The affects of drugs

Am I right in assuming that if you have a dog with pre-syrinxes or small syrinxes and it takes drugs like frusemide or cimetidine it be on these drugs for the rest of its life? And I think it’s great if these drugs slow or even reverse the syrinxes. My one question is how long can a dog live taking these drugs until the drugs affect other organs?

I just read Nickis post about Teddy and it sort of answers my Question. And suppose every Cavalier is different.

Oliver has a small syrinx and is on frusemide, so has a blood test from time to time to check that his kidneys are not affected. So far, no problem. Frusemide is not directly bad for the kidneys, but by doing its job of slwoing the flow of fluid round the brain, it also of course slows the flow of fluid everywhere else in the body, which could eventually damage the kidneys, which need a steady flow, so to speak. It's a balance between slowing down the flow enough to benefit the brain, but not too much that it damages the kidneys, which is why the frusemide dose needs to be checked regularly with a blood test.

Kate, Oliver and Aled

I specifically asked Clare Rusbridge (after her Bristol talk) about the long-term effects of anti-inflammatories and if it was OK for a dog to be on them for life.

She mentioned that it is a good idea to have blood tests every 6 months or so to check for any effects on the liver, but then added that many of the newer anti-inflammatories are much improved in this respect and do not compromise liver function like the older ones do.

So I concluded that it would be advisable to ask for one of these newer improved brands!