Today's the day

[Karen and Ruby]

We'll be leaving in an hour and a half to pick her up, but in the mean time can anyone think of anything I should ask Allison about while I'm there?

Hi there,

I'm so so sorry you have had this confirmed- you must be in bits and I understand exactly how you feel. Until you see the pictures and talk to Alison you can't know the full extent of the damage.

You will find that you discuss Medication vs Surgery. Medication can be very effective, I can't remember how old Misty is but have a gut feeling she is a little bit older??

A long thin Syrinx can be better for a dog than a short wide one.

I would get all the information you can while you are there regarding how far the disease has progressed so far and what Allison feels her best options are.

All you need to do is get her comfortable, pain free and mantain a good quality of life.

Dont go alone- I did and it was one of the most horrendous experiences of my life. I couldn't drive when I picked Ruby up as I was in such a state (this was back before I joined this forum) I was lost and had no clue what I was dealing with.
I sat in my car and cried for an hour before I could turn the engine on.


One of the best things I can say to you is that Misty doesn't know what has just happened and never will- her life will be back to sniffs, walks, food and sleep which is no different to what it was two days ago.

All you can do is get all the info, take it home and discuss it with your family, friends and people close to you and make a desision that suits you, Misty and your life.

[sarahsum]

My Blue has one of the worse MRI results both vets I have been to have seen, in places in his neck he has hardly any healthy cord showing, they both say it is a miracle that he is able to walk...yet today he is bouncing around our warehouse with a burst football in his mouth...no matter what the scan says its how your dog presents clinical symptoms that is more important, and that you get the right treatment. Lots of love & TLC works wonders!!

[murphy's mum]

We're just leaving Glasgow now, the traffic is terrible, I'm so glad we don't live in a city.

Allison has confirmed the syrinx does run nearly the full length of her spine. It does stop and then restart in a couple of places, the one nearest her head is very long. However, Allison is happy to only start her on Gabapentin three times a day. She was very surprised as Mistys clinical symptoms aren't really that severe. She want to speak to us in four weeks to see how Misty is doing. She said if three doses of Gabapentin make Misty too dopey, we can try reducing to two.

Other than that we have of course just to treat Misty the same as always, but to look out for any worsening of her symptoms. If that happens then she will need other meds added in. She didn't advised on surgery, but I whole heartedly agree with her there anyway. It wouldn't be worth putting Misty through given her symptoms.

I was shocked looking at the MRI results that Misty is so well and active. Looking at the sliced image the fluid takes up a lot of the spine. I guess we just need to be thankful that Misty is doing so well.

One thing I need to find out, is Gabapentin covered by insurance normally? This batch was included in the claim, but it was £81! Any advice on this will be appreciated.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Tania]

Hi, I am just catching up. I am really sorry about this terrible news. You must be very upset. I claim for Gabapentin from my insurance company without any
problems (Petplan) Did the specialist suggest putting Misty on something like Cimetidine (Zitac), this may help to slow down the progression. Hugs to you both.

[Kate H]

You can get a prescription from your own vet and then buy gabapentin on the internet at a very reasonable price. I get mine from hyperdrug at £14 for a month's supply (3 x 100g daily) for Oliver - I think Margaret C found somewhere even cheaper. No doubt others will chip in with advice!

Kate, Oliver and Aled

[Margaret C]

I'm so sorry you have had such bad news.


Karen is so right when she says........

One of the best things I can say to you is that Misty doesn't know what has just happened and never will- her life will be back to sniffs, walks, food and sleep which is no different to what it was two days ago.

I am certain that all insurances pay for SM medication, although I think that some owners with only a basic cover may find this stops after a year.

You can get a prescription from your own vet and then buy gabapentin on the internet at a very reasonable price. I get mine from hyperdrug at £14 for a month's supply (3 x 100g daily) for Oliver - I think Margaret C found somewhere even cheaper. No doubt others will chip in with advice!

Kate, Oliver and Aled

Kate is right, I did get some cheaper quotes for gabapentin but for various reasons found the suppliers unreliable and Hyperdrug always gave a really good and speedy service. Tommy is on Lyrica now and I buy it from Tesco.

[murphy's mum]

One of the best things I can say to you is that Misty doesn't know what has just happened and never will- her life will be back to sniffs, walks, food and sleep which is no different to what it was two days ago.

This was what Allison stressed as well. We've just to keep doing what we've always done with her, if she wants to run around the field chasing her tennis ball then that's what she'll do. She wont be treated any different especially if she continues to be as active and happy as she is now. If I hadn't been a member of CT I think her symptoms would easily have been missed. If she does get worse then we'll cross that bridge when we come to it, and work with Allison to do whats best for her.

Hi, I am just catching up. I am really sorry about this terrible news. You must be very upset. I claim for Gabapentin from my insurance company without any
problems (Petplan) Did the specialist suggest putting Misty on something like Cimetidine (Zitac), this may help to slow down the progression. Hugs to you both.

She didn't, she said as her clinical symptoms weren't bad, she would prefer to just try Gabapentin first, due to the side effects caused by long term use of some others.

Kate and Margaret, thanks, I'll check out Hyperdrug now, and speak to AXA about how to go about claiming for it.

[Kate H]

Any dose of gabapentin can make dogs sleepy to start with, until the body adjusts, so don't cut down from 3 to 2 too quickly - most dogs seem to do better on three times a day.

It doesn't seem to be the length of the syrinx which causes the most problems, but its width - so it sounds as if Misty's is still narrow. Long may that continue!

Kate, Oliver and Aled

[murphy's mum]

Thanks for that tip Kate, we've given her her first dose now. So we'll make sure we give her time to adjust to it

[murphy's mum]

Allison just emailed though some of Misty's MRI, she couldn't give us them on disk yesterday as there was technical problems. She's sent through three side on ones, but none showing the slices of the spine straight on.