Hi

Just found your site after looking for advice for my 5 year old Blenheim called Parker....he started to Yelp a week ago for no apparent reason.
He had a similar problem in January yelping when jumping on the furniture and after laying down in his bed for a while and seemed to be a little sluggish to walk at first. We had x-rays done which showed he had no problems with his back, hips and legs. After a few days on anti-inflammatory drugs he seemed to be back to normal.

So I did not delay again and took him back to the vets. This time advice from my vet is to monitor him after checking him over and not really finding any specific problems. He did inform form me again about SM which I have read up on the internet. he does sometimes scratch his backside, ears and licks his paws and mouth but are they not just dog traits anyway?

He emptied his anal glands which were full but not infected, checked his abdomen which seemed normal. He did find that his rear right leg had a gritty knee which could be the start of arthritis.

I have started him on Metacam suspension which seems to have stopped the yelping, could it be just arthritis or should I get an MRI to rule out SM....

A very worried owner!

I realise I have posted this in the introduce yourself but as its my first post not sure if it should be in the health section!

Maureen

Hi Maureen - welcome to the site. I'm not in a position to advise but am sure others will be more helpful. icon_welcome

Hey Maureen,

I am so sorry to hear about Parker. Don't worry where you post, people will find you. This is a great place but having an SM dog, I know the only way to truly know is an MRI.

Karlin will probably help You more, but I don't think you should be quick to say it's SM. I will say Ella was diagnosed but never yelped. I noticed a combination of symptoms and put it together. She would scratch on one side, she rubbed her face, could not get comfortable, then started shaking her head.

Since Parker is 5 years old, have you noticed anything like that or symptoms? For me, it seems like there would be signs before yelping. It could be something else like a disc.

I am not the best to answer this, but I know you must be worried. There are a bunch of people on here that can either give you advice or support.

Please keep us updated

Sent from my Droid using Tapatalk

Thank you for the welcome.......I have noticed that Parker rubs his head and seems to sink his head into me but he also suffers from dry eyes so not sure if he rubs his head as his eyes are uncomfortable.

He is such a lovely little boy just wish he wasn't in pain.

Welcome Maureen and Parker and I'm sorry to hear about Parker. I have a dog with SM and I have a dog who has had surgery on his cervical discs. Riley, my SM dog, has never yelped, never scratched, has never displayed any of the more typical SM symptoms (you can find a list of symptoms elsewhere on cavalier talk). She has weakness, neurologic deficits, and severe balance issues.

Oliver's symptoms sounded more like Parker's. For years he would go through periods in which he would yelp when jumping, would be sluggish on walks, and would just want to rest and lie down. X-rays revealed mild, mild problems with his hips but nothing equal to his pain level. He was always treated with metacam and sometimes steroids and it would get better in a matter of days. It wasn't until he was on pain meds and steroids for close to a month that we got an MRI that revealed that the problem was his cervical discs, which had not shown up on the x-rays. He had surgery and was like a new dog within three days.

His surgery was just a year ago and I wish I had done it sooner since he is pain free now. He is almost 10 years old and I feel like I let him suffer for so many years. If you can afford it, an MRI would either put your mind at ease or diagnose a problem and you can go from there with a treatment plan.

It's also not unusual that the vet could not find anything wrong on examination. During a trip to the vet, the stress hormones kick in and the dog often will not exhibit any pain reaction. Oliver would be in terrible pain at home and yelp upon jumping or refuse to jump or even move, but would jump right up on the chair or couch at the vet's office without yelping and the vet could not elicit a pain reaction upon manipulation of his limbs.

Good luck to you. Hopefully it will be a long time before he has another pain cycle. Keep us informed. And again, welcome to Cavalier Talk.

Good advice.

Sent from my Droid using Tapatalk

Welcome! cl*p

Once again thank you for the response, from what you have described Bev it seems to link with what I have experienced with Parker. I have pet insurance so will enquire with them as any treatment over the value of £200 needs to be agreed with the insurers.

The vet did wonder if Parker had a hot spot or possibly waxy area to his spine, not sure what he meant as I was distracted with all his technical jargon.

Regards

Moo and Parker

Hi,

Sorry to hear about your concerns for Parker.....hopefully you will have an answer soon.

Welcome to the site