Charlie's MRI booked

[Karen and Ruby]

Oliver is much the same as Charlie - he does have a small syrinx but that seems to cause no problems. His very dilated ventricles (3 times the normal size) cause headaches and light phobia due to damage to or interference with the mechanism of his pupils - all symptoms caused by his CM.

Karen - does Charlie wear a sunhat when he squints in the sun? Charlie has a poplin baseball cap with a long brim and it really helps when he's sitting around in bright light (even sittng in shade but looking out at light) - when he's walking or running around his nose is always on the floor so his own eyelids protect him. He also has some doggles but so far hasn't needed to wear them.

Best of luck with the MRI,

Kate, Oliver and Aled

Hi Kate,

I didn't know caps for dogs exsisted but as Charlie hates anything around his head and face I doubt he would take to it!!

I'll look in to it though so thank you!!

[Nicki]

Karen, wishing you the very best for Charlie's appt - so hope it hasn't progressed to a syrinx.

Can you tell me what "symptomatic CM" is? I am just learning the difference between asymptomatic and symptomatic SM, but I just don't know when it comes to CM what classifies symptomatic!

Sorry I'm hijacking Karen's thread here but thought this might help


Kayleigh was MRI scanned last month and we were very surprised that it showed "ONLY" CM. as she has at least as many symptoms and obviously pain as some of mine who did have syrinxes. I think it is so important to get this message across, that, like humans, they can suffer from "JUST" the malformation.

Symptoms:

History of turning around to look at her back end and sometimes chewing her thigh, or paws. Really unhappy at being groomed or having her nails cut [really distressed and crying when her nails were cut]. She didn't want to play nor chew her chewies.

On occasions she was obviously really uncomfortable, she was trying to get as nuzzled in to me as possible [her way of showing distress], couldn't settle, her tail was right down - she started vocalising a bit. She was started on Gabapentin [100mg] every 12 hours and once that kicked in she was much happier

On a walk, Kayleigh has always been the most active of the 3 littermates, she loves to run. She has always played really rough with her brother Tommy. She is now slower than the other two, not running very much, reluctant to get involved in play. She is very restless from the early hours of the morning until mid morning, I am aware of quite a few affected dogs who are restless overnight or in the early hours of the morning.

During the day she is sleeping or resting a lot, takes herself off into her bed or crate and lies quietly – change in behaviour for her.


Anne [Anniemac] very kindly shared this blog http://embeecav.blogspot.com/2011/01...nd-chiari.html

Mylee is a very loving little dog to those she knows, and is completely devoted to me.

She does not have the typical outgoing, friendly to all Cavalier personality. In fact she is incredibly reserved to those she doesn't know. She often shies away from a strangers touch, giving the impression she is not friendly or that she apprehensive. To strangers who know Cavaliers this always comes across as very strange. Is her temperament off? Was she not properly socialized? Why doesn't she want to say hi to me? Cavaliers should love everyone!

The truth is; Mylee is afraid that a strangers touch will hurt. She is afraid that you will touch her in the wrong spots. She doesn't trust that you know how to scratch her on her chest and back and leave her head and ears alone. She is afraid that you will hurt her.

That described Kayleigh - every word applies to her. We say that she goes up to people to show them how beautiful she is, but they're not allowed to touch her Just shows how much we are learning all the time...although my other affected Cavaliers were wary of touch, it was not to this extreme.




My affected dogs have generally hated things going over their heads - we just about manage a bib but that's fairly loose. Not sure how they would cope with a sun hat but it's good that it helps Oliver.

[Karen and Ruby]

No apology nesesary Nicki,

I think it's so important that people realise that CM can be just as troublsome as SM. Many dogs are in pain because of it and the days of "oh just CM thats good news" should be dead and gone!!

On another note that statement you posted from Anniemac is almost as though it was written about Ruby. She will go up to people that speak to her but she gets with in a couple of inches then stops and goes in the opposite direction. Not because she is unfriendly as she is such a perfect Cavvie but because too many people don't understand that stroking her head hurts!

