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At the vets again

Dear Angela, you sound like a truly caring and wonderful human being, not to speak of brave. I would dearly love to have another little Cavalier to give Max some canine company as he was used to having Toby and Loui around him before they succumbed within months of each other to MHD. The breeder had confirmed by means of a certificate that neither parents had MHD and that they did not have a congenital condition. Which makes me enquire if MHD can in fact develop regardless of diet and exercise at any point in a dog's life, and if so then a certificate is hardly reassuring. A few years back I would have been more than delighted to accept a little dog regardless of any condition he may have, but now being no longer in employment owing to a slight disabilty I could not possibly afford the Vetinary fees. However, I long to have another Cavalier, but would have to be so stringent with regard to his health condition that I don't even know if I shall find a breeder in the South East who will be able to supply Cardiac and Syringomyelia certs. Sadly one does not know who to trust, but I remain optimistic that I shall eventually find one. I wish you all the very best with your little doggie and may she live out her days without discomfort or distress.
 
CelticHarmony,

I hope this helps you to understand MVD a little better, it's just a short, rough explanation on how MVD occurs. Its worth noting that almost 100% of Cavalier King Charles will develop a murmur at some point in their life, usually around or before 10 years old.

Some animals are born with a slight murmur, this can disappear as the puppy grows.

Congenial heart murmurs are hereditary and usually present when the dog is a puppy. These kinds of murmurs will eventually get worse as the dog gets older, simply because the Mitral valve will continue to degenerate.

Polygenetic heart problems are under the influence of multiple genes. This means that diet, excersise and other factors can play a part in whether the dog will go on to develop a heart problem.

Hope that helps a bit..
 
Oh I missed your post on Penny's death last week -- I am so sorry. It's clear how deeply you cared for her and how much you had done. It is just so sad and frustrating to lose them at what would be the prime of life for most dogs. :(
 
Dear Angela, you sound like a truly caring and wonderful human being, not to speak of brave. .

Not brave , just numb & matter of fact after losing 11 in 7 years. if its unusual or difficult to treat my dogs will get it.
I've been to the vet with 4 dogs out of 5 this month.

I don't fight it or get upset anymore. just enjoy them for the time they are here.

Becky is not too bad, I think her collapsing episodes might have been due to tea tree oil ! I had used a cream & spray on her the day before each bad turn.

I tried her withought her painkiller for a day to see how she was but she was going mad last night digging , scratching & chewing herself so i gave her a rymadil & she went to sleep.
 
Some photo's of penny

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Thank you very much for that info and I shall continue to educate myself further with regard to these illnessess. Ideally I would be delighted to give a healthy rescue Cavalier a loving home, but unfortunately my finances wouldn't run to vetinary bills for a little dog who needed medical care from the onset. I desperately long for a little Balck and Tan, but having the knowledge about that there are so many uncrupulous breeders out there, I am quite anxious that I may never find one I can really trust. Only today I met a lady who now has proof that her breeder's vet simply provided her with the Certs she needed to give to new owners without any MRI scan being carried out to establish congenital heart condition or other diseases. How does one overcome the problem of corrupt Vetinary surgeons among all the other problems which lurk behind the well practised reasurrances of certain breeders? I have got to the point where I think the breeder would have to come recommended by a Cavalier owner who could vouch for her reputation. I hate being so sceptical, but do not by any means wish to offend the competant and caring breeders who are no doubt out there. Karlin's excellent articles have enlightened me and made me more cautious in my dealings with breeders. Please think positive thoughts for me that I shall soon find a healthy little dog to join our sweet Max.
 
No problem, genetics can be a bit much for most people but I studied it years ago as well as MVD when one of our Cavs had a murmur and died from it, so while a little rusty I still remember the basics.

I guess I've been very lucky as none of my previous dogs other than Sam (the dog who died) have ever had murmurs, even later on in life. But then I put a lot of effort into tracing back the lines we have to make sure they were long lived and as healthy as possible.

The only advice I can give you about getting another is to choose very carefully, and when you find someone you think you might consider getting a puppy from, ask the breeder for the names and addresses of previous people who have gotten pups from them and actually ring or write to those people to see how their dogs are, and what health problems they've had.

It's probably impossible to find a dog without some health problems (not necessarily hereditary ones), you just have to weigh up the pros and cons on which one/s you think you can cope with.

