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Took Dylan to vet, SM? Long post, sorry.

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Justine said:
By the way,Pauline i wasn't meaning to tell Alf's story and forget about yours,hoping just to make us feel a little better with our worries.
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No problem Justine, it's all relevant and I'm not the only one with worries. We are all here for each other at these times.
 
Oh Pauline, I know the angst you are going through now. If I hadn't been up to date on this information from this forum, I would have never figured out that Dottie had any problem other than what I thought was "Cavalier quirky behavior."

She had many of the symptoms at 7 months, like happily walking along and then yelping for no reason, or yelping sometimes when I put on her harness. She also started walking in the funny curved "C" position sometimes in the yard. She also yawned alot, shook her head, scratched incessantly at her neck and ears and rubbed her head and face along the carpet and furniture after eating. The only two symptoms that we never saw were the air scratching and limb weakness.

I too was terrified it was early onset SM and got her right to a neurologist after being cleared by her vet for other causes. The day of the MRI was the longest ever, but she was ultimately diagnosed with a mild chiari-like malformation (common in Cavs) with NO syrinxes. She did have alot of fluid in her ear and was diagnosed with PSOM. After she had her myringotomy/ear flush and plug removal, she is thankfully symptom free.

You are fortunate to have a study that Dylan can participate in. Fortunately we had Pet Plan insurance that paid for the bulk of the $3,200.00 in vet and mri fees, though I would happily mortgage the house to pay for WHATEVER medical needs she has.

You and Dylan will be in my daily thoughts and prayers that he is properly diagnosed and treated soon so he can be relieved of his discomfort.:hug: We will watch for updates. Hang in there!
 
hbmama said:
She had many of the symptoms at 7 months, like happily walking along and then yelping for no reason, or yelping sometimes when I put on her harness. She also started walking in the funny curved "C" position sometimes in the yard. She also yawned alot, shook her head, scratched incessantly at her neck and ears and rubbed her head and face along the carpet and furniture after eating. The only two symptoms that we never saw were the air scratching and limb weakness.
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Oh my goodness, I obviously know a lot less about SM than I though because you are describing Dylan right there. He does the C shaped back when he is happy to see me. I'd heard a dog wags it's tail mostly to the right when it's extra happy and I thought Dylan was wagging his whole body to the right he was so happy! I'm so stupid. :(:(
 
*Pauline* said:
Oh my goodness, I obviously know a lot less about SM than I though because you are describing Dylan right there. He does the C shaped back when he is happy to see me. I'd heard a dog wags it's tail mostly to the right when it's extra happy and I thought Dylan was wagging his whole body to the right he was so happy! I'm so stupid. :(:(
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No you are not stupid a lot of people would not know :hug:
---Aileen
 
Pauline, I wouldn't worry until you get a scan if needed, and know what you are actually dealing with. I very much doubt his curving himself when he sees you is scoliosis -- a lot of dogs will do this. Scoliosis tends to affect young dogs and then they grow out of it as they seem to adjust to it -- with SM it is more likely to see scoliosis when the dog is around 6 months old. You would tend to see the C shape more when the dog is being walked, too. There is a chance it could be but on the whole I wouldn't think so, in that circumstance.
 
Pauline; I have only recently begun to post, but have always enjoyed the pictures and your stories of handsome Dylan. I am keeping good thoughts for you and all paws and fingers crossed here over the "pond."
 
Karlin said:
I very much doubt his curving himself when he sees you is scoliosis -- a lot of dogs will do this.
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That's a relief, my brother has scoliosis so I know what that is. Dylan's spine is lovely and straight normally.

I'm in a bit of a daze at the moment. I am trying to stay calm.
 
sins said:
How soon will you know about dates for the scan?
Sins
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The vet first needs to rule out any other possibilities. If she suspected SM she would refer to the college then they would examine Dylan and decide if he qualifies before planning an MRI. I don't know the time scale involved.
 
I am probably paranoid but my Rosie and Ebony always rub there faces along the carpet and furniture after they have eaten. Rosie also does that when she had a poo and comes in from the garden. And when I come in they wag their tails, it looks like the whole back of the body is moving, and they rub themselves on my legs.
Is that just coincidence?
Sabby
 
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Sabby said:
I am probably paranoid but my Rosie and Ebony always rub there faces along the carpet and furniture after they have eaten. And when I come in they wag their tails, it looks like the whole back of the body is moving, and they rub themselves on my legs.
Is that just coincidence?
Sabby
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Well I only heard about dogs rubbing their faces after eating being a symptom today. I know dogs who do this, not Cavaliers, isn't this normal?

The bum wag is pretty normal too, I was only worried as Dylan did it to one side.
 
