces.
This is my life though - I live every moment knowing that next time he goes into status ellepticus I may have to watch him die. I don't just have to think about his epilepsy once a day - he gets essential meds every eight hours. I can't risk him missing a meal- that will trigger a seizure. Everywhere I go (including daily walks), I have to take emergency meds with me in case he goes into status. He can't be left alone for more than 20 minutes in case he goes into status. Every time we leave home we have to plan to make sure we've enough meds and food for however long we're going to be away. This doesn't even touch on the financial aspect of spending thousands of £s on medication, blood tests, emergency veterinary care, etc.
I live with the knowledge that statistics say it's likely that he will go into continuous seizures and that's how he'll die. I also know for a fact that there are Working Trials and Obedience dogs NOT yet on the database. I suspect there are also breed dogs not on there.
Border Collies are getting an international reputation for one of the breeds to avoid because of epilepsy.
STOP BEING IN DENIAL. Get your dogs, dams and sires on the database