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Vets that have knowledge on SM in the Solihull area?

Long time no see! Sorry we havent been posting any updates recently, Ive been so busy I havent had any time. :(

Ziggy has been doing great over the past few weeks and theres no changes there. We have been able to walk him, and on the occasion even play with him! Its been amazing being able to walk him round. Last week we went to Wales (around the Swansea/Mumbles area) for a weeks break which we really enjoyed, Ziggy even managed to sneak in a few walks here and there which would have *not* happened if it wasn't for the steroids. Hes been doing amazing. I would have taken him out more my self, but I ended up with some nasty stomach lurgy 2 days before going and still had it even when I thought I was rid of it half way through the holiday, so there wasnt much energy to be walking him around :( . We came back on last Saturday which was after all the bad storms and it didnt seem to bother his conditions that much which is good.

I have also noticed his much more happier in himself and hes more fussy as of late which is nice! Luckily, the only side affect that seems to show from his steroids is the hunger, his hunger is a bit silly now. Hes definitely more food focused than he was before. We did speak with Stephanie recently to get the meds before the holiday and she said at one point we should probably consider taking his dosage down to half again? Im totally against this as I know what hes like on half and he shows a lot of symptoms on half compared to near to no symptoms on the full. She seems to think that his steroid dosage is rather high where as Sebastian said it was relatively low and we could even *up* it if need be.... I think theres quite a few mixed messages here! Would we be right in standing our ground and saying no to halfing his tablet? We know having him on a higher dosage will take one option away from us when he gets worse. While we want him living, we want him alive and well, not alive and sort of okay but not really, especially as a higher dose can bring such comfort to him. We want to go for quality not quantity. We couldnt walk him on half a steroid, where as on a full steroid, we can walk him just like old times. Thats a massive leap forward.

PS: Very much looking forward to the companion Cavalier event! I think Ziggy will definitely be coming with us if he keeps this progress up! :D
 
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Do you know the dosage of the steroid that he's on? Is it 5 mg/day or is it 10 mg? If it's 5 mg, I'd feel comfortable leaving him on it for longer. Riley was on 5 mg/day for several years before we cut her back to 2.5 mg/day. But if he's on 10 mg/day, that is a really high dose and I would agree with Stephanie to try to cut him back.
 
I will be at the Companion Cavalier Club event with my two 9 month old boys, so will look forward to meeting you and Ziggy.

When working on a treatment plan for any dog it needs to be a collaboration between vet and owner. The vet has the knowledge of the condition and experience of the drugs but the owner is the expert when it comes to knowing the dog. I would agree that a good quality of life is what is important. I wonder if there is any way that a very gradual reduction can be tried?
 
Halving the steroid dose may be too big a jump - what about trying to reduce it by a quarter and see how Ziggy gets on? If the tablet doesn't have quarters marked on it, a pill cutter from your local pharmacy would do it. You already know by the symptoms the difference that a lower dose makes, so if the symptoms reappear on the lower dose, you could immediately up it again.

Look forward to meeting you at the Weekend.

Kate, Oliver and Aled
 
Thanks both! We had a call from Stephanie yesterday and we talked it over with her and she agreed with us that hes too good to try lowering it (which we are so glad about as its basically a cure for him) and she said that as long as he is comfortable and happy thats what matters. Now we're back home, I took him for a walk yesterday round the corner to post something out and he did swell. He cant pull anymore (he used to pull like a train! : o ) although he did try a bit on the way back and realized it probably wasnt such a good idea haha. He did great, no signs of pain what so ever, nice relaxed pace and was fine all the way.

He is so much better now days, hes very happy:
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We are very much looking forward to coming to the weekend! Just to confirm, its on the 28th and 29th, correct?
 
Hi everyone!
So sorry to kate for not seeing the messages earlier, it never showed up for me for some reason. I really hope I havent messed anyone about!

Anyway, just thought id give you all an update as to how ziggy is doing at the moment.
Heres one crucial detail in the situation. We are at our caravan.... He is sick again with bloody dieoreah. He doesnt seem to be in as much distress as last time but Im guessing thats because of the higher dosage of Gabapentin that hes on? (Then again isnt that for neuropathic pain? Or does it work across the board?) Now all episodes (from what I can remember) of bloody dieoreah have all been at the caravan... This is really unusual as he never leaves our sight and when hes in the garden one of us are always watching to make sure he isnt chomping anything... So im not sure if the fact that he has these symptoms while we are down at our caravan is a massive coincidence or weather it is actually related. Unsure of what to think to be honest. The first time he hads it down here, we arrived mid day and he displayed symptoms around 1am or 2am I think. Surely that wouldnt be enough time for his stomach to go that bad? Id like to think it was caused by something down here and not the steroids as I know how much the steroids do for him. Maybe the steroids dont help and hed of had these issues anyway. Wel ring Stephanie and ask her about NSAIDs and see what she says about that.

