pepper had another "turn"...

[*jean*]

...while out on a 3 hour run yesterday. I was about a mile from the car on the way back it was pretty cold and windy and she was wet.
 She started running around me howling in fear then her back legs gave out. I was panicking a bit myself as I wasnt sure what was going on,.. Pepper had an attack like this 18 months or more ago the vet thought it might have been her heart as otherwise she was right as rain. anyway peppers yelling her head off so liath joined in.. I told liath to shut up as it wasnt helping peppers panic if liath was going to get all hysterical too. peppers started to be quite but was all distant on me. just staring at me. I just kept talking to her soothing her and a few mins later she was back to normal tho a bit subdued,
 took her home where she scoffed all her grub and had a big drink and she was as before..completely normal.
 Id seen this programme a while back.. pepper is half springer half cocker and she had run solidly for 3 hours through deep cover..
sounds a bit like it doesnt it?
theres a clip you can watch if you click on the link..that says watch the report of collapsing dogs..
http://www.bbc.co.uk/scotland/outdoors/features/landward_301107/

[suzysu]

Aww sorry to hear about Pepper, cant help I'm afraid  but will send some healing thoughts x

[happydog]

Sorry to hear about Pepper Jean.

Similar thing happened to Jess, one of our springers. I think she was about 8 years old. It was a hot day and she was on lead walking up a hill with OH. Back legs went and she needed a break before she could continue. I wasn't there so only heard about from OH. It happened a couple of time after that I think, but never when she was with me. She was as right as rain afterwards, same enthusiasm, same appetite.

She lived until she was 12 when she had heart failure(I guess), her back legs went and we sat up with her all night(it was a Sunday). She died within 6 hours. I wonder if it is caused by a heart defect?

[*jean*]

I dont know what it is . because it hgappens miles from anywhere on a run by the time I get her to a vets shes fine.
 weird. she didnt fit as such but was very out of it and stary. she didnt pass out but I honestly dont think she knew me at one point.
It was horrible watching her running around me screaming in panic at the start,  when liath started screaming too I nearly died,.. but she was just wound up as pepper was screaming..sisters eh?

[Michele]

I have very little veterinary knowledge whatsoever, but I wonder if with her having been out and running for such a long time that her blood was pumping to and through her heart so much that it wasn't circulating to her brain properly and so she collapsed in a similar way to a fit???

What you described is very much like what is mentioned on the video link.

I hope you can find what is wrong and that Pepper is ok.

[jann]

Poor Pepper! that must have been frightening for you Jean.  The video clip is very interesting, I agree, it certainly seems possible that this is what happened to Pepper !

Lets hope it doesn't happen again 

[Nicola]

God I'm really sorry to hear that Jean, you must have been terrified. I saw that Landward episode with the collapsing dogs when it was on tv a while back and thought it was quite interesting. It does sound very similar to what's happened to Pepper. I really hope it doesn't happen again. Are you going back to the vet with her this week? 

[MrsMac]

How scary for you and Pepper    It does sound like the same think on the video link doesn't it.  I hope it doesn't happen again for a long time, its so hard for the vet to diagnose if Pepper is ok a wee while after the event 

Give her a squidge from us 

[spanielcrazy]

How awful and scary for all of you! 

It does sound like what is on the link. Dr. Simpson, the vet from the link who is researching it, might be interested in Peppers case. Why don't you send him an email? Even though it's more than 2 hours, he may be interested in a blood sample from her.

Fingers crossed it doesn't ever happen again

[Helen]

Jean, try and contact Dr Simpson to put your mind at rest (the best bit of that video was him saying it's not fatal) - i know it's happened on my BIL shoot, and they thought the springer was having a fit - I'm forwarding the video on.  They gave the springer something sugary as they assumed his blood level had dropped dramatically - I spose you would if it was a human ??

Marathon runners have all sorts of 'energy' foods/drinks - I wonder if there is some kind of dog equvalent?

thinking of you - I would have been absolutely petrified 

[Cazzie]

Poor wee pepper  Hope she is ok 

[Sheryl]

Poor Pepper and poor you Jean.  You must have been worried sick   I would have been panic stricken.  I think the others are right and it would be worth contacting this Jimmy Simpson to let him know about Pepper.  Thinking of you

[hollyd443]

My older dog - Penny (nearly 12yr old Lab x Jack Russel x 'hint of cocker') had a fit/turn yesterday, she's had them throughout her life, we can go months without and then two in a weeks for example. When she goes in to one of these funny turns/fits its like her legs aren't strong enough to hold her up, she digs her claws into the floor, shakes, trembles, dribbles her eyes get really stairy - like she can't focus. Sometimes she collapses on her side, sometimes she's sick. We are almost certain that what Penny eats is linked to these episodes. She has to have soley JWB food, and human food (meat) with NO additives (colourings, flavourings etc). One thing that almost definately ensures a fit is those Winalot Shape Biscuits - someone once gave her one at training without asking and she had a fit in the car on the way home. She found one of these biscuits out on a walk and ate it before we had chance to get her to drop it and fitted when she got home, and had a coloured treat at Christmas time and had a fit on the stairs later that day. When she has one of these episodes I do what you did, try to keep calm and soothe her - when she's coming out of it she often hides her head under my arm and if I'm at home I turn the lights of and close the curtains to make it dark for her.

My computer is being a bit of a  so couldn't watch the article  but I thought I'd share my experience of Penny and her turns as what Pepper had sounded slightly similar. Its so scary when it happens isn't it - as they look so confused. 

Sending lots of cuddles Peppers way ,

Holly

[clairep4]

That sounds really scary - glad to hear she's okay now. I did see something very similar with a collie at agility last year, it was a warmish evening and at the end of the class its owner was leading it out through the gate when it just seemed almost to faint. It just fell over and lay there looking a bit dazed, then a few seconds later was up on its feet again and seemed perfectly okay, so it could be the same kind of thing? I know sometimes if I go for a long run I can end up feeling quite dizzy so it wouldn't surprise me if dogs just over-exert themselves to the point where they fall over - especially spaniels...

[Mollycuddles]

Poor Pepper It does sound like how others have described it from the vid link , I couldn't see the link but sounds very interesting