# Golden Retriever Keeps Collapsing



## BryanB55 (Nov 4, 2008)

I have a 8 year old male golden retriever that keeps collapsing when he is walking. He has been to a few doctors but they do not know what is wrong. They checked his blood and did not see any problems or anything wrong with his thyroid.
It seems to be more of a neurological problem, or almost as if he is drunk. He starts to wobble then his front legs fold under and he falls down. It takes him a few minutes to get back up and when he does he seems disoriented. 

Has anyone seen this problem before? Any ideas on what could be wrong?


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## spotted nikes (Feb 7, 2008)

Years ago I had a dog that had congestive heart failure who would collapse if she got exerted/excited. My vet missed it, even when I brought her in, complaining about it. He said that she might be epileptic. But she wasn't.


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## BryanB55 (Nov 4, 2008)

spotted nikes said:


> Years ago I had a dog that had congestive heart failure who would collapse if she got exerted/excited. My vet missed it, even when I brought her in, complaining about it. He said that she might be epileptic. But she wasn't.


Thanks, I will look into it. I haven't really notice him coughing or having a hard time breathing though which are supposed to be symptoms of CHF


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## spotted nikes (Feb 7, 2008)

My dog didn't start coughing until about 6 months after the collapsing incidents. Vet then told me that it was because she was old, and just like old people sometimes cough. Then the dogs abdomen blew up like a water balloon. Vet said that she had pneumonia. I left her there over night, and took her to a different vet the next day. THAT vet said that she had a horrible heart murmur, no temp, no pneumonia. Asked if she had collapsed or been coughing...


Later found out that 1st vet had about 8 complaints to the State Vet board for malpractice/Vet negligence due to misdiagnosis/treatment..


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## Shalva (Mar 23, 2007)

I am not sure but you might want to read up on exercise induced collapse, its very common in some retrieving breeds, I have not seen it in my dogs but it certainly is something to think about.... 

you also don't say much about where you live but it is very possible that at 8 he/she is just getting overtired and it might be worth going on shorter more frequent walks.... 

you might also want to have hips checked to make sure there is no degenerative joint issues as well as that can certainly make walking very strenuous and cause your dog to because exhausted more quickly if they are compensating for joint pain. 

just off the top of my head 
s


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## CH-FCR-GANG (Nov 3, 2008)

BryanB55 said:


> Thanks, I will look into it. I haven't really notice him coughing or having a hard time breathing though which are supposed to be symptoms of CHF




My friend had a Golden that was diagnosed with acute collapse syndrome. Its described as a sudden loss of strength where the dog will fall and be unable to rise. I witnessed it firsthand a few times while we were hiking and this was a 4 year old Golden Retriever.

It is a disorder in the animal affect one of three areas and is traced back to the lineage of the animal.

It can be a respiratory defect in the mouth, throat, nose or lungs.....like asthma. Which can be combated with steroids to increase the airflow into the lungs and passageways. This is a genetic defect again coming from the lineage

It can be a restriction of blood-flow or low blood pressure within the heart , blood vessels or collapsed red blood cells, in the animal and as more oxygen is required by the muscles a collapse ensues. Which again is a hereditary disorder but can also be caused by a poor diet. 

It can be a nervous system disorder affecting the spinal cord, nerves or the brain which can be caused by numerous other physical defects like a bone spur pinching a nerve or the spinal cord. Or a synapse error with endorphin release during brain function, which is definitely an inherited trait that can manifest as the animal gets older.


The last is usually associated with pain in the animal, my buddy's dog did not experience it, but muscular and skeletal defect affecting bones, joints and tissues can also cause an involuntary failure of the affected limb. 


There are ways to treat most of the causes, but not really cure them.


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## K Dog (Oct 15, 2008)

How long has this been happening? Is it improving or getting worse? You may want to have the vet check to see if it's Myasthenia Gravis.


