And now for something different!

Lately, we have been sharing collie health related topics, which are very valuable.  But now it's time to share something cute and fun!  Last weekend we attended a collie puppy match.  The club holding the match honored us, by asking my daughter to judge sweeps and junior handling.  It was the perfect way to spend a Sunday - surrounded by collie puppies and sunshine!

The puppies were all just too cute!

CEA - Collie Eye Anomaly

What is CEA?  CEA stands for Collie Eye Anomaly, a disease that is commonly seen in collies.  However, collies are not the only breed to suffer from this disease.  CEA is actually a group of eye conditions, ranging from mild to severe.  Fortunately, it is easily detected with an eye examination by a Canine Ophthalmologist.  The test should be done by the breeder, when the puppies are 5 - 6 weeks old.  Reputable, ethical breeders will have their puppies tested before they are sold to new families.  The good news is that most CEA does not impair the dog’s vision, so owners will rarely see any discernable difference between collies with CEA and those who are normal eyed.

 

The Collie Club of America's Code of Ethics requires that all dogs that are sold or placed, be in good condition, free of communicable diseases with their health guaranteed for a reasonable length of time.  This should include a written health record, inoculation schedule and the results of the eye exam.  If a breeder refuses to provide you with the puppy's health record or results of the eye exam, then you may want to find another breeder.

 

When tested for CEA the puppies will be given either a "normal" or "affected" rating.  If affected, the type of abnormality will be noted.

 Normal: This is what collie breeders hope to produce, a “normal-eyed” collie puppy with no CEA.  A "Normal" eye rating is the best rating.  There are also "Go Normals", which are so mildly affected at a young age, that later, the pale areas caused by choroidal hypoplasia disappear, leading to what is termed a "Go Normal."  These “go normal” puppies are still affected with CEA, and can pass CEA onto their future offspring.  The only way to be certain a collie is not a carrier of CEA is through genetic testing.  Also, dog's coat color can make it difficult to get 100% accurate results, as the pigment in a Blue Merle's eyes can be diluted along with his coat color.

 Choroidal Hypoplasia, Chorioretinal Change: These refer to abnormalities in the coloring or pigmentation of the choroid or central layer of the eye's lining. This is the most common abnormality found in Collie eyes.  It is the least harmful and least severe form of CEA.  Most dogs with this eye grade, function normally with no ill-effects or vision impairment.  These puppies are carriers of CEA.

 Staphyloma, Coloboma, Ectasia: While not completely synonymous, these terms all refer to a cupping or bulging in the eyeball usually in the area of the optic disc.  They can appear to be “pits” or “holes” in the layers of the eye tissue.

 Vascular Disease, Tortuous Blood Vessels: Defects in the vessels of the eye which are responsible for its blood supply or "nourishment." These may be malformed, undersized, or even lacking.

 Retinal Detachment: Loosening or separation of the inmost, or retina, layer from the wall of the eye. This may involve a tiny area or the entire retina. It can be either one or both eyes. The complete detachment of the retina results in blindness in that eye.

 

CEA is a recessive trait, and even dogs that are "normal" on ophthalmoscopic examination can still be carriers of CEA, and about 90% of the collie breed are carriers.  A dog with one mutant copy of the CEA and one normal copy of CEA is called heterozygous, or a CEA carrier. A dog with two copies of the normal CEA gene is homozygous, or genetically free of CEA.  Only dogs that are normal or who have choroidal hypoplasia should be used for breeding.  Dogs with colobomas, staphylomas, ectasia or detachments should not be bred, as they will pass these more severe issues along to their offspring. 

 

PRA, Progressive Retinal Atrophy, is another eye condition.  It is unrelated to CEA, and it is a degenerative disease that can result in blindness.  Most dogs with PRA will be blind by the time they are a year old.  You can learn more about PRA, by visiting this site:

PRA

MDR1 - do you know the danger?

