You posted your last message while I was writing my last one - so this is an addendum in response to your last question. We got Riley at 11 months oldd and she already displayed neurologic symptoms, but I didn't know about SM. I thought it was due to a very difficult birth. She was finally diagnosed with SM at age 5 and had decompression surgery shortly after diagnosis. She has been the most wonderful dog, before and after surgery. She is living a good quality life. She runs and plays and seems happy. She is the same sweet loving dog she was before surgery - her personality did not change. Having SM is not necessarily dooming a dog to a life of pain - you just have to find the right medications for her. EVen after surgery, SM dogs are still on medication. While the initial diagnosis of SM is devastating and heartbreaking for the owner, you come to a point in which you realize that you just need to love your dog and enjoy their lives right now. Since I don't know if Riley's SM will cause her to die earlier than otherwise - I decided to stop obsessing about it and just get on with loving her like I do my other dogs. I do admit that I treat her and think about her a little differently - I think it's hard not to. But she is a happy dog, she seems pain free right now and she is happy to be a part of her "pack".
I am inexperienced in dealing with breeders. If the breeder took Ruby Mae back, what would she do with her, or what would other breeders do with a sick puppy that has been returned?
Just get the results first,it may not be as bad as you fear.
Then learn as much about the condition as you can.
What age of dog is affected by syringomyelia?
The youngest reported dogs with syringomyelia have been 12 weeks old. Dogs may be presented at any age although the majority of dogs (approximately 45%) will develop first signs of the disease within the first year of life and approximately 40% of cases have first signs between 1 and 4 years old. As many as 15% develop signs as mature dogs with the oldest reported case first developing signs of disease aged 6.8 years. Due to the vague nature of signs in some cases and lack of awareness about the disease there is often a considerable time period (mean 1.6 years) between the onset of signs and confirmation of a diagnosis.
Yes it is true that generally most more severely affected dogs will show symptoms between 5 months to 3-4 years.
But Clare also clearly states on her site and in her documents that she has diagnosed puppies at 12 weeks; others have noticed problems as young as 8 weeks; and I know of two puppies of around 12 wks who were diagnosed *because they had scoliosis*. As Clare notes in her SM document, it is severely affected dogs that show scoliosis, and they tend to show it only as puppies.
That is why I am simply saying I would not proceed solely on the basis of what an orthopedist says IF that involves any kind of surgery or invasive procedure.
I can guarantee you that any neurologist would say that a cavalier puppy showing scoliosis probably needs to be checked for SM as well before any invasive procedures for presumed other causes are carried out. ...
Since I don't know if Riley's SM will cause her to die earlier than otherwise - I decided to stop obsessing about it and just get on with loving her like I do my other dogs. I do admit that I treat her and think about her a little differently - I think it's hard not to. But she is a happy dog, she seems pain free right now and she is happy to be a part of her "pack".
Whatever you do do not take the puppy back, the breeder will have her
put to sleep.