How do you treat EIC?
The only treatment for Exercise Induced Collapse revolves around avoiding extreme exercise, particularly activities that most likely trigger the dog to enter high-drive mode. Dogs must be “retired” to the life of a quiet, indoor house-pet.
What does EIC look like?
Phenotype: Exercise-induced collapse (EIC) is characterized by muscle weakness, lack of coordination, and life-threatening collapse after intense exercise in otherwise apparently healthy dogs. Affected dogs tolerate mild to moderate activity but will display signs of EIC after 5-20 minutes of strenuous exercise.
Do dogs grow out of exercise-induced collapse?
In some dogs, the rear limb collapse progresses to forelimb weakness and occasionally to a total inability to move. Some dogs appear to have a loss of balance and may fall over, particularly as they recover from complete collapse.
How common is EIC in labs?
Thirty percent of all tested Labrador Retrievers carry the EIC gene. This is not a problem unless a breeder unknowingly breeds one carrier to another carrier and ends up with affected Labrador Retriever puppies. It can take up to 5 years for symptoms to appear, so it is important that breeders test for this gene.
How do I test my dog for EIC?
When Do EIC Attacks Occur? A dog carrying the EIC gene, but only from one parent, will appear normal. The only way to tell whether the dog is carrying the gene is via the Exercise Induced Collapse DNA Test. A dog carrying the gene from both parents may appear normal most of the time.
Why does neutering cause behavior problems in male dogs?
The vet went on to say that the earlier the neutering occurred, the less likely such problems were to occur. I was unhappy to hear that veterinarians were still suggesting that course of action. Two large sample studies have suggested that spaying and neutering may actually cause an increase in canine aggression.
What happens to the nervous system when you have spasticity?
The damage causes a change in the balance of signals between the nervous system and the muscles. This imbalance leads to increased activity in the muscles. Spasticity negatively affects muscles and joints of the extremities and is particularly harmful to growing children.
What happens if you don’t neuter your dog?
The veterinarian’s point was that not neutering your dog can lead to serious health problems and potentially premature death. In addition, not neutering your dog is known to keep their energy high, destructive behavior intact, potential aggression alive, and their drive to mate strong enough to cause them to run away.
How many male dogs have been neutered in the US?
This large-scale data collection involved 9,938 dogs. The study focused on the effects of neutering on male dogs, and the final samples contained 6,546 neutered males and 3,392 intact dogs.
The vet went on to say that the earlier the neutering occurred, the less likely such problems were to occur. I was unhappy to hear that veterinarians were still suggesting that course of action. Two large sample studies have suggested that spaying and neutering may actually cause an increase in canine aggression.
What are the pros and cons of neutering a dog?
Early Neutered Dogs Live Shorter Lives Waters et al. (2009) found that neutering female Rottweilers before four years of age reduces life expectancy by 30%. Females that kept their ovaries the longest were nine times more likely to achieve exceptional longevity (13+ years). The lead author of the study notes:
What happens if a dog is not neutered at 7 months?
Thus if you remove the oestrogen-producing organs in immature dogs, female and male, you could expect cause growth plates to remain open and the dog to grow longer bones. They divided dogs and cats into three groups. Group one was neutered at 7 wks, group two at 7 months, and group three remained unneutered.
This large-scale data collection involved 9,938 dogs. The study focused on the effects of neutering on male dogs, and the final samples contained 6,546 neutered males and 3,392 intact dogs.