Hereditary and Health Problems

The main eye problems Border Collies suffer from are -
CEA - Collie Eye Anomaly - Hereditary - recessive genetic defect in chromosome 37. Both parents must be carriers.
PRA - Progressive Retinal Atrophy (variants) - Hereditary. Blindness occurs slowly over time, sometimes unseen at first as dogs can adapt.
Cataracts - primary and secondary - could be inherited. Cloudiness in the lens preventing light reaching the retina. Treatable with surgery.
Glaucoma - often inherited. Caused by internal pressure on the eye. If untreated damages the optic nerve causing blindness.

They can also suffer from these rare conditions. The Border Collie is not predisposed to them but they can occur.
PPM - Persistent Pupillary Membranes. Remnants of strands of fetal membrane tissue crossing pupil after birth. Rare. Treatable with surgery.
RD - Retinal Dysplasia (variants), Hereditary, viral or drug induced. Folds or rosettes (round clumps) of the retinal tissue. Rare.
PHTVL/PHPV - Persistent hyperplastic tunica vasculosa lentis/Persistent hyperplastic primary vitreous. Fibrovascular plaque on back of  lens.

Hearing conditions
Adult onset hearing loss - could be inherited. Progressive loss of hearing with age.
Genetic deafness or hearing impairment - Hereditary - gene mutation associated with coat colour pigmentation (merles)

Other issues.
Hip Dysplasia - Hereditary. Can also be a result of an accident. Surgery can rectify most cases but long term weakness is frequent.
Epilepsy - could be inherited. Can be controlled with drugs. usually starts with occasional fits that become more frequent over time.
Neuronal ceroid lipofusicinosis - Hereditary - currently only affects KC Show lines not working lines. Always fatal within two years of birth.
Trapped neutrophil syndrome - could be inherited - auto immune condition caused by malfunction of release of white blood cells.

Merle issues
Breeding two merles together will lead to two copies of the merle gene being present in the pups resulting in eye, ear and abdominal problems.

Colitis -  an inflammation or irritation of the colon or large intestine. A general name for a condition with a multitude of causes.

Lyme disease - Transmitted by the bite of ticks. Bacterial infection. Causes joint inflammation, kidney damage, in some cases nerve damage.

Canine Influenza Virus - also known as Kennel Cough. There are vaccines for this. Get it done at the same time as the annual Booster
Parvovirus - Leptospirosis - Distemper  Hepatitis. Nasty diseases which should be vaccinated against as a puppy with subsequent annual boosters. Leptospirosis vaccine is only effective against the 4 most common variants but these are often found in stagnant water so worth it.

Internal parasites - various worms, protozoa and even fungal infections in ears. Regular worming deals with most of these. Lungworms and heartworms require specialised medication.
Checking faeces can indicate the presence of parasites, another good reason for always picking it up. You can tell a lot from a dogs poo.
A yeasty smell around the ears indicates a possible fungal infection

External parasites - Flea, ticks, lice, mites. Regular treatment with a spot on will deal with most of these. For ticks a stronger version is needed.

Mange (sarcoptic (dry) and demodeptic (wet) and Cheyletiella) - Caused by parasitic mites. See your vet immediately if you suspect any of these infections and keep your dog away from contact with other animals. They are caused by three different species of mite and require specialised diagnosis and treatment and are highly infectious to other dogs.
Sarcoptic (Scabies) is the most dangerous and is very irritating to the dog. It will initially show as crusty ear tips and hair loss on face, ears and elbows. If untreated it spreads over the whole body with total hair loss and oozing sores. Secondary bacterial or fungal infections may occur. It is contagious to humans as well. Good reason not to allow your dog to sleep on your bed.
Demodeptic is often present in pups but usually does not develop. When it does it shows as thin or bald patches on the dogs body and the dogs skin becomes sore and crusty. hair loos occurs and it spreads over the dogs body with the risk of secondary infection as with sarcoptic.
Cheyletiella is not as serious resulting in flakes of loose skin appearing in the dogs coat like dandruff.

Diabetes - Could be inherited or could come on as a result of poor health. Reduce the risk of this by balanced diet and exercise.

Hip Dysplasia - Could be inherited or the result of wear and tear caused by repetitive strain due to exercises like flyball, agility, frisbee.

Cancers - There are a large range of cancers dogs can be subject to.
It is difficult to prevent these as in most types the cause is not understood.
It is likely that a predisposition to many cancers is hereditary but that does not mean they will develop, it just increases chances.
In some circles it is believed that stress is a major contributor to the development of certain forms of cancer.
Unfortunately it is not easy to spot signs of stress in dogs but hyperactivity and excessive excitement are indicators.

Can you tell the difference between excited and happy and excited and stressed?
People tend to think that because their dog is excited it is enjoying itself.
It gets excited when chewing squeaky toys. It gets excited chasing shadows or lights from torches. It gets excited at flyball and agility events.
No it doesn't. It gets hyped up and stressed.
It gets excited to see you come home. It gets excited to go out for a walk. It gets excited when you offer it food.
Yes it does. It's happy.
Look at the behaviour of dogs in these situations and you'll see how the excitement differs.

Reduce the likelihood of cancers occurring by keeping your dog fit, keeping its weight within normal parameters for its size, feeding quality foods (and treats in moderation) and reducing stress by teaching your dog to be calm and not putting it into stressful situations.
Be vigilant in checking for lumps and bumps and look out for signs of sensitivity to pressure or in movement. When grooming take the opportunity to feel all over the dogs body, palpitate bowel areas and manipulate limbs. Most dogs will happily submit and enjoy the attention.

If anything is suspect see your vet and have your dog checked. A physical examination and perhaps some blood tests will alleviate worries or catch something in time to be treated.

Dogs suffer pain but until it becomes serious they do so without showing it. Spotting initial pain or discomfort is not so easy but, again, if vigilant you can save your dog a lot of suffering and discomfort. If its in a limb it is more obvious because the dog will favour the limb but internally it is often invisible.
Signs of long term internal pain in a dog can be manifested around its eyes. They become dull and lose their brightness. A dog may also start licking an area where the pain is strongest. Again be vigilant, take opportunities to handle the dog and feel for sensitive areas - carefully.

Dogs, including Border Collies, can also suffer from a number of other diseases and conditions - Just like us humans.
Allergic reactions to foods, substances and parasites - Anal Gland infections - Arthritis - Bladder stones - Bronchial and chest infections -
Bowel infections (watch what they scoff when out walking or from bins) - Cysts - Depression - Dislocation of limbs or joints - Fractures and broken limbs - Heatstroke - Herpes - Hypoglycemia - Hypothyroidism - Incontinence - Insect bites - Kidney, Liver or Pancreatic diseases - Laryngitis - Leukemia - Motion Sickness - Obesity - Rabies - Rheumatism - Genital and urinary tract infections - Ulcers.
This is not a definitive list.