BORDER COLLIE SOLILOQUY
THE THOUGHTS OF A BORDER COLLIE
Chester
Our Puppyfarm Puppy 1999-2000 
I will pass this page to Cathy so she can tell Chester's story.
I hadn't had a dog since 1986 and John had never had the experience of a dog before. The time was now right to have another Border Collie in our lives. I saw an advert in the local Advertiser for Border Collies for sale and gave them a call. Yes, they had some left, I asked some questions regarding the puppies and arranged an appointment for that afternoon.
John and I drove to Touchen End near Maidenhead in Berkshire, just three miles from were we lived, we turned into the large driveway and parked in front of the grand house with swimming pool. An elderly man met us and took us across the court yard. There was a row of kennels and from what I could see, contained half a dozen or so different breed of dog, I had the suspicious feeling we were at some type of puppy farm.
Across from the kennels were some old stables we passed one stable and could her puppy barks, then another that had Golden Retriever Puppies, then into the next where the Border Collie puppies were, It stank and was so dark you could hardly see them, about 10 puppies started to scramble, yap and cry as the spotted us, all yearning for attention, my heart broke for the poor little mites. I asked where the mother was and was told she was out on exercise, a likely story! I didn't see a Border Collie in the kennels so these pups must have come from elsewhere and too much of a mixture of size and colour to come from the same litter.
We should have run a mile realising where we were, but what can you do when you are confronted with these poor puppies, we were not buying the puppy we thought we were going to buy, more like rescuing one from this terrible place, I wished we could have taken all of them.
I started to pick them up and give them a check over and was told by the man to stop pretending I know what I'm doing and choose one! John had spotted one at the back of the litter, I passed him up, he was a little red and white one. This man wanted a quick in and out sale, John was really taken by the red and white puppy and to be honest I had never seen a Border Collie that colour before and wondered if he was full breed, but that didn't matter anymore, Border Collie or not he was coming home with us.
One day over the park a man commented on Chester's gait, his movement wasn't right. I had noticed he tired easily so we observed this for a while then decided to go along to the vets to get it checked out. The result of the x-ray showed Chester had CHD (chronic hip dysplasia) he was only four months old but his hips were so bad, in time he would need an operation, in the mean time diet, medication and moderate exercise was prescribed. We had not over exercised him, this was a result of his bad breeding! He loved swimming which would help build up the muscle around his joints so we travelled twice a week to a canine hydrotherapy pool forty miles away, this he absolutely hated! It wasn't fun for him at all having to wear a lifejacket and get hoisted in and out of the pool but once he was in he calmed down enough to get some pleasure out of it. It was quite a large heated pool, we would run up and down the side of it encouraging Chester to swim the length of it and after the session he would have some heat treatment, laying on a bed under a heat lamp, I used to think with a smile, how I had always wanted to go to a health farm and be pampered but couldn't afford the luxury, but never thought twice at the amount of money we were spending on Chester to make him comfortable.
YET ANOTHER HEARTACHE!
John and I were sleeping, we were disturbed by a thudding noise at 2am in the hallway, we went to investigate and saw Chester having a seizure! He was now five months old. We had never seen one before and it scared the life out of us, how much more was this boy going to suffer! We took him to the vets and they done some blood tests, which came back normal, we would just have to wait and see if it happened again. It did! Chester was put on phenobarbitone and potassium bromide and we logged his fits in a diary. They were getting worse, full blown Grand Mal seizures, very distressing to witness, he would be blind for up to an hour afterwards, crashing into walls, being with him and comforting him reassured him.
Our Holistic vet which we also used, asked us to observe Chester around the time of a full moon. We noticed the worse of his seizures happened during the week of a full moon! Some people scoffed at us when we told them this but, believe me it was true! Many people believe that given the moon's known gravitational effect upon the ocean tides. It is reasonable to assume that since the human body is 80 percent water, the moon can also affect human behavior.
We found it important to stay calm during a fit as any outside influences could prolong the seizure, turning off lights, TV etc, not touching him, making sure his surroundings were safe
Seizures consist of three components:
1) The pre-ictal phase, or aura, is a period of altered behavior in which the dog may hide, appear nervous, or seek out the owner. It may be restless, nervous, whining, shaking, or salivating. This may last a few seconds to a few hours.
2) The ictal phase is the seizure itself and lasts from a few seconds to about five minutes. During this period, all of the muscles of the body contract strongly. The dog usually falls on its side and seems paralyzed while shaking. The head will be drawn backward. Urination, defecation, and salivation often occur. If it is not over within five minutes, the dog is said to be in status epilepticus or prolonged seizure.
3) During the post-ictal phase, there is confusion, disorientation, salivation, pacing, restlessness, and temporary blindness. During this stage stay with your dog and reassure him.
Canine Epilepsy does not necessarily come from bad breeding it can be inherited but with a careful breeding plan it can be eradicated from the breed.
Puppy Farmers wouldn't take that into consideration they would continue to breed regardless of any known diseases.
We were referred to A CanineNeurologist at Stone Lion Veterinary Hospital at Wimbledon, SW London which proved fruitless, She diagnosed Idiopathic Epilepsy (unknown cause) and to continue with the treatment he was already on, there didn't appear to be anything more we could do other than what we were already doing, she wouldn't recommend going through the expense of a brain scan as she thought it unlikely to be a tumor.
