stopping the steroids

[molly+charlies mum]

im trying to stop mollys steroids by giveing one every other day but already she is going mad scratching at her head and ears trying to bite her foot and crying out i dont know what to do i hate to see her like it they say she carnt have the steroids long term but she could have some skin test done for £500 i know she is insured but i normally have to pay first (which i carnt afford)and then wait to see if i can claim for that or try and find something myself that might help has anyone got any advice they could give me

[molly+charlies mum]

i have just been reading more on your sm i have never had molly tested for that not sure if she has the right symptoms

[Claire]

What do your vets say - can you video her scratching and put on this site - might be able to see what kind of scratching she has - SM or some other kind, my Vet is very good with Cav's, so if you need their number let me know.

[molly+charlies mum]

if i could have there number i will give them a ring my vet just dosent seem to help much ive been there 6 times about the same thing thanks

[Karlin]

I'd definitely have a vet read through the info on SM and consider speaking to a neurologist. Clare Rusbridge at Stone Lion in Wimbledon would be the leading expert and is close to you.

There's an information sheet and symptoms list as well as treatment protocol on my SM site here:

www.sm.cavaliertalk.com

You can download all three of these and print them out. Good luck and let us know what the vet thinks. If all other avenues have been tried and especially if you notice some of the other likely symtpoms I'd definitely get him in to be checked by a specialist.

[Alison_Leighfield]

Christine,

if you have Ins cover then please ask to see a neurologist for a consult and an MRI, such valuable time can be wasted going down other avenues....with a Cavalier I would rule this out first before I pumped them full of chemicals/pills/treatments/tests which may be of no use at all.

Alison, Wilts, U.K.

[Barbara Nixon]

im trying to stop mollys steroids by giveing one every other day but already she is going mad scratching at her head and ears trying to bite her foot and crying out i dont know what to do i hate to see her like it they say she carnt have the steroids long term but she could have some skin test done for £500 i know she is insured but i normally have to pay first (which i carnt afford)and then wait to see if i can claim for that or try and find something myself that might help has anyone got any advice they could give me

I'm having the same problem with Teddy. His inner legs and tum are bald and all his leg festhers are gone. Antihistamaine didn't help and expensive antibiotics healed the scabs, but they go anyway within a day and he chews somewhere else. he does scratch, but mainly he licks and he has avery rough tongue, rather like a cats, so off comes the hair.

He had a quick burst of steroids and stopped completely, until we went down to alternate day doses. Now he is losing coat while we wait until he can have allergy tests, as you have to have a 6-8 week break to get all effects of steroids out of the system.

I'm not insured as this would not be cost effective with four dogs, two over 6 years, but I've been quoted much less than you for the tests. It was £40? £50 ? for the general , then another 50 for each of two (outdoor and indoor) batches, tests being done from bloods.

Are you bathing in Malaseb ? I've been told to carry on doing this.

[Karlin]

Christine, any news?

Given the number of times you've been back with this recurring, and given the scratching at head and ears, in your place, I'd definitely want to talk to a vet with some familiarity with SM and then consider getting an MRI done through one of the low-cost diagnostic programmes. There are four clinics in the UK doing low cost diagnostic MRIs.

Alterantively if a vet familiar with SM feels it is worth trying Dr Clare Rusbridge's traetment protocol for SM to see if it helps, you could start with frusemide (Lasix) and if there's no improvement in two weeks, then try gabapentin/neurontin. The latter helps the pain associated with SM that causes the obsessive scratching and foot chewing/licking that are common symptoms for this condition. The treatment protocol can be downloaded from my SM site.

Also have you viewed my video of my Leo's typical SM scratching sessions? As he is a mildly affected dog with moderate SM perhaps seeing the kind of scratching he does will help you see if it seems similar. The video is posted at the top of this health forum. Air scracthing as also sometimes seen with SM, where the dog makes no contact with the body but rotates the leg as if scratching. If there is any of this type of scratching, it is usually a pretty clear pointer to SM as it isn't known with any other condition and is quite distinctive. Leo very rarely air scratches though and many SM dogs don't scratch at all.

Allergies are the number one misdiagnosis for SM dogs and many vets will not even consider that a dog has SM as it is very rare outside of cavaliers so you often really do need to get the opinion of a vet familiar with this condition. An MRI is the only way of getting sure diagnosis.

[Alison_Leighfield]

Christine,

have a visit to....

www.cavalierhealth.org

lots of info about SM and all other Cavalier health problems....well worth a visit for all cavalier owners.

Alison, Wilts, U.K.