Dog With 'Fainting Goat Syndrome' Freezes Up And Collapses When Excited, Leaves Veterinarians Stumped

Jun 21, 2019 by apost team

All dogs are special. One dog in the UK is just a little more special than most. Peter has a strange condition that veterinarians just can't figure out.

A couple named Oliver and Emma adopted Peter when his previous owner no longer wanted him. They already knew about his strange condition but that didn't stop them from wanting to add him to their family.

Emma says that he's the perfect dog -- he loves everyone he meets. He even likes the cat! He wants nothing more than to run and play and cuddle up with his people. There's only one catch -- when Peter gets too excited, he stiffens and then falls to the ground.

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Typically, he gets right back up and continues as if nothing happened. Sometimes, though, he stays stiff and frozen for as much as 30 seconds. Throughout his episodes, he remains conscious. In addition to getting excited, a few other things can trigger an attack. When he encounters certain types of surfaces, it can happen. For example, running from grass to pavement can cause him to stiffen up and flop over.

Doctors can't quite figure out what's causing this to happen. One veterinarian suggested he might have something similar to "fainting goat syndrome."

Also called myotonia congenita, this is a hereditary condition that causes muscles to spasm when the subject is startled. If the muscle contraction is strong enough, the subject will fall over -- very similar to what happens to Peter.

What happens to Peter is startling and looks frightening, but his veterinarian claims that it doesn't cause the pup any pain. More testing is needed to be 100% sure, but he should be able to live an otherwise normal, healthy life.

How would you deal with Peter's condition? Let us know in the comments and pass this along to all the animal lovers you know to see if they've seen anything like this before!