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Why is my border collie groggy, dragging foot, and has a nose polyp?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Border Collie | Female | spayed | 9 years and 1 month old | 65 lbs

Hey there. My 9 year old border collie has been acting strange today. I have noticed that her nose is starting to become very dry and crusty and there appears to be a polyp in her nostril as well as discoloration around the polyp. She is very slow moving, almost groggy, and her left back foot appears to be dragging slightly. She is panting and her breathing sounds very labored and wheezy. She seems anxious and keeps looking around. She will not eat or drink and she has no desire to go outside.

2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Joy Fuhrman, DVM, MBA, CPA

Veterinarian

Published on May 8th, 2018

It sounds like Shy is very ill. The fact that she is groggy and is dragging her hind foot suggest a neurological disease. Lethargy and inappetence and labored breathing are very concerning. Please take Shy to the nearest emergency clinic right away.

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Other Answers

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    Answered By Dr. Massimo Orioles, DVM, Cert AVP, MRCVS

    Veterinarian

    Published on

    An immediate veterinary check up is required as these signs are quite concerning and may be all related to the presence of the nasal polyp/mass. Although a picture of it would help to determine more specifically the nature of it, generally speaking, this kind of polyp/mass needs to be ideally assessed by your veterinarian to have a definitive and specific answer. Usually there are two ways your vet can do that a part from examining it directly during physical examination. A biopsy can be taken under local or general anesthetic, otherwise a smaller sample through a fine needle can be aspirated (this technique is called FNA= fine needle aspiration). Differentials include skin cysts, infections, benign or more sinister type of tumors. Hope this answer was helpful, but please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further.

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