Collapsing spaniel

[woolyflyer]

We have a 9 year old working springer. On long walks (anything over 10 mins) she loses control of her back legs and flops down shaking. After 5 mins she's right as rain. Vet thinks it's something neurological but I'm wondering about diabetes and vets out there?

We had a working cocker that used to have unexplained fits when he was young. It usually happened when he was overexcited or knackered. It was a proper full-on fit, you couldn't mistake it. He'd keel over, shivering and shaking and emit the most awful screaming whining noise. Two minutes later he'd get up and be fine. Vet never did get to the bottom of it. Does it sound like that?

No it's not a fit, and aside from shaking a little, more like fear than uncontrollably, no foaming, no yelping, she's very calm and just lies down

I am a vet; is this a recent thing? There are a couple of conditions that affect Springers that can cause collapse; one is a sudden drop in blood sugar levels brought on by rapid energy expenditure. In this case you can carry some 'snacks' for them on walks to keep blood sugar levels constant - it's worth trying this the next time it happens so you can see if it makes a difference. The inside of a Milky Way bar is good - not normally a recommended dog treat at all but good for getting some sugar into them quickly. Honey also works but is obviously trickier to carry around on walks. The other condition is Phosphofructokinase Deficiency (PFK) which is a genetic condition causing an enzyme deficiency meaning that the dog cannot metabolise certain sugars. It is a hereditary condition and there is a DNA test available (potential breeding dogs should always be screened prior to breeding). However, given your dog is 9, if this is a recent development then it's very unlikely to be PFK.

I would recommend blood and urine tests as a starting point but your vet is right to consider possible neurological causes for sudden-onset loss of motor functions. If it persists I would recommend seeking a referral to a specialist veterinary neurologist.

Sounds a bit like EIC in labs, but I don't know if spaniels carry the gene? It's easy to test for it if so.

EIC has thus far been found to predominantly affect Labs and other Retriever breeds (Curly Coats, Chesapeakes etc.). There are some studies into the condition in other sporting breeds and it has recently been found in Boykin Spaniels and German Wirehaired Pointers in the US, but thus far I have not heard of it occurring in the UK Springer population. EIC tends to manifest during very strenuous activity, thus is usually seen in working/field trialling dogs, and again, would be evident well before the dog reached 9 years of age - generally it's between 6 months and 2 years, just as they enter intensive training.

Very recent, but increasing in terms of how short a walk, I was wondering about the sugar thing as she usually gets walked before breakfast and the other day she had a late breakfast and she seemed wobbly. Hence I wondered about diabetes. Am trying to avoid the £2.5k bill ahead of insurance reclaim for an MRI

My working cocker fitted the description of EIC. We stopped working him as hard and he seemed to grow out of it by four or five. We had him tested for diabetes, epilepsy, etc and never found out what caused it.

Is she showing other symptoms such as excessive drinking and urination, weight loss and lethargy? Hind leg collapse isn't a usual symptom of diabetes. It is likely to be a blood sugar issue or something neurological. I would initially try making sure she eats regularly, particularly before exercise (with a suitable gap between) and see how she goes from there. Hope she's ok.

Thanks Jr. Change of username ! Better walk this morning 20mins after breakfast and no signs !