Brooklyn off to the Neurologist tomorrow...

[Nicki]

you can check here - especially if your brain is slightly more functional than mine at this time of night

[Nicki]

you can check here - especially if your brain is slightly more functional than mine at this time of night <img src="images/smilies/smile.png" alt="" title="Smile" smilieid="1" class="inlineimg" border="0">

http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/

[Sabby]

I am thinking of you and Brooklyn and I am so sorry your hubby isn’t with you and you have to do it all alone. And yes Brooklyn is still going to be the same. I just remembered this about Harley when we went away this weekend and he had a fantastic time.

When I get up in the morning first thing I do is come and have a look on CT to see how you got on and I am probably not alone in watching this post.

So just remember we will be with you in spirit.

[Jasperxxgabby]

Keeping our fingers and paws crossed here for the best outcome regarding Brooklyn's neuro visit, I am sorry you have to go through the appointment alone but like many others here, I will be thinking of you and little Brooklyn

[Margaret C]

We are all thinking of you & Brooklyn.

[Love my Cavaliers]

Thinking of you and Brooklyn and hoping for the best. I too went through Riley's neuro appt by myself. Not a fun thing, but you do what you have to do and you get through it. At least you can come here and either unload or give us good news.

[BrooklynMom]

We are back.

One tip for anyone else who goes through this...don't drink a double shot coffee before hand! I already tremble when I get nervous and coffee made me a mess! I think the vet was more concerned about me than Brooklyn. Ha.

Okay, so first off, Dr. Georgina Child is amazing. As I have posted before, she is the only specialist small animal neurologist in Australia, so we are lucky she was so close. The hospital was beautiful too and everyone was so kind. She is a specialist in SM, and has done a lot of work with the Griffon breeding program. She had nothing but time for us, she stayed talked to me for an hour when I knew her other appointment was waiting out front.

Onto the appointment. She did a lot of physical examinations and tests on Brooky and she said that "from the physical tests, she responded great neurologically...though, that still doesn't mean she won't have SM in an MRI". But she was pleased with Brooklyn's appearance and responses. I showed her a video montage I made up to give her a better idea since it is hard in an office when all they want to do is cuddle to make a person understand the "discomfort" I see in her. She agrees that what we are seeing is SM symptoms, no doubt. But she is also concerned that we have not ruled out food allergies as well. (Brooklyn was given steroids and anti-histamines at one point, which had no affect, so my vet isnt leaning towards allergies, though food is a mystery still). She said she saw a breeding cavalier last month that the breeder brought in because her signs were so classic SM, they MRI'ed her and she didn't have it, only later they found her sever allergies to beef and some other things.
Anyway, Dr. Child does want an MRI though to know for sure and that will be our next step, but she isn't rushing into it right this second. What she is doing first is that she is putting her on Gabapentin (100 mg 2x per day) for a month to see if this eases her symptoms at all so we can get a better picture of moving forward. Also, in order to get the MRI covered by insurance, the insurance has to first agree to cover this neurology appointment, and if they do, they will then cover all further investigations into SM (MRI and anything that follows). This will take about 2-4 weeks to process, so that is why we are also not rushing into an MRI, but still trying something in the meantime and not leaving it hanging. Also, Brooklyn's parents have been MRI cleared, which does not mean that she doesn't have SM, but Dr. Child's says it does play into her equation on how fast to move and how likely (i.e. if she came from a pet store, Dr. Child's said she would have assumed right away with these symptoms and pushed an MRI sooner).

If the insurance approves the MRI, she does want to do the MRI right away though, to just rule in or out SM. If it is not approved, she said she would be more comfortable ruling out the food allergies first just to make sure before we spent $2k (though to be honest, if Brooklyn is suffering, I want to know so I can help her despite the cost. It's a tough one). She has seen a LOT of SM, and she said that she is not one to wait if she feels the need for an MRI to be done asap, but she felt okay with where Brooklyn is right now to wait a month, try some meds and go from there. So I guess that is good news?? I have no idea. Should I have pushed harder for an MRI right away? Or just go with what we are doing? It is so hard.

We will most likely move forward with the MRI in a month, so I don't know if I feel a bit good because while she is concerned enough to move forward with investigations...she is not concerned enough to get Brooky into an MRI asap, or if I feel bad because I am just stuck waiting again and wondering.

I the mean time as well, we are moving Brooklyn to a venison and kangaroo only diet. Dehydrated raw and raw. It is not a typical "elimination diet", but she said to go ahead and do that because she has never eaten these proteins and it might give us an idea as well. We will seek a dermatologist only after the MRI gets confirmed or not confirmed. One thing at a time she said.

Whew. I am exhausted and don't know how to feel or what to think. I feel better than expected and still worried at the same time. A month will move by quickly though and maybe medication and/or food will help in the meantime. The MRI is still looming though, but I need to put my trust in Dr. Child now as she has seen more than me (which is really hard for me, I want to know I am doing the right thing). As long as our insurance prevails, we will have and MRI in a month. Brooklyn was a rock star and captured the hearts of everyone...of course!

Time for a nap! Thank you all for you well wishes, they got me through today...you have no idea how much they meant to me and how much support and strength I got for them. You all are amazing.

[anniemac]

I've been waiting for news. I'm glad you are seeing a good specialist and so let's hope things improve

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[Brian M]

Hi

The specialist sounds brilliant ,venison and kangaroo sounds nice and healthy ,the girls have had
venison and it disappeaed very quick .

Well done to you and stay as positive as you are .

[GraciesMom]

This is alot to process. At least she is now on meds that could help her if she happens to have CM and/or SM. Gracie sure has done better on a limited raw diet herself for protein allergies. She has not had colitis now in ages!! Hope your insurance will cover the MRI. I am so grateful for Petplan covering this and not giving us any hassles at all. I like your neuro already....good action plan.