What is MDR1? 
Multi-drug resistance 1, or MDR1, is a gene mutation found in many herding breeds.  This mutation causes toxic levels of certain drugs to build up in the brain; which leads to severe neurological problems, such as seizures and death.  It is estimated that around 75% of all collies have the MDR1 mutation, so all collie owners should be aware of which drugs are potentially harmful to their dogs.  If you are concerned that your collie, or herding breed, may have this mutation, there is now a simple, inexpensive DNA test offered.  For around $70, and with just a quick cheek swab, you can have your dog tested.

How does a dog end up with this mutation?  Each collie receives one allele, or gene, from each of it's parents.  Dogs that receive a "normal" MDR1 gene from each parent are +/+ (homozygous normal) or normal/normal.  All offspring from these parents will be clear of the MDR1 mutation, and will not be sensitive to the drugs listed below.

Dogs that receive a "normal" gene from one parent, and a "mutant" gene from the other parent are +/- (heterozygous).  While they are considered to be only carriers of the mutation, studies have found that they may also be sensitive to certain drugs.  These dogs will pass along the mutant gene to half of their offspring.

Dogs that receive a "mutant" gene from both of their parents are -/- or mutant/mutant. (homozygous mutant)  Dogs that are mutant/mutant are very sensitive to certain drugs, such as Ivermectin, and will pass on the mutation to all of their offspring.  According to the Collie Health Foundation and other leading researchers, the low dose of Ivermectin found in monthly heartworm medications will not cause a reaction.  However, many collie owners and breeders still choose to avoid use of any products containing Ivermectin, preferring to exercise caution instead.

Because of the need for caution, if your dog tests mutant/mutant or normal/mutant, you should make sure that any veterinarian treating your dog is aware of the risks of using certain drugs.  You will also want to make sure your dog does not ingest horse feces, because horses are treated with large quantities of Ivermectin and the drug is eliminated from their bodies in their feces.

 

Herding breeds at risk:
Australian Shepherds
Collies (rough and smooth)
English Shepherds
German Shepherds
Long-haired Whippets
McNabbs
Shetland Sheepdogs
Silken Windhounds
and any mixed-breeds with any of these breeds in their ancestry.

 

Dogs with the MDR1 Gene Defect should avoid the following drugs:

 Class A

Ivermectin substances (antiparasitics, such as Diapec, Ecomectin, Equimax, Ivomec, Noromectin, Paramectine, Qualimec, Sumex, Virbamec)

Doramectine substances (antiparasitics such as Dectomax)

Loperamide substances (antidiarrheal, such as Imodium)

Moxidectine substances (antiparasitcs such as Cydectin, Equest, Flagyl)

 

Class B (used only under CLOSE supervision of veterinarian):

Cytostatics (chemotherapy)

Immunosuppressive (Cyclosporine A)

Heart glycosides (Digoxine, Methldigoxine)

Opiods (Morphium)

Antiarrthymics (Verapamil, Diltiazem, Chinidine)

Antiemetics (Ondansetron, Domperidon, Metoclopramide)

Antibiotics (Sparfloxacin, Grepafloxacin, Erythromycin)

Antihistamin (Ebastin)

Glucocortoid (Dexamethason)

Acepromazine (tranquilizer and pre-anesthetic agent)

Butorphanol (analgesic and pre-anesthetic agent)

Etopside

Mitoxantrone

Ondansetron

Paclitaxel

Rifampicin

 

Class C (used in permitted application form and dose):

Selamectin

Milbemax

Advocate

 

When choosing a veterinarian for your dog, please make sure they are educated on the MDR1 mutation and know which drugs pose a risk to your dog.  You should also keep a list when you are traveling with your dog, because not every veterinarian is aware of these potentially harmful drugs and in some emergency situations time is limited.

Answers to our previous post!

Thank you for all who gave our game a try!  (And for those who haven't tried to answer the challenge, you can see the previous post.  But don't look at the answers below!)

1) Captain
2) Abby
3) Scarlett
4) Kori
5) Holly
6) Ryder

Congratulations Rebecca Epperly at Tails of Teach and Key West Collies for getting each name correct!

