scratching and lip licking

Hi i have had toby a few months now he came from a breeder who sent him to the local dogs home when he finished breeding for them.
He is wonderful very scared he seems to scratch his head and ears outside all along the wall ? also he seems to lick his lips alot has anyone ever seen these problems before, he does have eye problems but i have a wonder vet who makes the drops like optimum but stronger and only cost £ 12 per bottle which last about 2 to 3 months. I love my new boy am i looking for problems .
keep up the good work x

Am sure you will hear this from others but...

There are a couple of major conditions affecting far too many of our Cavaliers. One of these is a condition called SM which can cause symptoms like you mentioned. It can be very distressful for dogs and their owners. There is an entire section here under health that explains CM which can lead to SM. Some chance it could be other conditions, but you will want to get your dog to a vet and preferably a neurologist as soon as you can. If you can post a video of the scratching on the wall and lip licking, others here can help you. Sadly, it is likely the breeder was aware of these symptoms when they turned him over to the dog adoption center. God speed and hope you can get help for your new family member.

That really sounds like SM. I would have him checked by a Neurologist ASAP! Dogs that show those kind of symptoms can be in sever pain. I have 3 suffering for similar symptoms all varying degrees of CM/SM. Medication has helped there symptoms.

I advise a neurologist because most general practice vets are not familiar with SM and some have never heard of it. I had to go to 3 different regular vets and finally demanded a referral for a neurologist. My regular vets kept putting it on ear issues or allergies. They even did there version of a "neurological exam" and found them all okay!

Here are some videos of affected dogs.
http://sm.cavaliertalk.com/video/videos.html

I'm sure you can find more info here:
http://www.cavaliertalk.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?56-SM-and-MVD-cavaliers-forum

Sorry I'm in a hurry or I would post more!

Good luck!

gaynor said:

Hi i have had toby a few months now he came from a breeder who sent him to the local dogs home when he finished breeding for them.
He is wonderful very scared he seems to scratch his head and ears outside all along the wall ? also he seems to lick his lips alot has anyone ever seen these problems before, he does have eye problems but i have a wonder vet who makes the drops like optimum but stronger and only cost £ 12 per bottle which last about 2 to 3 months. I love my new boy am i looking for problems .
keep up the good work x

Click to expand...

I have read your posts from the beginning of May where you describe both ear problems and dry eye. It might be that Toby still has a residue of ear infection, and his dry eye will make him more prone to rubbing and scratching. What does your vet think about his teeth and gums? If he's come from a breeder who has used him at stud with dry eye condition, then I guess he/she hasn't been bothered about his teeth, and obviously not his ears. Talk to your vet about your concerns first of all, then take a step at a time. It is easy to read too much into something, but dry eye can be very painful and irritating. Touth and gum disease can be unbearable. The only way to findout if your dog has SM is an MRI scan, but make sure you rule out other things first.

Thank you everyone who has replyed the vet has checked tobys teeth and they are quite square he will need work done soon he does not want to open his mouth even when playing, his eyes with the new drops are doing fantastic, when i got more drops for toby the vet told me that another dog exactly the same as toby , could be his brother had been bought from the dogs home where i got mine from but they told her the dog was 2 yrs but he is near to 6. his eyes are in a terrible state also he has a heart murmer i think you could say we might have been the luck ones ?? what ever happens we love him and i will do anything in my power to look at this local breeder.

wishing you the best....

You are a good mom for Toby.... I sure hope he gets better. Did not recall about his previous health issues, so those could be affecting him for sure.

There is no way of saying some things without causing concern, and I certainly hope that that there is a simple explanation for these symptoms, but delays in getting a proper diagnosis does not help a dog that is uncomfortable and unhappy.

Given how you obtained your new boy, and the fact that he was retired at what is a young age for a stud dog, I do think that SM, an increasingly common problem in cavaliers, could be a possible cause of these rather typical symptoms.

I do hope I am wrong, but if he was my dog I would be getting a referral to a Neurologist that knows about SM.

If Toby is insured then a MRI scan will give a definitive answer. If he is not insured an experienced neurologist could assess his clinical signs ( try and get them on video ) and, if necessary, prescribe drugs that will help him.

Hi Gaynor,

The licking of lips sounds suspicious

I can only echo the advice of others. Margaret is right, you really need to get him checked out by a neurologist
to rule out sm, if he is diagnosed, he can quickly be given medication that will make him more comfortable. Cavaliers
tend not to show pain and I think this needs to be ruled out as soon as you can.