laram
Well-known member
Hi everyone,
You may remember some very worried posts I made back in February about my Sammy maybe having Syringomyelia. He had some nasty bouts of scratching and rubbing his head. Thankfully prednisone (and gabapentin in the beginning) took those symptoms away completely, and he has been totally fine again for 5 months. So fine for so long that I felt confident now going on holiday and leaving him with friends.
However, Murphy's law... I got a call from the friends yesterday telling me he had had a huge attack while out on a walk, couldn't use his back leg and was still moaning in pain. I could hear him crying in the background. What a sudden turn for the worse!! Thankfully I had some emergency gabapentin, and that relieved it almost immediately. He can use his leg again. I've talked with my vet and we're seeing how it goes now.
A few questions for other SM owners:
- does your dog experience pain episodes that occur suddenly and then go away? Or is the episode usually a permanent turn for the worse?
- do you feel that these episodes are triggered by anything in particular?
- are you careful about exercising your dog?
The friends Sammy's been staying with have kids, and he's been having a very jolly time playing with them and going on long walks. I thought maybe it's tired him out. The attack happened when he had got hold of something to eat from the pavement and my friend tried to take it from him. He gets very stubborn and upset in those situations...
Any experiences would be appreciated!
You may remember some very worried posts I made back in February about my Sammy maybe having Syringomyelia. He had some nasty bouts of scratching and rubbing his head. Thankfully prednisone (and gabapentin in the beginning) took those symptoms away completely, and he has been totally fine again for 5 months. So fine for so long that I felt confident now going on holiday and leaving him with friends.
However, Murphy's law... I got a call from the friends yesterday telling me he had had a huge attack while out on a walk, couldn't use his back leg and was still moaning in pain. I could hear him crying in the background. What a sudden turn for the worse!! Thankfully I had some emergency gabapentin, and that relieved it almost immediately. He can use his leg again. I've talked with my vet and we're seeing how it goes now.
A few questions for other SM owners:
- does your dog experience pain episodes that occur suddenly and then go away? Or is the episode usually a permanent turn for the worse?
- do you feel that these episodes are triggered by anything in particular?
- are you careful about exercising your dog?
The friends Sammy's been staying with have kids, and he's been having a very jolly time playing with them and going on long walks. I thought maybe it's tired him out. The attack happened when he had got hold of something to eat from the pavement and my friend tried to take it from him. He gets very stubborn and upset in those situations...
Any experiences would be appreciated!