Throwback Thursday - the puppy games edition!

I thought for this throwback Thursday we would play a little game!  Can you name each of the following puppies?  They each grew up to be one of our beloved collies!  (no cheating by looking at past posts, try to guess!)

1)

2)

3)

4)





5)



6)



This one should be easy!





Come back soon for the answers!  May the odds be ever in your favor!





Nothing "butt" collies!

One of these things is not like the others!

 



 

There we go - everycollie in line!

Somecollie was caught using his mother as a pillow snuggling with his mother!

Make mine a collie!

Whenever we take the collies for a walk, people stop us to talk about them.  Ryder, in particular, brings a smile to people's faces and his happy nature invites people to stop and chat for a while.  I'm sure it's because Ryder is a rough collie, and he reminds people of Lassie or of their own childhood collie, or both.  We have even had people stop their cars in the middle of the street to tell us how beautiful Ryder looks. 

The girls, being smooth collies, are less recognizable.  But their sweet personalities, pretty markings, and beautiful faces also have people stopping us to ask about them.  We have been asked if they were shepherd mixes or grey hound mixes.  Some people even ask us "why did we shave our collies?"  We then explain about the smooth coat, and many are amazed because they never knew the smooth coated variety of collie existed.

Children flock to collies, like bees to flowers, and the admiration is mutual. Not only are our collies careful and gentle with small children, they are fascinated by them. I can't count how many times they have spotted a child and dragged us over to say "hello." The children we have encountered seem to know that the collies love them, often wrapping their little arms around a collie neck to share a hug. (Which sets our collies' entire bodies to wagging in delight!)

Older adults often reminisce with us about their childhoods, and how they grew up with collies.  And many tell us about how they watched the Lassie TV show every week.  We have also heard many times that "you never see collies anymore."  It's so strange, with so many people loving this breed so deeply, that collies aren't more popular.

Some days, during our walks, it feels like we are accompanying celebrities on a goodwill tour!  They never seem to tire of making new friends.  Which is why we have begun attending AKC "Meet the Breeds" events with our collies.  It is a great way to educate people about this wonderful breed, that has captured hearts for generations.

Here are some fun facts about collies:

• The collie originated in Scotland.
• The role of Lassie, the most famous collie, was always played by a male collie.

• Most collies dislike getting dirty, and they will even avoid mud puddles!

• Collies are one of the most intelligent breeds, which makes them easy to train.  But they are also sensitive, so only positive training methods should be used.

• Collies are talented and eager to please, which means they can compete in a variety of competitions – herding, agility, obedience, Rally, dance.  And they can also serve as search and rescue, therapy or guide dogs.

• Collies are “nosey,” and are always checking on their humans.  If they can’t be by your side, they can be seen peeking around doors, shower curtains or windows, to see what you are doing or if you need their “help.”  They need to be with their families, so if you want an “outside” dog, this is not the breed for you.

• Male collies typically weigh around 60 to 75 pounds, females are usually smaller and weigh 50 to 65 pounds.

• Collies come in four coat colors – tri-color, white, blue merle, or sable and white

You can learn more about the collie by visiting:

Scarlett to the rescue!

The other day our little Scarlett must have been inspired when we watched a Lassie movie together, because she tried to follow in Lassie's heroic pawsteps!  When my daughter went outside yesterday, Scarlett told her that something wasn't right.  She ran to my daughter, ran over to the tree in our yard, and then back to my daughter again.  She repeated this a couple times, because humans can be slow to catch on.  Finally, my daughter realized Scarlett was trying to show her something.

There she found this little guy.  He had fallen out of his nest, or jumped, we aren't sure which.  My daughter picked him up, gently dried him off, while Scarlett supervised.  During this process, the scared baby heard his parents calling for him, and started fluttering and moving in excitement.  So my daughter put him down, and his parents quickly joined him.  They all hopped off together under the fence, and that was the last we saw of the little family.

But I have to say, I'm impressed with Scarlett's "rescue" skills.  What a good collie!