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When Sanflorian Nutmeg Hickory (Hickory) was 4 months old she displayed some very odd symptoms. One day, during some rough play, she simply lost control of her hind end. She froze, then wobbled, then when she tried to walk she turned a flip. She remained conscious, and after I held her for a few minutes, she resumed running around and playing as if nothing happened. A short time later she had another similar "episode". A veterinary exam complete with bloodwork revealed no abnormalities. When she had another episode I knew I needed to record it on video so that I could find help diagnosing what might be happening. I recorded her next couple of episodes and shared them with my vet. I had done some internet searching and had a growing feeling that we might be dealing with a little-known condition called "Cavalier Episodic Falling". My vet consulted with some of her collegues and I contacted Barbara and Dorothie from the Cavalier Episodic Falling website. The consensus we reached was that we were in fact dealing with this condition. Cavalier Episodic Falling is a paroxysmal hypertonicity disorder. It is explained in detail at the Cavalier Episodic Falling website. This website describes symptoms, treatments, and even has video clips to help understand what the condition looks like. If you want to know more, please visit this site. Barbara and Dorothie were a tremendous support to me during this emotional and uncertain time. If you have any questions about this condition, do not hesitate to contact these dedicated and supportive women. Hickory had a rough time of it in the beginning. Her episodes were quite severe and frequent. She often had multiple episodes each day. We will forever be indebted to our vet, who went to great lengths to educate herself about this condition. Together we tried a variety of treatment options. What finally helped Hickory the most was a combination of Clonazapam, Valium, and Acupuncture. Hickory continues to have episodes, but they are much less frequent. Between episodes, Hickory is a playful, happy, carefree girl. She lives life to the fullest and has brought us great joy. After her episodes had been fairly well controlled for quite a while, a very special woman named Candi came into our lives. Hickory very quickly claimed Candi as "her" human. The attraction was mutual and in a short time Hickory went to live with Candi and Chuck (humans), Gracie (Cavalier), and Ted (Australian Shepherd). Hickory is now over 2 years old. She adores her new family and happily they live nearby so we are able to see her and remain part of her life. |
Cavalier Episodic Falling - Hickory's Story |
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A note for breeders: There is evidence that Episodic Falling is transmitted as a simple recessive trait. For this reason, Hickory, her littermates, and her parents have been neutered. I tell Hickory's story openly with the hope that it may help someone else confronted with this condition. I am familiar with several generations of dogs in Hickory's pedigree and with many, many 1/2 siblings, cousins, aunts, uncles, etc. In the entire extended family we were able to track, there are no other cases of EF. This illustrates how recessive traits can "hide" for many generations before coming to light. There is research currently underway to find the gene responsible. We were delighted to provide samples from this entire family of dogs to support this research project, and hope that soon there will be a test for carriers of this condition. |