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Gabapentin

Rossi seems a little better today

Thanks everyone again for your great advice. I felt so desperate yesterday and was so glad to be able to talk to you all. Rossi is still limping badly but has eaten this morning. I have given him gabapentin and metacam today but will try the tramadol again when I am sure his stomach has settled. I have decided that, when we see the neurologist again in three weeks I am going armed with a list to discuss and if he seems reluctant I have decided that I will try to see someone else. (thanks for all your suggestions on that too) I just want to feel comfortable enough to be able to discuss what is best for Rossi. I am going to visit my son now who STILL hasn't got a date for the removal of his tumour. Life just has got to get better eh? Thank God I have you to turn to.:hug::hug:
 
I'm going there tomorrow, i'll let you know how we get on.....we can compare notes :)
I'm glad Rossi feels up to eating xx
 
Thanks everyone again for your great advice. I felt so desperate yesterday and was so glad to be able to talk to you all. Rossi is still limping badly but has eaten this morning. I have given him gabapentin and metacam today but will try the tramadol again when I am sure his stomach has settled. I have decided that, when we see the neurologist again in three weeks I am going armed with a list to discuss and if he seems reluctant I have decided that I will try to see someone else. (thanks for all your suggestions on that too) I just want to feel comfortable enough to be able to discuss what is best for Rossi. I am going to visit my son now who STILL hasn't got a date for the removal of his tumour. Life just has got to get better eh? Thank God I have you to turn to.:hug::hug:

How heavy is rossi? 100 mgs of gabapentin is not that much.. Raising to 150 may help if 100 is nor doing it. Even though your neuro wrote it off... Thats my opinion from my own experience with my dog,


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Chestergates

Thanks Sarahsum I look forward to hearing how you went on and who you saw to see what response you get from them.
 
Jackie wrote: I am really going to push to try a CSF inhibitor.

Perhaps you would be able to see Geoff himself, or could be tactfully moved to another neurologist - I saw Ulrika Michal and she was very nice and helpful.

Kate, Oliver and Aled

A friend of mine sees Ulrika Mchal too and she is very happy with her- she has an extremely poorly Cavalier who has painful CM and disk disease and has been through two cruciate surgeries this year!
I think when you are dealing with multiple problems it can be even harder to get the right person to help!
 
Rossi is very large for his breed, he is 14kg and there is no fat on him.

My cavalier is 12 kg and is on 150 3 times a day. Lower than that didnt help but 150 does the trick ! My neuro says we could go up to 175 even. Lynn


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how do you split gabapentin?

Just wondering how you give your dog 150mg of gabapentin? I only have 100mg capsules.:-?
 
We have been to Chester Gates and saw Mr Skerritt, it was a good visit and we had a great discussion. He had no problem with us continuing on our course of treatment of omeprazole etc. I'll post more details on my collie post later. He was a very pleasant man to consult with.
 
My cavalier is 12 kg and is on 150 3 times a day. Lower than that didnt help but 150 does the trick ! My neuro says we could go up to 175 even. Lynn

Lynn, you could certainly go much higher than that and you may gradually find that you will need to, as they tend to progress and/or a starting dose stops dealing with pain. Leo only weighs about 7.5 kg and he is on 200 mg 3 times a day and could go up to 300 mg if necessary–although I am just about at the point to try switching him over to pregabalin anyway.

Clare's protocol reads:

Start gabapentin at 10-20mg/kg orally 2-3 times daily (typically a 8-12kg CKCS would be started on 100mg capsule twice daily) with or without NSAIDS

Which for a dog of 12kg would mean up to 240mg per dose, 2x or 3x. Leo started at 50mg 2x and moved up gradually over 6 years. :(
 
what are enlarged ventricles

Could someone please tell me about enlarged ventricles. I have seen this mentioned a few times but, although Rossi has had 2 mri's now they have never been mentioned to me, What are they and what do they cause? Also a lot of people say that they have a copy of their dogs mri, should I have been given one? these are all more reasons why I am unhappy with my neurologist:(
 
Could someone please tell me about enlarged ventricles. I have seen this mentioned a few times but, although Rossi has had 2 mri's now they have never been mentioned to me, What are they and what do they cause? Also a lot of people say that they have a copy of their dogs mri, should I have been given one? these are all more reasons why I am unhappy with my neurologist:(

They are discussed here: http://www.cavalierhealth.org/syringomyelia.htm#What_SM_is
 
Hi

When we took Rosie who saw Martin last October he gave us copies of her full MRI on a disc ,but
when Daisy saw Mr Skerrit this August he gave us an Xray sheet with some of her scans on it .I did
phone back the next day and asked for a disc but was told the facility that scans to disk had stopped
working so only the Xray sheet was available.
 
You can always ask for a copy of Rossi's MRI. My neurologist doesn't routinely give copies out unless you ask for one. All four of my dogs have had MRIs for various reasons, but I've only asked for copies of Riley's MRI. She's the only one with SM. I wanted one for a second opinion and then I sent it on to England for cavalier research but it arrived cracked. Riley's neurologist gave me another copy without charging me. So, if you want a copy, I would just ask for it. They may not know that you want one.
 
My vet couldn't send me the disc images via email etc but i took a couple of photos using my camera on my phone when i visited him, off his laptop.
 
You should at least have been given a print-out of the MRI (like an X-ray sheet, as Brian said). Oliver is one of the Cavaliers who gets mentioned from time to time because of his dilated ventricles. The Chiari Malformation at the base of the skull pushes into the bottom of the brain (the cerebellum) and pushes it down into the top of the spinal cord (this is called herniation - just like a hernia in humans pushes through the abdomen). This prevents the cerebral-spinal fluid circulating properly round the brain. It should go smoothly round the brain, through the ventricles (the hollow chambers at the top/front of the brain) and then back down again to the spinal cord. CM and the herniation it causes slow down the flow, so that the CSF moves slowly and can accumulate in the ventricles, pushing them outwards to accommodate the extra fluid. This can cause pressure on the skull (hydrocephalus, such as Blue the collie has) and behind the eyes (which is Oliver's problem). The sluggish CSF also creates abcesses in the spinal cord - that's what a syrinx is. This is why CM alone can cause a great deal of pain if the ventricles are badly dilated - Oliver's are three times as large as they should be.

Hope that helps!

Kate, Oliver and Aled
 
I am just so annoyed

I wasn't told anything about ventricles and feel so much less informed than most of you. I want to know everything about this condition so that I can get the best treatment for Rossi. I know often, when I look at him he seems to squint and seems to find it difficult to raise his eyes. Could this be anything to do with his ventricles?:mad:
 
Oh it's so difficult for you, with everything you have got going on. You must make a list of questions to ask the vet, you are perfectly entitled to ask them, you are the one paying the bills and it is your dog. If your vet is off hand or dismissive then I would go over his head and ask to see someone else. It's not a time for him to get on his high horse, it's all about Rossi and what will help him the most.
 
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