.....The scan revealed he has cm. Clare Rusbridge has put him on Cimetadine and a mild dose of Previcox. The reason for putting him on the Cimetadine is for preventative measures.
Nicki,
I personally will never accept that a dog has SM until the MRI scan shows me a Syrinx !
I spoke to GS last week and the question of bad ears and CM was mentioned.
CM will cause severe pain and Ears similarly can cause severe discomfort. (I do of course accept that you already know this.)
Consequently I say, dont think your dog has SM until it is confirmed and how can medicine be administered if the cause is not 100% confirmed ?
Yet another reason to have a scan.
Indeed, when we went to 'Stone Lion', the form specifically asked for the behaviour of the dog and asked for all symptoms to be listed.
The next 'bus' is scheduled for 18th MARCH 2010.
Mark Marshall.
This is, I think, another of the decisions that can only be made by the owner...........
The benefits that this information can give for the future of the breed through the EBV programme are immeasurable.
The information it can give to the breeder ( who should always be informed of the result, whether good or bad ) will be invaluable to their breeding programme.
It will benefit the dog if there are early signs of SM that have been missed, medication can change a quiet, unsociable, couch potato into a lively relaxed little dog.
I do not think that any cavalier owner who knows about SM can ever completely dismiss the worry from their mind.
That is a criticism that has been levelled at the film PDE and those of us who took part, but we did not invent SM, it was already there and spreading rapidly. Cavalier owners needed to know there was good reason to be concerned.
It may help some owners to know scan results and have vague worries confirmed or proved wrong. Others may not be able to cope with a positive diagnosis and their pleasure in their pet will be submerged completely in their dread of the eventual outcome.
Like the decision to have SM surgery, or the decision when to euthanise, I feel that this is a decision that the owner must feel able to make according to their own comfort zone.
They are not breeders, they do not carry the responsibility in the same way as all breeders do, but if they feel able to help in a partnership of breeders and owners, then what a wonderful gesture that will be.
Would the Cimetadine prevent the CM from progressing to SM?
I am not qualified to answer this. I can only tell you what has happened to Dougall. We assumed Dougall was a quiet lazy dog. He showed discomfort when you touch his back (it shudders when you lightly touch it) and he lowers his head if you go to touch it. Clare Rusbridge mentioned the Cimetidene would help prevent the cm developing. The previcox seems to have relieved his back by about 70%. Dougall is more lively and bouncy and behaves more like a 2 year old should. I would also mention Molly who has sm and had a large pre-syrinx (the scan is on Clares website). This Syrinx was forming while the scan was being done! We scanned Molly 8 months later, the pre-syrinx has vanished. We were lucky to catch it at this stage which stopped it in its tracks.
I spoke with a vet and a neurologist who told me I could go forward with an MRI "if I wanted"
Brian,
thank you for opening up such an interesting discussion.
The decision to scan or not is one that I'm thinking a lot about, not least because Maddie will be 5 years old on Friday, and she has SM on both sides of her pedigree, (Margaret Cs Monty), and I think has the same sire as the Blenheim from PDE who won at the show.
However, she is showing no symptoms, and although she is a stoical little girl her behaviour, especially at agility, shows me when she's not 100% for any reason or in pain, and she is currently flying round the agility courses and then barking at me to have another go! So, I shall carry on thinking about scanning, but haven't yet made up my mind.
So my problem? Without a "you should get an MRI" from a vet and/or neurologist, I feel like I'm volunteering my dog for a procedure I don't know that she needs. I'm not a vet, and while I can read all I want about SM symptoms and watch youtube videos, I rely on those with degrees and experience to help me make the best decision. I love the breed, and I want to contribute to future generations, but I also love my dog, and the thought of losing her kills me. I feel both incredibly selfish and like I'm looking out for Lady's best interests - all at the same time. And I still don't know what to do.....
Syringomyelia is a very complex and puzzling condition and the fact you will have SM affected dogs in the pedigree ( There will be many more than Monty, but the majority were just never acknowledged by their owners ) does not mean that your Maddie will have it.
There are many SM affected offspring and grandchildren from Monty, but he also had some clear scanned children, one recently MRI'd clear at 9 years old, and her two scanned offspring are Grade A cavaliers as well.
If Maddie's sire was the Malvern show BIS winner, then there is no doubt that a scan of your little girl would give the researchers some very valuable information about the inheritance of SM, but I understand how reluctant you would be to look for trouble when Maddie is so lively and full of life.
Sorry Margaret, I didn't make myself too clear, I think the Malvern BIS winner is a half brother to Maddie.
I would treat her differently and not enjoy her life as much, if that makes sense.
If something was found if you had her scanned of course you would treat her differently. At least she would be treated at least the progression can be either slowed down or stopped.
.
Each spring/ summer when she starts to scratch (pollen allergies) I hold my breath until the first frosts of autumn/ winter to make sure that she will stop scratching then. .. I worry if a syrinx was found despite her being asymptomatic, I would treat her differently and not enjoy her life as much, if that makes sense.
Seems to me you're worrying anyway - so why not worry to some positive purpose - IF she scans with SM? Just because Maddie has relatives with SM (like every other Cavalier in existence!) doesn't inevitably mean a positive diagnosis - the BIS winner's SM may have come from the side that Maddie doesn't have, if they only share one parent. Except that a parent known to have SM, even if asymptomatic, is more likely to produce symptomatic offspring, no-one really seems to know the mode of inheritance, so it is impossible to point the finger at any particular unscanned (or scanned, for that matter, if you don't know the result of the scan) dog and say that's where my dog gets his or her SM from. Margaret's Monty gets mentioned simply because she was honest and courageous enough to 'go public' at a time when many breeders were unaware of how common SM was becoming and low cost scans didn't exist. I picked up on my Oliver's grandfather's SM from talking to breeders, his own breeder told me about his symptomatic half-sister - but actually it could all be coincidence and not inheritance at all! Until the inheritance is sorted out, we're all floundering around in the dark to some extent - this is why it is such a nightmare, and why some breeders can use it as a cop-out and say that there's no definitive proof that using a positive but asymptomatic dog at stud will produce symptomatic puppies, so why bother to scan.
And speaking as one who has to do it, yes, you do treat your dog with a syrinx and no symptoms differently - you treasure every day you have with them with immense gratitude for what they are and what they give you, and rejoice for every day they can continue to live normal, happy lives. And then take them for a nice walk!
Long may Maddie continue to show no signs!
Kate, Oliver and Aled