JakesMom
New member
Hello All - I am new here. My name is Tiffany and I am from the US. I have a tri-colored male who was born on 12/2/09 and his name is Jake.
My problem is I see so much info online about SM and I don’t want to over-concern myself.
I know a lot of the symptoms are associated with regular puppy/dog behaviors but I would like some advice from people who know.
I purchased Jake from a private breeder but with no papers as that tripled the cost to get him but he did come with a 5-yr health gauruntee - not sure if it covers this.
He has always been a low key loveable sleepy cavalier
He has always scratched at his ears - I am working on changing his food to a more protein rich food and less grains in the event of a food allergy
He has never been a fan of walking on a leash but recently he is constantly scratching at it - to the point where I have to stop and wait for him to stop scratching at his collar to keep walking. And he always shakes his body - constantly.
He has always rolled around the floor since I got him and scratching at his face with his paws but never digging his head into the floor - he looks like he enjoys it.
Recently I have seen him wobble when he walks and kick with his back leg - but only twice
But he has never once yelped in pain or looked in pain during his scratching. He has been checked by the vet and his ears always looked fine
We play all the time - tug of war - fetch - running and jumping perfectly fine. And I am able to rotate his head up and down with no resistance or pain
So I am having a hard time determining if this is normal behavior since he doesn’t seem in pain and my vet isn’t familiar with the disease
I am in a tough financial situation and cannot afford an MRI. So I am looking for some guidance from people who are familiar with this disease and what I need to look out for so I can tell what is normal puppy behavior and SM symptoms
I apreciate any advice and I look forward to hearing from you and meeting all of you.