Back at the vets with Harley

[Sabby]

I am back at the vets with Harley (if I get an appointment tomorrow) about his ears.

As some of you know Harley was diagnosed with mild SM about 2 month ago this was because of lameness he had for about 1 month that suddenly disappeared not because of scratching.

I am frustrated as even after all the visits to vets and Clare Rusbridge I don’t really have an answer about his ear scratching. It started when he was about 4-5 month old. The first two times he got ear drops and they helped, that’s why I never thought of SM. Back then it seems to happen every 6 month now it’s about every 3 month. Last year he had his ear flushed and he also had a ruptured eardrum. Around the time he had his MRI in August he was scratching again but wouldn’t let the vet look into his ears so I ask if he could look when he was under anaesthetic, and they found that his ear drum was ruptured again. After antibiotics it cleared and no scratching His MRi showed that he has not got PSOM. Now 3 month on he is scratching again. Clare suggested trying him on Lyrica for a month and if it stops the scratching it must be the SM. I am not too sure as it normally stops after he had antibiotics and then recurs after a few months. I got so many questions nobody can give me a proper answer too. He also had ear swabs done and they were ok. Would he scratch with SM only every few month?

I know SM is not straight forward but I am starting to tare my own hair out.

Any thoughts are very welcome.

[Blondiemonster]

Mine almost never scratches with the sm.. But when she does its at the ears and comes and goes. She does have PSOM. i think its confusing!!!


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[Sydneys Mom]

Sorry poor Harley is going through this again. I have no advice, just wanted to send good thoughts your way.

[Brian M]

Hi Sabby

Poor you and Harley pls let us know what happens.

[Reptigirl]

Mine are not lucky enough to have good months but they do have good and bad weeks. All are on medication. Either Lyrica or Gabapentin plus either Cimetidine or Omeprazole and I have Rimadyl on hand in case of a flare up. There are some weeks everyone gets by with no sighs what so ever and they are great on the minimal dosages of medication. Then there are other weeks they are just miserable even if I'm increasing dosages & use Rimadyl. Given the severity of there conditions I can't go medication free but it is very clear some days or even weeks are considerably better then others.

If I was you I would consider using Lyrica or Gabapentin for 3 months to see if he has any scratching episodes. If they are reduced or stopped maybe continue for a few more months to see.

I'm sure any medication could have side effects but mine have had no noticeable side effects from it. I know some dogs get sleepy with it but mine are still bouncing off the walls. Especially Blitz & Flash. They get the highest dosage.

Mine have sever flare ups right around a cold front or storm. Do you notice the more sever months are accompanied by weather changes?

Hope you get it all figured out!

[Sabby]

Mine are not lucky enough to have good months but they do have good and bad weeks. All are on medication. Either Lyrica or Gabapentin plus either Cimetidine or Omeprazole and I have Rimadyl on hand in case of a flare up. There are some weeks everyone gets by with no sighs what so ever and they are great on the minimal dosages of medication. Then there are other weeks they are just miserable even if I'm increasing dosages & use Rimadyl. Given the severity of there conditions I can't go medication free but it is very clear some days or even weeks are considerably better then others.

If I was you I would consider using Lyrica or Gabapentin for 3 months to see if he has any scratching episodes. If they are reduced or stopped maybe continue for a few more months to see.

I'm sure any medication could have side effects but mine have had no noticeable side effects from it. I know some dogs get sleepy with it but mine are still bouncing off the walls. Especially Blitz & Flash. They get the highest dosage.

Mine have sever flare ups right around a cold front or storm. Do you notice the more sever months are accompanied by weather changes?

Hope you get it all figured out!

Thanks for your advice.
No I don’t think the weather has anything to do with it. It could be July or December when he starts scratching. His favourite time is first thing when he wakes up he wants to come under the blanket with me cuddle up and then starts the scratching. It’s a funny scratching as well, not scratch, scratch, scratch it’s a real slow motion scratch where he even leaves his paw on his ear sometime. I will put him on Lyrica as this is the only thing I got left to try really. A while back the vet gave me Gabapentin to try (when he was still lame) and I think his reaction scared me more than it did Harley. He was so scared I think he probably felt really drowsy it scared him his eyes nearly popped out of his sockets. He just came and wanted to cuddle up to me. Hope Lyrica doesn’t have the same effect on him.

[Blondiemonster]

It sounds like the scratching mine does for psom. Does he put his paw in his earhole?
If the eardrum ruptured the pressure from the wax buildup was relived. Thats why the scratching couldve stopped..


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[Sabby]

It sounds like the scratching mine does for psom. Does he put his paw in his earhole?
If the eardrum ruptured the pressure from the wax buildup was relived. Thats why the scratching couldve stopped..


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He does a funny scratch, he does like a slow motion scratch and yes it looks like he is trying to put his paw into his ear. He sometimes just leaves the paw on top of his ear and even falls asleep like it. My gut feeling says it is the PSOM, I know he has mild SM but this ear scratching has been going on since he was only 4 month old. Every 6 month this happens, the first two times ear drops helped then the second year he had an ear flush and his eardrum burst, then he had another burst eardrum 2 month ago on the left and now it’s on the right where he had his ruptured eardrum in the past. I phoned my vet and told him my concerns, especially as one specialist says he has got PSOM and the other says he hasn’t. I ask him if it wouldn’t be better if they would flush the ear instead of trying him on Lyrica. He said that he can flush the ear but there are always risks involved with this like deafness, infection or even loss of balance and that I should try the Lyrica. I am so fed up.

[Blondiemonster]

It sounds like the kind of scratching related to psom.. Gabapentin o lr lyrica dont help pson coz i asked 2 neuros.. Psom can cause symptoms that are similar to SM. but unless its nerve pain related lyrica doesnt help. Psom is an " inside out vacuum "as it was discribed to me constant middle ear infection. So that explaines them trying to "get" into the ear. Mine does the same.
She has had two earflushes with no complications at all.. I dont think its a very risky surgery, its a teeny little incision they make in the eardrum. Also; if a dog has very severe PSOM the wax buildup can actually rupture their eardrum from the inside out since it bulges out so much. Could that habe caused harleys eardrum rupture? After our flushing monsters ear drained nasty gunk for days.. She seems very relieves after the earflushes. Imagine how much pressure gets relieved. I know it comea back almost always but we did it at the same time of the MRI.. so she was already under.


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[Sabby]

It sounds like the kind of scratching related to psom.. Gabapentin o lr lyrica dont help pson coz i asked 2 neuros.. Psom can cause symptoms that are similar to SM. but unless its nerve pain related lyrica doesnt help. Psom is an " inside out vacuum "as it was discribed to me constant middle ear infection. So that explaines them trying to "get" into the ear. Mine does the same.
She has had two earflushes with no complications at all.. I dont think its a very risky surgery, its a teeny little incision they make in the eardrum. Also; if a dog has very severe PSOM the wax buildup can actually rupture their eardrum from the inside out since it bulges out so much. Could that habe caused harleys eardrum rupture? After our flushing monsters ear drained nasty gunk for days.. She seems very relieves after the earflushes. Imagine how much pressure gets relieved. I know it comea back almost always but we did it at the same time of the MRI.. so she was already under.


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Thanks for your reply.
I really think it is PSOM. The only thing that puzzles me is that when his ear drum raptures no nasty stuff comes out. When my previous vet flushed his ear all he mentioned is that he had lots of unrecognisable debris in his ear. And the vet cleaned it all out.