On the 19th of June 2000 Chester had his worse ever seizure and went in to Status, again this was in the early hours of the morning as most of his fits were. We rushed him to the vets, He continued to fit on the table, the nurse, John and I had to hold him down so the vet could get a vein to administer valium, this was the most distressing episode we had ever gone through, once he appeared stable there wasn't anything else we could do so we went home. The next day there hadn't been any change, he had fitted through the night and they had use anesthesia rather than sedation, so poor Chess was out cold and not aware of anything. On day three they gradually lightened the amount of anesthetic until he was off it and back on valium, we wanted to bring him home but the said leave it another day. We would sit with him stroking his beautiful red coat and telling him we would be going to the park to play with his ball soon, even though he was sedated his tail would give a little wag at those words. One the evening of the 22nd at 11.30pm we had a phone call telling us Chester had passed away.....................
This little dog had come into our lives and changed it completely, he taught us so much in that short year.
Goodbye my trusted friend, God bless Chess.
I give you this one thought to keep
I am with you still---I do not sleep
I am a thousand winds that blow,
I am the diamond glints on snow,
I am the sunlight on ripened grain,
I am the gentle autumn rain.
When you awaken in the morning's hush,
I am the swift, uplifting rush
of quiet birds in circle light.
I am the soft stars that shine at night.
Do not think of me as gone---
I am with you still--in each new dawn.
I Loved You Best
Copyright © Jim Willis 2002,
all rights reserved
So this is where we part, My Friend,
and you'll run on, around the bend,
gone from sight, but not from mind,
new pleasures there you'll surely find.
I will go on, I'll find the strength,
life measures quality, not its length.
One long embrace before you leave,
share one last look, before I grieve.
There are others, that much is true,
but they be they, and they aren't you.
And I, fair, impartial, or so I thought,
will remember well all you've taught.
Your place I'll hold, you will be missed,
the fur I stroked, the nose I kissed.
And as you journey to your final rest,
take with you this...I loved you best.
With Thanks to Jim Willis for allowing me to use this in tribute to Chester.
Canine epilepsy is one of the most emotionally devastating problems facing dog owners and breeders today. Dr. Gary S. Johnson, a molecular geneticist from the College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Missouri-Columbia is currently doing DNA research to try to locate the mutation(s) responsible for causing epilepsy in dogs. The genes controlling seizure problems in dogs are not well understood, but this project is attempting to find the marker(s) or mutation(s) responsible. When these can be identified, a blood test will tell if an individual dog is a carrier, clear, or likely to become an affected (even before symptoms begin). Using this information, breeders can choose breeding partners who will not produce additional affected puppies. Researchers working on this project need information from affected dogs and their families. Specifically, what is needed is a pedigree (4 or 5 generation) of the litter where an affected dog (or dogs) appeared, and blood samples from the affected(s), the littermates, parents, and when possible, the grandparents. More distant relatives such as half-siblings, aunts and uncles, or others are also potentially useful. Families are important so that the genotype of the affected dogs can be compared to that of close relatives who are not affected, and decipher how these genes are inherited from one generation to the next. An affected dog with little or no family available may also be useful to test information found in families, and should also send in a sample. Participation in the project is completely confidential - the names of dogs and owners who participate in the research will not be revealed. When the research produces some results, individual owners will be able to request the results of testing on their own dogs. Results of research are published in such a way that the identity of individual dogs is completely anonymous, so participants do not have to worry that information, which could be traced to an individual dog or family, would be disclosed. There is a packet of information sheets and forms for submitting samples. You may make copies and distribute them to other interested breeders and owners who should also participate. The packet can be downloaded at the Canine Epilepsy Network website (currently under construction),
or mailed via regular mail. Several recently approved grants have allowed this research to be opened to affected dogs and their families in ALL breeds of dogs, at no cost to the owners or the breed parent clubs. As of early July, samples have been received from 15 different breeds. Within a year, researchers hope to have samples from at least 50 breeds. It is hoped that information discovered in one breed may help locate mutations in another. Please spread the word of this research to anyone who has an affected dog or a relative of an affected dog, and to veterinarians and others who may come in contact with other dogs and owners who should be included. There is no cost to participate, other than a vet fee for drawing a blood sample (many vets are doing this at cost or minimal charge, to support the research) and overnight shipping charges to the lab ($12-$30 from most places in the country via FedEx, UPS, or US Mail). If you have any questions, or need additional information, please contact project coordinator Liz Hansen via one of the methods listed below. Thank you for your interest and participation!
Note: To pass customs from other countries, the package needs to be labeled "DNA samples - No Infectious Agents" and it will go through.
Liz Hansen
Coordinator of Veterinary Information
Dr. Gary Johnson's lab - Dept. of Vet. Path.
209A Connaway Hall
College of Veterinary Medicine
University of Missouri
Columbia, MO 65211
573-884-3712 (office)
573-884-5414 (department fax)
573-696-2185 (home)
hansenl@missouri.edu (office email)
USEFUL INFORMATION & LINKS
Diagnostic Work For Dogs With Seizures
http://www.gsdhelpline.com/epilepsy9.htm
The Phyllis Croft Foundation for Canine Epilepsy. http://www.gsdhelpline.com/epilepsy.htm
A print off : http://www.canine-epilepsy.com/seizure.pdf
Canine Epilepsy Network. Research & Sample Submission
http://www.canine-epilepsy.net
Canine Epilepsy Resourse Center
http://www.canine-epilepsy.com
Naturally Treating Epilepsy and Seizure Disorders
http://www.purelypets.com/articles/epilepsyarticle.htm
Source of information, support, Treatments and Solutions for Veterinarians and Owners of Dogs With Epilepsy
http://www.canine-epilepsy-guardian-angels.com/
Hip Displasia Article
http://www.siriusdog.com/hip_dysplasia.htm
The Importance of good positioning on hip x-rays. http://www.leerburg.com/hipart.htm
Help Outlaw Puppy Establishments UK
http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/hopeuk/
Puppy Watch UK
Say NO to Welsh Assembly assisted Puppy Farms!
http://www.saynotopuppyfarms.org.uk/