Good luck Celticharmony! I hope you can find a puppy. :)
 
Thank you so much for all the appreciated info and your positive reassurances with regard to breeders. I guess that I am still overly sensitive and emotional from the loss of Toby and Loui within such a short time of each other. I even worried that Max would be traumatised even though we see no signs of it whatsoever and he actually seems to like being Top Dog and gaining so much attention. BTW do you know if it is sometimes possible to buy a young healthy dog from a Cavalier Rescue? I would dearly love to contribute to the wonderful work that they do and give a loving home to a little Black and Tan Cavalier should I find one. My only concern, owing to reduced financial stability is that the little doggie would require ongoing Vetinary care which I have to accept would not be possible for me. I am hoping that perhaps there may be a case where someone who has to move to a home or elsewhere may just hand in a healthy and hitherto loved and cared for little dog. Who knows I may just be lucky. Thanks again and best wishes.
 
Yes, can well imagine that of course. Well, shall just keep hoping that I find a reputable breeder in my area. Thanks again for prompt response.
 
A little update on Becky.
She has not been to bad in herself , sleeping a lot but not too many manic episodes the limp has not returned.
However I just took her for a walk ( the first in weeks ) & she is scratching worse than ever . She was scratching & bouncing so much that she was almost walking on her front legs.
she didnt do it at all off the lead & not much on the way back ( she wasn't pulling)

I was trying to find a video of a similar dog walking on a leash with sm but the only one I found ( a blen called chester I think? ) was nowhere near bad enough to compare to Becky's scratching. does anyone know of anymore?

I was still in two minds of wether its sm or her bad skin. but surely her skin wouldnt do this. its not even her scabby bits she's scratching at
 
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Teddy has had absolutely manic days, where he'll scratch anywhere, scabby or not, but I have fingers crossed over the Atopica. Actually, it's package says that the type of itching problem it helps doesn't actually involve scabby or red skin, ie these are only caused by the actual scratching or licking.

Teddy had a 30 day supply of Atopica for up to 7.5kg, though he averages 8.5kg. Within two weeks, he was no longer licking, few red marks were in evidence and scratching was much less frequent and only light. However, around the start of the second 30, he was very slightly sick, an hour after taking a capsule (they need to fast for two hours either side), so I didn't know whether the drug had been absorbed, so wasn't surprised when he started licking and scratching as before.

This didn't lessen, as expected, over the next three or four days, so I came to the conclusion that it had never worked and he'd had a short respite in the level of irritation. Deciding that, as the drug wasn't working and I had a couple of weeks' doses left, which would be wasted , whether he took them or not, there was nothing to lose by giving him two a day (he was on the dose lower than his weight allowed). However, after two 'double' days, he was back to barely any licking or scratching, so I dropped him back to one capsule and he's still fine and due to see the vet this week. I had planned double doses and then no drug, to see whther I hadbeen imagining things, but I think the vet will advise carrying on, now. Perhaps, this drug, like frusicare , works if the odd boost is given.
 
Isn't that kind of funny walk on a lead more or less typical of SM, though? Especially when combined with the weakness, scratching, hot head, and general oddness?

so sorry about Penny (or is it Penney?).
 
Could Becky have a skin infection as well as SM?

When I adopted Charlie, he had severe SM, a skin infection from having fleas, and an acute, chronic ear infection.

He was extremely itchy and had a musty smell about him. For his skin, he was given Clavamox antibiotic, an anti-inflammatory drug Zubrin, and a medicated shampoo. His itching stopped completely after 2-3 weeks.
 
Could Becky have a skin infection as well as SM?

When I adopted Charlie, he had severe SM, a skin infection from having fleas, and an acute, chronic ear infection.

He was extremely itchy and had a musty smell about him. For his skin, he was given Clavamox antibiotic, an anti-inflammatory drug Zubrin, and a medicated shampoo. His itching stopped completely after 2-3 weeks.


We've tried everything for her skin but it doesnt work. she smells awful.
thats what is confusing the issue . if she didnt have such bad skin i'd say yes she has SM.
& the limb weakness went away when I stopped using t tree oil on her. so thats confusing aswell
 
You might want to try this if you haven't already

The medicated shampoo we used was prescribed by our vet - Vet Solutions Universal Medicated Shampoo
http://www.1800petmeds.com/pdetail.asp?SK=10514

It's a gentle medicated shampoo. The vet said that other over the counter shampoos like sulfadene and some of the others would be too strong for his inflamed skin.

The Zubrin and Clavamox healed his skin. He stopped itching and the smell went away completely.

First he had to be treated for fleas - Capstar and Frontline Plus took care of that.
 
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