Pauline, I wasn't trying to panic you more with the symptoms that Dottie had, just trying to say that I didn't pay that much attention to them until I started reading up on the conditions here on the board. Until you have had an MRI you won't really know what you are dealing with. The "C" walk could be something that these dogs just do when they are excited. I just know that she hasn't done it since her myringotomy/ear flush, a few months ago.

We were so fearful that it was SM but it was a HUGE relief to find that it was just PSOM, which is much easier to treat. The MRI and diagnosis from her neurologist (who has done many SM surgeries, and also lectures to Cavalier clubs on the subject), brought us peace of mind and relief.

I know it is so hard waiting to find out, but just try not to get over anxious and take the attitude that you are going in the right direction to find a reason for Dylan's behavior. You will be in my constant thoughts and prayers!
 
Oh, and regarding the face rubbing.....I also saw that in the archives as a listed symptom. However, the neurologist said that some dogs just do this and it isn't necessarily a firm symptom of SM. Dottie still does it after eating sometimes. She seems happy and healthy otherwise. One additional note...my sister's purebred Aussie Terrier also does this after eating and sometimes while playing.
 
*Pauline* said:
Well I only heard about dogs rubbing their faces after eating being a symptom today. I know dogs who do this, not Cavaliers, isn't this normal?

The bum wag is pretty normal too, I was only worried as Dylan did it to one side.
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Well both Tandie and Dougal rubbed their faces after eating. Tandie preferred my silk hand woven mat I brought home from India last year!! And Dougal prefers me!!!!! Not sure which is worse. But let me tell you, Dougal NEEDS to wipe his mouth after eating. We've started calling him Droogal because he has drool tracks right down to his neck :D

Anyway, I just wanted to say don't panic. Many of the SM symptoms have a lot in common with normal dog behaviour. I think it's great you're being so careful, and getting him checked but don't worry unduly. Isn't it true that something like 90% of what you worry about will never happen?

And if the worst comes to the worst you're in great company, with so many knowledgable people on the boards, and many that are dealing with an SM dog also.

My thoughts are with you and Dylan Pauline. I hope the change of harness helps. :xfngr:
 
Hi Pauline...I know you are going through a lot at the moment but try not to worry too much about possible outcomes..I do this all the time and get myself worked up before I even know what I am dealing with...as for the curved to one side waggy bum Pippin does this all the time when he see's me come in from work and has always done ...it's just excitement...I think he wags his tail so much he propels himself around!
 
As Dylan has had a few episodes of ear infections could it be PSOM? Would you get air scratching on a harness with this? Is PSOM something that is confused with SM in diagnosis?

Edit: Don't worry, I just read air scratching is not associated with SM.
 
*Pauline* said:
As Dylan has had a few episodes of ear infections could it be PSOM? Would you get air scratching on a harness with this? Is PSOM something that is confused with SM in diagnosis?

Edit: Don't worry, I just read air scratching is not associated with SM.
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Pauline, I don't want to upset you, but air scratching IS associated with SM.

Charlie air scratched whenever he had a pain episode. Geordie, whose SM is milder, does not air scratch. He had started to neck/shoulder scratch when excited just before he was diagnosed. Now he only scratches when his medication is wearing off.
 
I think maybe Pauline meant not associated with PSOM?

On ear infections -- these don;t have anything to do with PSOM -- PSOM is in the space on the other side of the eardrum, not the outer side where infections happen. Some dogs jut seem to be prone to ear infections.

Face rubbing in cavaliers with SM tends to be pretty distinctive -- you get the sense that they are really trying to scratch an itch. When Lo does this, he usually is clearly feeling s sudden jolt of discomfort. Same when he scoots where it seems related to SM as opposed to just scooting, which all four of mine do.

Lots of dogs of all types also scoot and face rub. These are to activities that can be associated with SM that I would not worry about unless they happen in association with other indications or seem to be sudden responses to pain or discomfort.

The lead scratching is a very distinctive sM trait. None of my other dogs ever does that kind of stop and start scratching on and off during a walk. One of the videos I have on the SM site shows Leo scratching while walking. You can see that it isn't as extreme as the dog from the BBC film but still is pretty noticeable as 'not normal'.
 
Thanks, I'll take a look at the SM site, I haven't noticed anything other than the 2 dogs scratching so if I can't find it, please would you post a link? Thanks for the advice. I think the only evidence I have is the air scratching. Dylan does scoot, rub his face but I feel these are normal. He does keep getting up from sleep to find another spot, I always thought this was because he was hot as he has a very full coat but now I'm not so sure. I printed off all the info for my vet from the SM site, thanks for that, it's a very good idea.

I've just found it, I don't know how I missed that. Dylan scratches worse than that, more often and he keeps walking but on 3 legs. The only thing that I don't understand is why it stops after a while. Maybe he is pulling less after he gets tired. He seems to forget it when he is on his long lead with the same harness in the park.
 
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