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Twitching

Kate H

Well-known member
No, not birdwatching! Aled, my 5-year-old rescue, was diagnosed with SM last May but hasn't had any very obvious symptoms. Now he is gradually beginning to scratch occasionally - not madly but rubbing round his head and neck with his paw in a slow and reflective way as if saying 'something's odd around my head'. He's also squinting more than usual (he has dilated ventricles x 2 and a form of keratosis - not dry eye - which is controlled with medication). He often has 'dreams' when he's asleep, twitching a lot, but lately he's started having odd little jerks - almost like hiccups - both sitting and standing, and anywhere on his body. I think this may be another SM symptom, though I'm not sure why. Has anyone else experienced this? I'm going to take him to the vet's next week because I think it's time he started on Zitac or similar (I asked to start it several months ago, but my vet wanted to check out with a neurologist). I shall go armed with the latest version of Clare's algorithm, which says start them on Zitac as soon as symptoms appear, but it would help if I knew whether the twitching is an SM symptom or not - taken with the head rubbing and squinting, I thinks that's enough to justify Zitac, though Aled doesn't seem to be in sharp pain, just an occasional ache and this odd twitch. Otherwise he's a healthy, energetic, happy dog.

Kate, Oliver and Aled
 
I've not had twitching with mine, but symptoms can all be so different. Maybe others have? If you do start Zitac, I'd be interested to know if the twitching stops.

Sometimes I feel like cavaliers should be issued with Zitac in their take-home care pack. :rolleyes:. I have a household taking it!
 
Sounds to me as though it could be an ear or inner ear problem Kate. I am sure your vet will carry out a full examination to eliminate this and other causes before making a decision about a change in medication.
 
I took Aled to the vet this morning and saw a different one (we are just across the road from a clinic run by the 5 or 6 vets based at an excellent vet hospital across the city, so we see all of them at different times). Ellie checked Aled's ears and eyes, looked at Clare's latest algorithm (I also gave her a copy of the diagram of SM from Clare's website, and she felt it would be very useful) and agreed that the next move was Zitac. Ellie agreed with me that at the moment gabapentin isn't necessary - see if the Zitac makes any difference and if it doesn't, go and see the neurologist at The Willows before going further. At least, unlike Oliver, Aled should be covered by his insurance for any SM medication and consultations.

Thanks, Flo, for your input, and Margaret for confirming my thinking. I have a feeling that Aled's SM is going to be rather different from Oliver's - that'll keep me on my toes! But to an outside observer thay are both simply happy, friendly dogs who love their walks and had a lot of fun in the snow and so far seem to have minimal/controlled pain; long may it last, even if the boxes of pills are stacking up!

Kate, Oliver and Aled
 
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