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Dougall MRI Tomorrow

Tania

Tania

Well-known member
Dougall hasn't been doing so well the last couple of weeks. He is off to Stone Lion
tomorrow for an MRI. His back has been very sensitive and lately he has been
crying if you pick him up. Will report back tomorrow.
 
Poor little fella, i hope he's feeling better soon. Very best wishes for his scan Tania, i'll be thinking of you
 
Thinking of you and Dougall today, Tania - you are doing the right thing in getting him rescanned so you know exactly what is going on.

Take care :flwr:
 
Dougall Update

Dougall is home safe and sound. The good news, there is no sm (y) His scan was very similar to the one taken a year ago. There was a sign of lumbosacral disc protrusion (lower back) but mild. The psom was unchanged.

The bad news. The sensitivity and pain Dougall is experiencing is mainly down to cm. :cry*ing: We are going to switch from Gabapentin to pregabalin and see if that makes any difference. The course of accupuncture we tried previously did not make any difference. (Even though it didn't help Dougall it has helped other dogs).

Gentle massage gives him relief for a few days so I am going to continue with this.

Dougall has had a tough day, he is very cuddly and demanding a lot of TLC. Typical Male :badgrin:
 
Hi T and Good Morning

You must have been so relieved to get home after such a long day and awful drive but your journey was comforted with the knowledge that Dougall has no sign of SM ,and we all hope his new medication works and eases his pain .In many ways his scan sounds very similar to my Rosie's with her bad back so my little girl and Pops ,Daisy and Lily all send big comforting hugs and licks over but we know he couldn't not be in a better place than with you his loving Mum .:D
 
Hi Tania

Glad that Dougall is still SM free, and hope the change of medication wil help his back pain. I think people tend to focus so much on SM that they underestimate the effects of CM, which can also cause considerable pain. This could also be true of some vets - they're just beginning to catch up with SM, and don't realise that even with a good scan, the problems aren't all solved if CM is present!

Kate, Oliver and Aled
 
Glad to hear there's no sign of SM yet but sorry he is in pain. I really hope the change of medication helps him. It didn't make any difference to Dylan but it seems to work for a lot of dogs. Sending gentle :hug::hug:
 
I'm sorry I have only seen your thread now. I think you will be very happy with the results of Pregabalin, have you seen an improvement?
 
It is good news that there is no SM but so sad that Dougall has so many symptoms from "just" the malformation. This is the same situation as many people [who suffer from a very similar condition - the majority have only the malformation but often quite severe symptoms]


I really hope the Lyrica will help - it can be very effective.

It's worrying about his back too - I guess you know to be a bit careful with him, not too much jumping about. I would put steps or similar to his favourite furniture, lift him in and out of the car etc so that he is not doing big jumps.


Moderate exercise - keep him fit, but no jumping over tree trunks!

I think keeping the muscles massaged is an excellent idea, it obviously really helps him and will keep them working effectively.


Give him gentle hugs from us and the puppies xxx
 
Hello Nicki

Are ALL Cavaliers born with CM or does it develop with growing,if it develops do we presume that ALL Cavaliers have CM at say the age of 2 onwards.

Thanks just curious as to if its a problem that is there in the breed or if it develops in a percentage only .
 
Tania
Pleased to hear that Dougall has no SM. But it seems that if they have been diagnosed with CM this can cause them to have pain episodes as well.
Give Dougall a big gentle :hug: from me and the girls.
 
Tania, so pleased he has no SM but sorry to hear Dougall's in pain with his CM,fingers crossed his new meds will help soon

Give him a little snuggle from my girls & I xx
 
Brian M said:
Brian asked:

Are ALL Cavaliers born with CM or does it develop with growing,if it develops do we presume that ALL Cavaliers have CM at say the age of 2 onwards.
Click to expand...

I think the latest estimate is that 70% of Cavaliers are born with CM, which they have from birth but which obviously develops as the puppy grows. The foetal tissue research at the Royal Veterinary College is trying to find out exactly when and why it starts developing in unborn and newly-born puppies. Since not all that 70% have problems caused by their CM, I presume that it is the degree and position of the malformation which causes pain. CM doesn't necessarily lead on to SM, but it is rare for a dog with SM not to have CM as well.

Kate, Oliver and Aled
 
A very mixed result, good that there is no SM but still a problem as to how to control the pain that Dougal is feeling.

I do hope the pregabalin helps.
 
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