Parano of SM risk in my 8 weeks puppy :( plz help!

[john5]

Dear All,

My name is John,i live in Lebanon.I have a big passion for Cavalier King Charles that one day i decided to bring one to my mum as a gift.Lexia is 8 weeks old,she's an adorable Blenheim.

I bought it from a breeder who provide me Lexia from Hungaria since he doesn't have cavalier puppies in Lebanon.

Lexia is so sweet playful the ideal dog for the family.we got her last week,she was 7 weeks old.now 8 weeks.

As i did some research on SM, i did notice some signs that really now is let me think it might be SM.but she is just 8 weeks old!

First of all ,

Every day(like 3 or 4 times ), she do some scratches on her ears,neck,and near her stomach and also lick her paws and legs and bite her paws too and lick her but too and sometime bite her tail.

Every scratch session goes to 30s .

And some sometimes,while busy biting her toy and laying on the floor ,she scratches near her stomach(or in the air) without looking back at her feet scratching! like an automatic move!

Please note that she doesn't wear any collar!!!

I am so worried! she is so young to have SM.In lebanon,my veter didn't hear about SM and i guess there is no MRI for pets her.They only have scanner i guess.

Could it be puppy behavior or SM? i cant stand it,im not able to sleep ,im 24/24 thinking of it.

Your help would be very appreciate.

Thank you

[Margaret C]

I'm afraid nobody here can tell you for sure that your puppy does not have SM, but scratching a few times in the day is fairly normal behaviour and if she is itchy there are other more likely reasons for what you are seeing.

Your puppy must have left its mother very young to be with you, an owner in another country, by the time she is 7 weeks old. A responsible breeder would not sell a puppy under eight weeks old.
She may have missed out on some of the routine care that most good breeders give their young puppies. She could have problems with fleas or other parasites. Has your vet checked her and given you advice on flea treatment and worming?

[HollyDolly]

Hi John
My first thought would be anal gland trouble.These are two sacs either side of the anus, they can get blocked and need emptying which your vet can do.
Unfortunately Cavaliers are prone to anal gland trouble and require attention every few weeks or months.
I do hope it is nothing more than this, and that your puppy stays healthy throughout its life.

Nanette

[ByFloSin]

Your pup has recently been imported to Lebanon from Hungary. The temperature at the moment in Hungary is 23.8 C, but in Lebanon it is 33 C, which means that it is much warmer in Lebanon than where she was bred. I think she might have a heat rash which is causing the scratching. If you don't have air conditioning could you try a room fan to cool things down for her. If that is not possible a cool coat made for dogs might help, if you can get one small enough that is.

[Emkaybee]

I would suggest you provide your vet with some information on Sm that you can find here and through other sources. I think the advice given above is good. What you describe is most likely just a normal puppy behavior.

My dog was shipped to the US from Hungary also, and I suspect she came from a puppy mill. I would not be surprised if yours did. But that doesn't mean your dog is or will get sick. Mine is 9 years old. She has a heart murmur but is very active and not on medications. She has hip dysplagia, but doesn't have pain or arthritis. What I'm trying to say is, you should educate yourself and your vet about what to look for, but then not dwell on it, and enjoy your sweet lovely dog. They are wonderful and loving. Sending positive thoughts to you and your pup!

[john5]

Thank you all for your sweet support Well i took her to my vet,he did her second vaccines and anti parasites medicine and for him she is fine and no infection in her ears or no trace of parasites or any other thing.

The vet told me that scratch could be because of her new hair or hot weather( he dont know about SM)


As for the scratch ,its like i mentioned 3 to 5 times per day (maybe its the weather) or normal puppy behavior.
for the hot weather,Lexia is staying mostly in climate (mostly all the house have air condition)

Maybe im focusing too much on the subject,its getting on my nerves because we are not enjoying her puppy moments but the fact this diseases exist in cavaliers just let me on my nerves.I thought a lot before getting Cavalier to my mum,but from the 20 breed i told her about,she only wanted cavalier she said that its the only dog with innocent look in their eyes and its so true,her eyes are so expressive and innocent

Well im crossing my fingers

But i wanted to know,if a dog have SM,how many time per day he scratches? MRI is the only way to detect SM? in lebanon they doesn't have MRI for pets,does MRI for humans works on pets? does X ray works?........Omg,i should stop focusing on it hehe

All the best health to your beautiful dogs

Thank you