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## Wimble Woof (Jan 16, 2007)

I think a good look into EIC as shalva said is a good place to start, I have a Border Collie with this disorder and while what you are describing is more like what my cocker experiences with his heart condition EIC is still something worth looking at.
Also Malignant hypothermia as well. ( often diagnosed when it is indeed EIC)


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## BryanB55 (Nov 4, 2008)

Thanks for the replys. He isn't doing any better and now it seems like it is only his rear legs and not the front. 

He isnt able to stand up on his own any more and I don't even take him for long walks just a quick walk down the street because he is too weak. I need to lift him up to be able to walk. It looks like his legs get a bit shaky too when he is standing for a while, almost like his muscles are too weak. 

The vet wants to do a spinal tap and something else to check his nerves but the next appointment they have for the machine they need to use is December 2nd.

We live in South Florida, so it is a bit hot here usually but not right now and it doesn't seem like he is exhausted because he can't even stand up after laying inside in the air conditioning all day.

I just feel bad for him because he just lays there until I pick him up if he wants to move. 

I will look into all the suggestions. 

Thanks again.

Bryan



CH-FCR-GANG said:


> My friend had a Golden that was diagnosed with acute collapse syndrome. Its described as a sudden loss of strength where the dog will fall and be unable to rise. I witnessed it firsthand a few times while we were hiking and this was a 4 year old Golden Retriever.
> 
> It is a disorder in the animal affect one of three areas and is traced back to the lineage of the animal.
> 
> ...


Interesting. This seems to be the route the vet is going, they tested his blood and didn't see anything wrong with his blood tests. He was on steroids but it seems like it only made him thirsty and didn't do much else and now they want to test the spinal chord and nerves.

I did also call the breeder I got him from and she said both of his parents are still alive and well and she hasn't seen this problem in any of her dogs.


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## noisebug (Nov 22, 2008)

Poor guy. Keep us posted, would like to know when he gets better.


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## BryanB55 (Nov 4, 2008)




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## K Dog (Oct 15, 2008)

Oh, what a sweet little face. Thanks for the update and please let us know what the vet says on Tuesday.


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## All about Eva (Nov 22, 2008)

just to throw out there. You may want to look at tick bourn dz also. Some heartworm test ,test for tick dx also. Have you had a spinal xray yet. You may want to have that first before a tap. Disk dx can cause this sort of behavior also. At eight this is a possiblility also. Front leg colapse can be disk around the neck so you may want to make sure your xray is full spine. Not to mention the "C" wordbut an xray of the abdomen may be a good Idea to look. I would have the xrays read by a board certified radiologist afterwards to. Your vet may be good, but radiologist have 4 more years of training in this specific feild. Good luck!! Our thoughts are with you


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## BryanB55 (Nov 4, 2008)

symptoms have changed a bit so I created a new thread:
http://www.dogforums.com/13-dog-health-questions/42468-golden-retriever-seizure-hind.html#post442321


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## boothssi (Jan 7, 2010)

1967 to 1974 we had a large male Golden who exhibited collapse following repeated tangles with a neighborhood German Shepherd. Robbie always ended up chasing the other dog back home but minutes later would exhibit what today we would think of as EIC in Labradors. Robbie eventually died overnight when kenneled at the Vet who could only guess from the symptoms the cause as a seizure. In the intervening years I've gotten involved in human and canine metabolism through the Metabolism Society and come to realize that Robbie's diet of Kennel Ration was particularly inappropriate because it would have stressed his sugar-insulin response. Retrievers originate from genes that developed in the far North as cold water fishermen's retrievers. These dogs evolved on a diet of fish guts, trash fish and seal; a highly nutritious and appropriately ketogenic diet. The brain is particularly sensitive to ketones, so much so that children suffering seizures are now frequently prescribed a ketogenic diet, which in many cases eliminates symptoms. Human nutrition projects are currently under way investigating this further. But I can say that if you feed any organism a diet radically different from its evolutionary diet it is unlikely you will not have some negative side effects. Today our human diet is so bad you'll have heard we might outlive our kids due to metabolic syndrome starting in children. Typical dog food is also bad for the same reasons. If this were my dog I would feed him as closely as possible to his natural canine diet which implies very high levels of meat protein and fat as well as omega-3 supplements. If symptoms persist then move on to the next possible cause.


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