Pepe unable to walk this morning.

[Ruthy]

My 6 year old cavalier dog couldn't walk first thing this morning, having lost the use of his back legs, he then started walking but was very weak on his right hand side. I took him to the vets , his symptoms were a lot better by then, but still had a limp to his front leg. there was no pain or loss of mobility to his joints. I had been meaning to go to the vets as his eyes were sticky. This was found by the vet to be lack of tears to the eyes. Between his paws was also very sore and red. So he was given a anti-inflammatory injection and we have to go back in a weeks time. So now we are looking at possible dry eye syndrome and ??SM (Does scratch in the air, with high pitched scream, quite often). I just hope that they are proved not to be the case. Any thoughts would be appreciated.

[Kate H]

You will need to get a referral to a neurologist for the SM, but I can reassure you about the dry eye. It sounds as if you have caught it early and it responds very well to medication - just a bore for both you and the dog that you'll be putting in drops 2 or 3 times a day for the rest of his life! My Oliver has it. One tip - you will probably be prescribed Optimmune (to prevent infection in the eye), and it is very much cheaper to get a prescription from the vet and buy it from an online pharmacy. Our vet charges £48 a tube, and Oliver gets through 2 tubes a month; a prescription is £6.50, but Hyperdrug charges £24 a tube, so it works out very much cheaper. The vet isn't being greedy, they just can't buy it in wholesale quantities; and even if your insurance covers it (as ours does for Oliver), I see no point in asking insurers for more money than necessary - they just bump up your premium! Lacri-Lube, another common dry eye medication, is non-prescription and as cheap in my local chemist as from Hyperdrug, so I just buy it over the counter when I need it.

Aled is also on Optimmune and Lacri-Lube - he produces plenty of tears, but they are low in the protein and fat needed to keep the eyes in good condition.

One of Oliver's first SM symptoms was a limp in his front leg, due to lack of nerve feeling, but it has virtually disappeared now after 3 years on medication.

Hope you can get your boy sorted.

Kate, Oliver and Aled

[Ruthy]

Thank you Kate, for your good advice - it is very much appreciated.

[MomObvious]

Oh man, I was wincing just reading your post. Your poor baby. I also think you really need a referral to a neurologist as quickly as possible. Air scratching and high pitched screaming and now weakness in the legs and the sore feet (which could be a result of him chewing them).....these are not good signs. This means your dog is in pain, I personally would treat this like an emergency. Please go to http://www.cavalierhealth.com/syringomyelia.htm and read up on SM. I'm pretty sure you will be on the phone to the vet by the time you finish reading this.

Melissa

[Tania]

These symptoms sound very similar to Molly's who was diagnosed with sm at 18 months. Molly is now 5 years old and is living a very comfortable life, this is why it is important to see a neurologist so the right medication can be prescribed. I was so overwhelmed and distraught when we got the diagnosis, I put together a website in lay language to help people understand. www.cavaliermatters.org

Gentle hugs to Pepe.

[Ruthy]

Thank you for your website link, it is indeed very informative. I have just been back to the vets and have had optimmune prescribed for his eyes. He has no symptoms of SM at present, the vet said it could of been soft tissue damage, but we'll have to wait and see. The main thing is at present preventing his eye sight from deteriorating any further. Thanks once again everybody.

[Margaret C]

Thank you for your website link, it is indeed very informative. I have just been back to the vets and have had optimmune prescribed for his eyes. He has no symptoms of SM at present, the vet said it could of been soft tissue damage, but we'll have to wait and see. The main thing is at present preventing his eye sight from deteriorating any further. Thanks once again everybody.

Hello Ruthy,

I do hope that the eyes are soon better.

I do have to say that any cavalier that often scratches in the air, with high pitched scream, as you mention in your first post is showing symptoms that could be SM. The bouts of scratching and pain may be intermittent, but when it happens it will be very painful and there are medications that could help to keep him more comfortable.

[MomObvious]

Sorry Ruthy I hate to be a brat but I have read story after story of cavaliers who's owners were told oh its a muscle pull or slipped disc or some other "misinformed" diagnoses that turned out to be SM. Those cavalier's were in pain for months even years before they were properly diagnosed. Maybe I'm completely wrong (I hope so) but the very next bout of air scratching and high pitched screaming I would seek another opinion about SM.

[karen baker]

So sorry to hear this news about pepe, when does it all stop, Ruby had a booster vaccination this afternoon, i dread every visit, because i know each time i go they will find another health issue with her, when does it stop, i new today they would give her a quick health check, they have never detected any heart problems, but when i went into today, i knew the vet was going to tell me the inevitable, grade 2 murmer, because shes at that crucial age, it was the usual she must be scanned, to show if there are any abnormalites,but do you know what, it all just gets too much, i will return in 6 months to see if there has been any progression, if so i will decide what i think is best for her, i love my two girls, and i want the best for them, i don,t want them to suffer pain, but at the same time, i don,t want their little bodies pumped with different drugs, i know that cavies hide their pain very well, but i am not going to rush things, the vet prescibed metacam today, she was diagnosed with sm back in may, but at this moment in time not showing any major symptons, she does have disc problems and psom, so she is taking this for 3 weeks, and i will moniter her, to see any changes, but i think, i know her well enough to decide her wellbeing, it maybe 6 months down the line, her health problems dramatically change, then i will have to revise this, but at the moment i,am grateful that she appears comfortable. karen,ruby and sadie