[Tania]

I don't want to sound like a stuck record.

Dougall cm, Molly sm. Dougall has all sorts of problems and seems to suffer more pain than
Molly. We are finally managing it but I have to watch him like a hawk.

Will keep my fingers crossed for Charlie. If you want any company Karen, let me know.

[Margaret C]

I hope there has not been any progression.

I will keep my fingers crossed for Charlie

[Kate H]

Continuing the CM symptoms part of this thread, I had Oliver at a year old and he already squinted a little in strong sunlight or indoors under fluorescent light, changed position several times in the night, and has never played with other dogs - he'll go and say hello but that's it, perhaps because he is worried about being banged into. I would guess that he has always had some degree of headache; he never minds having his head or neck touched, but then he is a very laid back dog who takes life (and his sunhat!) in his stride and is also, I would say, pretty stoical - I only know when he's got a headache because he whimpers in his sleep, apart from closing his eyes and looking uncomfortable when facing strong light. He's getting sensitive to any strong light now, white cloud as well as sun.

I sometimes wonder whether CM is the primary disease, and a syrinx is just one among many possible symptoms of it, rather than a separate disease in its own right. Certainly there seems to be a growing recognition that CM alone can be just as much of a problem.

Having read an article by a woman who had surgery for SM, who said that she suffered greatly from tinnitus as the CSF sloshed around in her ventricles, I also wonder if some of the head scratching is not so much pain as irritation with a buzzing in the head, which must drive a dog mad (as it does humans). But how do you find out whether a dog has tinnitus?!

Kate, Oliver and Aled

[anniemac]

Thanks nicki for sharing that post again. I think some may like to read about mylee.

Karen,

Mylee had other mris that did not show a change but mylee is still being well managed and treated like charlie. Whatever the mri results show, we all know charlie is in the best hands and with or without developing a syrinx, I think the most important thing is that you have been taking such great care of him and managing his symptoms.



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[anniemac]

I keep writing and deleting what I want to say. I just want to say that if you watch the video, know that mylee is doing great now and well managed but it really shocked me because I thought, ella has severe sm and never had an episode like that.

In fact, its been bothering me a lot recently because I think back and I don't think she scratched much at all. I even started looking at her mri images but I do know that she had a wide syrinx that was asymetrical and not in a great place. I think the damage with the syrinx and possition did contribute somewhat to her mobility symptoms.

However, when kate describes cm and light sensitivity, that seems like her too.

In the end, I personally feel the most important thing is that the symptoms are being managed and treated. Whether cm only, cm/sm, etc.

Please correct me if I'm totally wrong about location and mobility

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[GraciesMom]

Beautifully said Anne! And Gracie has a Grade F syrinx and is doing soooo well that no one who meets has any idea she has any health issues

Thanks nicki for sharing that post again. I think some may like to read about mylee.

Karen,

Mylee had other MRIs that did not show a change but mylee is still being well managed and treated like charlie. Whatever the mri results show, we all know charlie is in the best hands and with or without developing a syrinx, I think the most important thing is that you have been taking such great care of him and managing his symptoms.


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[Karen and Ruby]

It would be interesting to know whether the dialated ventricles are part of the problem with a CM symptomatic dog.

I know when Chalrlie was 1st scanned and Dr Rusbridge sentt through the write up she compared Charlies scan results to that of a dog with no pain but very similer scan pictures just with out Dialated Ventricles and as Kate has said with Oliver he has a similer issue and symptoms.

As Debra an AnnieMac have said about their girls and Ruby also - Ruby does so well on her Meds that people are shocked when I mention how severe her SM is. Like others she has a wide and short Syrinx (well it was over 2 years ago so who knows what state her spine is in now) and apart from the odd day where she has sensitivity in her back she is vvery well managed.

I'm hoping to get Charlie on some sort of pain releif as well as the diuretic as I truely beleive he needs it. He scratches a lot lot more than Rubes and get the headaches and sensitivity around the face. He has been on Zitac since his first scan and it did give releif for a while but I think now that he needs a bit of extra help!