Border collie health problems

Perhaps one of the most recognisable breeds of the ‘pastoral’ group, are beloved by families and farmers alike!

Along with their high levels of intelligence and hardworking nature, border collies enrich our lives with their desire to learn and eagerness to please – plus, they give the best cuddles. Providing you’re able to exercise them for a minimum of two hours a day, a border collie will adore being involved in all of life’s adventures with you.

Border collies have a double coat. So, regardless of your border collie’s coat length, you’ll need to spend time brushing them daily – and consider booking regular appointments with professional groomers – to keep their coat healthy.

Explore our border collie breed guide for more information about this beautiful breed!

Potential health conditions linked to the border collie breed

Please remember that while the following health concerns are frequently seen in the border collie breed, each dog is a unique individual. So, your canine companion isn’t necessarily going to suffer from any of the health conditions commonly experienced by the border collie breed – but if you are considering pet insurance, be sure to read our guide on insuring your Border Collie.

Always speak to a vet if you’re concerned about your dog’s health. 

Don’t forget to visit our dog first aid guide to discover the basics of canine first aid.

Hip dysplasia

Canine hip dysplasia is a genetic condition (something a dog is born with) that impacts their hip joints. ‘Dysplasia’ is a word linked to abnormal development, so, hip dysplasia describes abnormalities within a dog’s hip joint.

For border collies with hip dysplasia, either one or both of their hip joints are unstable and can cause them to experience pain, swelling, and stiffness – resulting in lameness. Eventually, hip dysplasia can cause dogs to develop arthritis.

Treatments for canine hip dysplasia include weight management, anti-inflammatory medication, and surgery.

Epilepsy

Epilepsy describes a condition that causes dogs to experience recurrent seizures.

Border collies are known to be prone to epilepsy. Epileptic seizures are caused by abnormal electrical activity in the brain, usually resulting in uncontrolled body movements and seemingly odd behaviour, including:

• Wobbliness.
• Uncontrollable muscle activity or tremors.
• Lack of co-ordination, e.g. falling to one side.
• Lack of awareness about what’s happening around them.
• Body twitching.
• Paddling or jerking of their limbs.
• Drooling.
• Foaming at the mouth.
• Loss of bladder control (peeing uncontrollably).
• Loss of bowel control (unaware they’re pooing).
• Loss of consciousness.   

Important: If your dog has a seizure, they’ll need to recover in a calm environment that’s cool, dark, and free from hazards (e.g. sharp-edged furniture), while you call the vet.

Collie Eye Anomaly (CEA)

CEA is an inherited eye condition that usually impacts both of a border collie’s eyes and can be detected in puppies as young as four weeks old.

This disorder causes the underdevelopment of choroid tissues below the retina in a dog’s eyes, which are responsible for bringing in oxygen. Unfortunately, there’s currently no treatment for CEA and it eventually causes blindness.

The best way to lower the risk of this condition is to test border collies for it, then not to breed dogs who carry the abnormal gene responsible for CEA.

Multi-drug resistance (MDR1)

A hereditary condition, MDR1 is caused when a border collie inherits two copies of an abnormal gene from their parents that result in negative responses to certain medicines.

Due to the specific protein missing from a dog’s system when they have MDR1, certain drugs can build-up to toxic levels and lead to neurological (brain) symptoms, like tremors.

Vets can test your border collie for MDR1 to determine the correct medications to provide them with when treating a condition.

Sensory neuropathy (SN)

Sensory neuropathy is another inherited disorder, and it’s caused by the degeneration of sensory and motor nerve cells that are responsible for feeling/sensation on the skin and muscle control.

Symptoms of SN in dogs include lack of co-ordination, loss of feeling in their limbs, and difficulty walking.

Sadly, there’s no treatment for sensory neuropathy, and dogs who suffer from SN have an extremely poor quality of life – they’re usually put to sleep before reaching two years old.