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i'm worried holly has SM and feel guilty for not seeing the signs

hollyandmel

hollyandmel

Well-known member
hi all,

Not posted on here for a while. Never really thought about SM before if i'm honest, read about it on here but never thought it would ever happen to Holly.
Last night Holly screamed for over minute. She was asleep on the sofa when it happened and ran an hid under the table, trembling with fear and seemed to loose vision? Took her to the emergency vets who did x-rays and blood tests and felt it was a back problem...possible coroded disc?

Also mentioned SM and this is where my mind goes into overdrive....i start thinking about all the things Holly does and am now really worried.
Vet also found enlarged heart and possible murmor (my own vet cannot find this murmor)

holly does these regulary...

1.Excessive head rubbing on the floor, this is getting more frequent

2.scratching of ears and neck and rubbing on the floor, sometimes 15 minutes plus (i feel so bad as i just thought this was happiness and all dogs do it)

3.licking - front paws only, duvet, carpet, toys....i've used the word obsessional in the past

4.hypersensitivity to grooming esp her ears (again i just thought it was her being a wuss and not liking it) she will scream if touch her ears

5.sometimes yelps if i pick her up

6.i've had her 3 years now and has always slept alot

7.increased scooting even though anal glands are clear

8. won't let me touch her back paws and screams if i try and clip her claws, its distressing to hear.

9.lip smacking, swallowing when asleep, she's always done this and sounds like she's sucking on a dummy (again just thought she was dreaming)

10. Scratching of the carpet and cushions

11. circle walking, can spend 10 minutes doing this before she has a wee....but then i just thought this was the way she went to the toilet.

I'm feeling so bad sat here thinking that she might have this and been in all that pain and i didn't realise...i've watched the videos of SM cavs and she's exactly the same.

Took her back to the vets this am and talked about this but going to go down the disc route first...she has been given metacam

asked him too look in her ears (not thinking SM) saying shes scratching more etc he mentioned SM....going to treat her ears first with anti-infam drops and see if it's any better...

:( i feel so sorry for her and so guilty i never thought of this sooner??
 
With that list of symptoms I'd be pushing my vet really hard for a neuro consult rather than have him blindly treating for different possibilities, I hope Holly is feeling some relief soon :flwr:
 
must agree with everyone else about going ahead and getting a consult to a neurologist.
So sorry you are going through this. Jut think, though, of all the dogs whose owners never clue in on it and they suffer all their lives. It is good you are on top of getting it seen to.
 
brotymo said:
must agree with everyone else about going ahead and getting a consult to a neurologist.
So sorry you are going through this. Jut think, though, of all the dogs whose owners never clue in on it and they suffer all their lives. It is good you are on top of getting it seen to.
Click to expand...

Please don't beat yourself up for something you did not realise was happening.

I think so many of us have looked back and wondered how we could be so blind, but so many SM symptoms are things that dogs do anyway, and you never think these things can happen to you.

I hope there is some other explanation, and I will keep my fingers crossed, but some of the symptoms you describe are fairly classic SM signs. I do think that you need to get your little girl referred to a neurologist.

Please let us know how things go.

Margaret C
 
Margaret C said:
I think so many of us have looked back and wondered how we could be so blind, but so many SM symptoms are things that dogs do anyway, and you never think these things can happen to you.
Click to expand...

That's very true, I've been down the guilt road too but, this is a learning process for all of us.

I believe an MRI scan would identify a disc problem so I am hoping you are insured or can afford a full scan to see if this is SM or the disc.

:hug:
 
*Pauline* said:
That's very true, I've been down the guilt road too but, this is a learning process for all of us.

I believe an MRI scan would identify a disc problem so I am hoping you are insured or can afford a full scan to see if this is SM or the disc.

:hug:
Click to expand...


thank you all for your replies. i am insured yes, M&S premium insurance so hopefully an MRI is covered under that?

She always has and is a happy little girl, loves her food, walks, playtime etc
This screaming episode is the only time i've really been scared for her and has made me think about her behaviours.

She is also deaf and i wonder if she has had SM for a long time (some articles attribte hearing loss to SM?)....i rescued her 3 years ago so don't know any history on her.

xx
 
Deafness is definitely a genetic issue in the breed and can be caused by PSOM or separate factors. My deaf cavalier does not have PSOM and had an excellent MRI scan. There seems to be a significant level of early onset deafness in cavaliers. I don;t know of deafness being a sign of SM -- what articles say this? It would not really be seen as a likely symptom I don't think. However optical nerves can be affected so I suppose hearing could as well. But neither of these are that common. Usual signs are pain, limb weakness, scratching... not necessarily all.

I think you are right to have this checked asap by a specialist, as you really are describing so many different things.

It is easy to overlook clusters of smaller behaviours or incidents and you shouldn;t blame yourself but your experience might be of help to others.

It is with reiterating that if anyone sees anything that seems a bit odd or unusual in their dog, this is always worth mentioning to a vet to check out. There will usually be a cause for shifts in behaviour or increasing unusual habits, and it's always a good idea to make sure the cause isn't medical. -(y)

I believe the time isn't too far off before insurance companies start to refuse covering MRIs for this breed because of the incidence of SM and the expense of this technique. I hope some other diagnostic approach will come before too long.
 
Harley does quite a few on that list (not screeming,or licking paws) the times ive had his anal glands looked at :( we are waiting for a appointment with a neuologist prob later this month. di
 
I don`t think you should feel guilty either, sometimes the symptoms can so easily be thought to be other things and to be honest, you hope and pray that they are. I wish you both well and please let us know what happens.
Karlin - On Carol Fowlers website - www.cavaliercampaign.com if you look under syringomyelia and then clinical signs, the 4th para says " deafness may be seen, however no direct relationship has been proven and this association may be circumstantial".
My Spangle has sm and I think that she has some degree of deafness. She has real difficulty knowing where sounds are coming from and very often simply does not hear things like our doorbell ringing. Whether it is due to her sm I just don`t know.
Christine
 
Dont worry most of those things could be anything, its just the combination that makes you think sm, harley has always scooted even at a few months old and sometimes it was anal glands, and harley had hip dysplacia so we thought lots of those were because of that, it was the hip specialist that said have you thought of checking him for sm, as the hip doesnt seem that bad to me. di
 
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