8 mth Crying in pain when scratching his neck?

Oh I'm sorry the vet treated you that way. You're not ever wrong to look things up on the internet and it's his job to help you interpret the things you find. It should be teamwork but it so rarely happens that way.

We're having a similar problem with our current vet and are now looking for a new one with more experience treating cavaliers.

Maggie has awful ear trouble and we do think that much of it is due to allergies. It has so far responded to allergy & flea treatment. But we're in the world of cutting out specific foods and treats to see what's triggering the allergies.

It seems so much simpler to get a skin test, but our current vet decided for us (despite the fact that we have pet insurance and would be willing to figure this out fast) that would be too expensive. He's also now given two cortisone injections without our consent (takes her in the back and inject her without even asking), which means symptoms all disappear and you can't even take her somewhere else for an accurate second opinion for two weeks. So that's the end of that vet.

I don't know if this is okay to ask, but if anyone has a good recommendation for a great vet on the westside of Los Angeles *please* private message me...

And good luck, I hope your lil guy is feeling better in no time. It's hard when they're uncomfortable or hurting... if we could only teach them to speak english.

I'd strongly suggest you and your (new) vet both look at my website on syringomyelia because given what you are seeing, it is important to keep this in mind as a possibility:

www.smcavalier.com

Any time a cavalier is having what seem to be itchiness especially around the head. neck and ears and the vet cannot find any other reason for the problem -- or if there is unexplained pain, or the other possible symtoms listed on the site (and a dog may have only ONE or SEVERAL of those symptoms) -- the owner and vet really must seriously look into SM as a possible diagnosis.

You may wel lbe looking at allergies but you need to be aware of the other possibilities. Cortisone/steroid injections will help SM symptoms as well -- and once the injection wears off, the symptoms will return. The most common misdiagnosis for SM is allergies and ear infections that keep recurring and recurring. A dog on average will suffer with SM for just over a year and a half before a correct diagnosis is made. Most vets remain unfamiliar with this disease and its incidence in cavaliers, especially in the US where the breed is less common.

You are more than welcome to ask for vet recommendations. I would be furious f anyone did things without my consent to my dogs so I think you are right to look for an alternative.

Karlin, thank you so much for your reply. You're doing such important work here, because SM is SO rare outside cavs and vets do treat you like a kook when you ask about it. We've definitely read a lot of the SM stuff and even briefly met with a wonderful neuro who feels there's a possibility of SM. We're waiting for a low-cost MRI clinic to open up sometime in the next couple months.

Mags is 8 months old. We're hoping it's a food related or contact allergy (i'd really love feedback if it sounds like we're in denial or wrong-headed here)

Currently her ears are really red and smelly with a bit of gunk. It seems worse deeper in the ear. The first time brought her in, my head was full of worry about SM, and the vet said her ears were quite red and inflamed. This was the first cortisone injection. We got otomax drops and have been administering them and even outside of the cortisone that seems to give her a lot of relief.

We've also noticed a bright pink belly and lips, and her behavior involves biting her paws. I've noticed a yeasty smell on them, and now we've begun regular baths with Episoothe. The biting paws alone would lead me to think SM. And of course it could be both. But together with the smell and that pink belly I'm hoping it's primarily a itchy allergy reaction.

We've taken away her beef chews / bully sticks to see if this helps, and we're upping the regularity of her frontline dose and baths. The vet said this has been a really rough few months with allergies making up 85% of patients coming in. And of course I couldn't argue at that point.

Anyway - we'd noticed different behavior pretty soon after changing her food. Right now she's on a boiled chicken and rice diet with supplements, and she has stopped faceplowing after eating. And there was terrible air from the recent fires, and so on. We've never once had problems (knock on wood) during a walk, we've always walked her on a harness.

I'm really hoping we do have a little allergic thing, but we're definitely gearing up to do an MRI just as a precaution... and it would be amazing to find a primary vet that took the time to get educated about this problem.

thank you all for the knowledge here, it's really an amazing source of information and support!

Maggles, my India had ear problems caused by both food allergies (chicken, potato, grains) and PSOM. I highly recommend going to a veterinary dermatologist for chronic ear problems - they get to the root of the problem sooooooo quickly compared to a normal vet.

Harvey, I would look for a vet who is willing to learn new things! When we brought Charlie (our cavalier who had very severe SM) to our vets (which is a very large group practice), everyone including the vet techs quickly learned about him, as his condition was discussed widely. I even gave them the original MRI CD for learning purposes.

Also, ask your vet to look into PSOM, which is a common problem behind the eardrum. Unfortunately it requires surgery, but both of my cavaliers who had PSOM are fine after surgery. I would try to find a dermatologist who is experienced with PSOM, if surgery is required.

I forgot to ask if you are in the US. If so, I might be able to help you get your cavalier into a PSOM study at a university to help reduce the costs.

I'm sorry I'm only seeing your thread now. I knew Dylan had SM from what I learnt on this forum and the BBC documentary, though I was hoping I was wrong right up until the moment they told me after his MRI. You can tell your vet that