Neurological

Exercise-induced collapse (EIC)

Urgent

Also known as: exercise-induced collapse; eic

Also classified under: Musculoskeletal

URGENT. See a veterinarian within hours, not days.

Overview

An inherited disorder in which intense, excited exercise causes the hind limbs to fail and the dog to collapse. It is classically a Labrador Retriever condition, and is also seen in the Chesapeake Bay Retriever, Curly-Coated Retriever, and some Spaniels. It typically first appears in young adults during the activity they love most — retrieving, field work, hard play. Episodes can be fatal, particularly in heat, which makes it a serious matter in hot climates specifically. A DNA test identifies affected dogs definitively, and is worth doing in any working-line retriever. Management is entirely about avoidance: recognise the trigger, stop the activity at the first wobble, cool the dog, and keep it out of the excitement-plus-heat combination that provokes it. Do not confuse it with heatstroke — but do treat any collapse in the heat as heatstroke until a vet says otherwise.

What you would notice

Wobbliness in the hind limbs after five to twenty minutes of intense excited exercise
Progression to a dragging, staggering gait, then collapse
The dog stays alert and aware throughout, which distinguishes it from a seizure
Recovery over five to thirty minutes of rest, usually complete
Triggered by excitement and heat as much as by the exercise itself

Non-prescriptive. This entry deliberately does NOT name specific drugs, doses, routes, or durations. Treatment decisions rest with a licensed veterinarian who has examined your dog and considered its history.

Draft — vet review pending. This entry has not yet been signed off by a registered veterinarian.