I'm feeling a little angry about SM over the last few days.
Our man was a rescue dog & originally in 2001, our vet said that as a result of the beatings he had previously, he had a lot of scar tissue in his ear and was deaf on that side - he went on to become totally deaf, but was a master at hand signals
If we tried to stroke him on the right side of his neck or head, it would make him scratch.... if his collar buckle was on that side of his neck, he would scratch.... still trying to walk down the prom, he would be contstantly scratching & it was a relief for him to get on the beach & off his lead so that he could actually walk without scratching. I tried a harness, it made it worse
So.... fast forward a few years & we swapped Blackpool for Ireland - and got a new vet as Charlie developed a cough - yep, medication for a heart murmur followed and I found some sites on the web about SM. He had started falling over when out for a walk, sometimes on his front legs, sometimes on his back legs - quite distressing.
I asked the vet about SM & had printed the info off to show him. He brushed it off & commented on how the internet was a dangerous thing
This vet isn't an 'old' vet - such comments I would expect from someone who was deemed to be 'stuck in the mud' so to speak. This vet is a young chap who should have known better.
So... 18 months later & because we moved yet again to our forever home, we got yet another vet. This vet is really a typical country vet, & took the time to give Charlie an x-ray of his heart because the murmur was still there, but deemed to be mild. The x-ray showed that his heart was absolutely HUGE! It was so enlarged that we were advised to just bring him home, continue with new medication, but make sure that his last few months were as comfy as possible. Very sad.
I never mentioned SM to this vet because of the previous reaction, but on Charlie's last day, we thought he had a stroke - and maybe he did - his head had pulled right round to his right side & he was stiff as a board with bulging eyes.
In future, I shall be VERY vocal if I think I am right - I am so cross with the vet, but even more, I'm cross with myself.
Rant over.