Happy Birthday puppies

There is no evidence his eyes were injured.

The E-vets were having a hard time assessing the impact of the head trauma since most of the things they would look at in a dog with head trauma have not developed by 2 weeks of age. They were assessing reflexes (i.e. does the puppy put out all 4 feet when suspended with a hand under the belly) and found the puppy did everything normal for a 2 week old.

This puppy was one of the two my wife was considering as her pick. In good conscious we cannot sell him for a working dog with questions about his cognitive development due to the head trauma. We will be keeping this puppy who has been named Graham.

This litter was bred for us to get 2 working dogs that could then be bred to continue our line. If there are lingering questions about Graham's cognitive development at 8 weeks we may be keeping 3 pups.

I've not heard of any other Border Collie owners dealing with head trauma in 2 week old pups; only in adults.

Neurologically these guys brains are still developing. They are first making the connections that allow them the coordination to walk. It's really amazing how mild brain injuries at this age can allow for normal pathways to develop pretty quickly. It's no way near as severe as in older people who have strokes and have to relearn movement. I'd guess this guy is going to continue to progress with the great nursing care he's being given.

As far as eye injuries, it would be almost impossible to tell unless there was an obvious difference in size of the globe. Are their eyes even open yet?

BCSnob wrote:
He was on antibiotics while at the e-vet. Yesterday he was trying to walk (all the pups are just now learning to walk) and was turning in one direction; today he is not turning in one direction as much. He has not started nursing off mom, yet. We can get him attached but he is not getting enough suction to get milk out.

Are the docs sure he had no eye injury? That in itself would be amazing. It's great that he can bottle feed, which is so much less effort than nursing. It must be good therapy for him to snuggle in with his littermates, too. Have any of your BC friends been through such a calamity?

Sending prayers for the little guy, who probably has a whopper of a headache.....

He was on antibiotics while at the e-vet. Yesterday he was trying to walk (all the pups are just now learning to walk) and was turning in one direction; today he is not turning in one direction as much. He has not started nursing off mom, yet. We can get him attached but he is not getting enough suction to get milk out.

How is the injured pup today? I am sure hoping there's no neurological damage. Is he on antibiotics?

Very expensive; somewhere between $6k-$7k (does not include costs associated with proving the working ability of our female). We didn't breed to make money; we bred to get pups from our line (preserve our line). Working bred Border Collie pups sell for $500-$600.

Puppy is home on the dog bed with mom; closely watched by my wife. Mom seems fine with him. He is too sleepy now to try to nurse.

Oh, poor little puppy! When something like that happens, it's usually the prettiest pup, too. Dang, this has been one expensive litter, hasn't it? I hope it turns out well, but if he ends up special needs, there will still be someone who wants him. Those kind of babies tug at the heartstrings.

An MRI or CT would be very interesting, certainly not necessary to treat just interesting. Even if this guy does not develop the type of skills necessary for work, he should be a good companion. I know that's not what you hoped for, but...

GREAT NEWS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

E-vet called to have my wife come get the puppy.
He is off oxygen and IV. He is bottle feeding. He still has a slight head tilt.
They want him home for a few hours during the day to make sure he will be okay before the specialists go off duty.