Page 13 - Summer 16

Snip and Vanadium met by Edward De Beukelaer
Snip is a 4-year-old border collie. He lives on a working farm and participates in high- level sheep dog trials. I saw him because he had developed epileptic fits. He had 2-3 fits per month. A prescription of imepitoin (pexion®) had not made any difference. They only happen when he works and it had jeopardised his qualification for the next championship.
He is friendly typical collie, visits the surgery and comes to say hello and can be easily examined. During the examination he goes to lie on his side. The owner is a very experience dog and herd man with an impeccable respect for animals.
‘He is quite switched on. After his rabies vaccine he was maybe not as switched on but maybe that was, because I put him under a lot of pressure. He is very intense and he never sulks or clears off. He is the nicest dog I have ever trained. He will work his heart out for me: he knows what he needs to do. He has total intensity and then after work chilled and relaxed. He has a beautiful nature and is faithful and loyal. He is good; he will work as well with 6 as 600 sheep. He had it as a pup. I am sure the fits are due to pressure during work, they happen when he is under pressure: it is not the intensity of the work but the intensity of pleasing me. (He lies quietly in a corner of the room).
He was easy to train, he is better at bringing than sending away. He would have worked without training. He is good with other dogs, hello, no aggression, nice
natured. If somebody shouted at him he would be surprised. He is the subordinate to his brother – they had a small fight only.
His energy is into going forward and doing his job. He is happy with who he is. Normally I like my dogs a bit naughty, so I can train them. He is not in the slightest arrogant. He has manners. He would work with anybody; he is possibly slightly anxious about me. Every couple of seconds he looks at me.
He was once worried when the quad-bike backfired, the next time he knew about it and did not worry; that is typically him: he is always consistent. He is not interested in other dogs, he is totally fixated on me, he never needs a lead. He is such a happy dog. If my mood is not 100% he will just try a little more. I don’t think I have pushed him too hard; there is certainly tension about wanting to please me more. (He looks at his owner before he comes to see me.) I loved him from day one, he was beautiful, it was instant, lovely pup, faithful and loyal, much more than his twin brother.’
Solution
This dog is as if it has received a military training. This stands in contrast with the easiness this training has come about and the ¶tenderness and respect with which the owner relates to Snip. The problem is therefore the dog’s perception: ‘as if he had a tough upbringing by his father’.
That was the conclusion of my study of Vanadium met (See MMHV):
A very bright and sensitive patient suffering from the deep acting influence of an outside reference (father figure?) leading to an overpowering sense of failure in life.
In this case the pressure of the outside influence is purely imaginary on the dog’s part. Whether he feels he has a sense of failure, I don’t know but it is curious that he ‘causes his own failure’ by having fits during work only... his illness causes him to fail...
Prescription: Vanad met 200 split dose.
Follow up
The next day I received a text message saying how much Snip had changed, much more outgoing, much more himself. The fits stopped altogether and he took part in his classifications. The owner also stopped the Pexion prescription.
Snip did not qualify for the top job but does well till four months later, when he had another fit. He was given another dose of the remedy and till the day of writing this, no more fits have appeared. (9 months after the initial prescription).
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