Coco's Neuro Exam

Coco had her exam today. In case anyone did not get to see my video, here it is again.


The vet did a full exam and said she checked out 100% normal. I explained any and all symptoms I have noticed to him, and he basically said that if she were a regular dog, he would highly suspect epilepsy. However, since she is a Cavalier, he also does not want to exclude the possibility of there being a structural issue (CM).

First off, just to eliminate one thing, Coco will have blood tests to rule out if this is a metabolic condition. If that checks out normal, we are going to get an MRI.

The vet did say that her heat cycle and these symptoms are very coincidental, so he does suspect that it may be related to that as well..but again being a Cavalier we are going to test for everything we can think of.

Hope everything turns out ok. It's so scary for them to go through all these tests.....scary for us too!

Sounds like you and Coco are in very capable hands.

it is really hard going through the uncertainty of trying to figure out what some odd behavior might be. Hopefully it will check out as nothing to worry about. But I suppose the main thing I'd keep in mind is that vets are generally not that great at doing a proper clinical exam for neurological issues–if Coco goes for an MRI, a neurologist will be able to do a more comprehensive assessment. It's the difference between a vet and a cardiologist– A vet might or might not pick up a murmur and might give it an approximate grade, but a cardiologist can give an enormous volume of information and a very precise diagnosis doing the same kind of general assessment.

Cavaliers have a higher incidence than average of epilepsy, so that is just something to keep in mind. Blood tests are generally the way to go as a starting point for considering possibilities, so it sounds like your vet is doing a good step-by-step assessment. Best of luck that all checks out okay.

Hope everything goes well with Coco's tests. It would be a stressful time for you with planning your wedding too. Fingers crossed all goes well for Coco and good luck. Thinking about you. Will your insurance cover all the tests and MRI if you need it?

Thanks for the well wishes. Yes times recently have been incredibly hectic because of the wedding planning! The health of my pet comes first of course. I do believe insurance will cover 90%. I signed Coco up for Pet Plan and chose the 90% reimbursement package, and their site does say it covers MRIs. I can also fill out a pre qualification form to be on the safe side too.

We will see how the blood tests are...taking her in tomorrow!

Good luck.

Everyone here has fingers, toes and paws crossed that all will be well

Sorry, I missed this thread as I have been off the computer for a while.

I was wondering how Coco was doing and are there any new developments?

See the thread on blood tests in the Diet and Health forum-- looks like she has liver shunt. I don't think she has had an MRI.