Anyway, we have cleaned up his bum and hes now sleeping peacefully enough. Fingers crossed he doesnt get up again. Will keep you posted!
 
Stress can bring on gastric problems in dogs with sensitive stomachs, even the excitement of going away could trigger the problem off.

There are many reports of cavaliers with frequent bouts of colitis and Dr Penny Watson at the Cambridge University vet school has found chronic pancreatitis in over one third of elderly cavaliers when they were post mortemed. It appears to be a condition that as a breed cavaliers are prone to, but unfortunately the tests for the condition is not always reliable so it is probably not always correctly diagnosed. A low fat diet can often help.
 
Tummy upsets are not, as far as I know, a common side effect of gabapentin, so I don't think the higher dose would be the culprit. As Margaret says, it could just be excitement or stress. Do you give Ziggy any different treats when you get to your caravan? The only time one of my Cavaliers has had colitis, it was because I had given him the special treat of dried cow's lung - it was just too rich for his tummy. Some Cavaliers seem to have delicate stomachs - fortunately my present two boys seem to have cast iron digestions!

See you Sunday :)

Kate, Oliver and Aled
 
Steroids can cause stomach upset as can omeprazole (not sure if Ziggy is on the latter). However as Margaret and Kate note, regular stomach upsets are known in some cavaliers. I have one that regularly gets bloody diarrhoea and the approach is to withhold all food for 24 hours and reintroduce food gradually, ideally something easy on the stomach like vet diet wet food or rice and boiled chicken. Your vet can advise on approach.

That said, bloody diarrhoea can be a medical emergency -- haemorrhagic gastroenteritis -- and dogs can pass beyond help within 24 hours (eg it is fatal) if not given adequate help. Some cavaliers that are prone to this need emergency help immediately, and will be put on a drip to rehydrate them. Any dog that has this should be closely watched to be sure it is drinking water regularly and if listless, get the dog immediately to a vet.

With my dog that is prone to this -- I know she doesn't tip over into a serious level of HG and I find giving her one of the stomach-settling pastes from the vet (also available over the counter from vet supply shops online like www.hyperdrug.co.uk) or a day or two on a kaopectate vet mix (likewise) resolves it. I also give her a teaspoon daily of dry probiotic (I get this from Hyperdrug).

Gabapentin is unlikely to be the cause, I think.
 
Hi all!
Sorry, I wasnt very clear. Like Karlin said, its the steroids (thats what I meant) thats causing the issue (we think) and hes now back to nromal fully (besides being off his steroids) gastric wise.
We have rang up Willows and they said Stephanie was away so we spoke to Sebastian and he suggested we try him on one half every other day and if not that try 1 full every other day and then if not just go back to normal. We dont like the idea of one half every other day as we have done it before and the results wherent very good, so we are going to try giving him 1 every other day and seeing how it pans out. Thank god the air pressure is OK! Hes a lot better today but still has quite a few bad symptoms creeping back in (mainly paw licking and some coordination issues) so to make sure he doesnt hurt himself, we have put a stair gate up (hes not very good on hes feet without the steroids) to make sure he doesnt fall down the stairs like he nearly did the other day. Although having said that, today he has been steady on his legs.

He's getting there! "Will keep you all posted
 
Hi everyone! Thank you all so much for inviting us to the awesome Cavalier event. We really enjoyed meeting everyone and their cavs! Zigg had a great time and completely surpassed how we thought hed be, especially thinking of where he was back in December, to say he has come a long way is a huge understatement! We never imagined hed do so well and that was really nice to see that he enjoyed it too. We thought hed be exhausted once we got back, but nope! Anyway, it was a lovely day and I hope the weather went well for the Sunday do as it did for us.

Heres a few pics:
Heres him watching the amazing agility:
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And him saying hello to Kates lovely cavs!
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4JNccFl.jpg


Hope everyones journey home was well. Will keep you all posted on ziggs medication regime! (seems to be going well so far!)
PS:
We also picked up a nice "Top Dog" tag for him from the stall which he is now wearing, will get a pic when I can! :)
 
It was great to meet you, your lovely Mum and of course gorgeous Ziggy. He was looking so well and seemed to enjoy his outing!
 
Yes James, it was so nice to meet you and Ziggy and your parents. I hope you'll join the Companion Club so that we can see more of you on our walks and events.

Kate, Oliver and Aled
 
Hey everyone! Will certainly get round to joining the companion club! Sorry for such a late reply, things have been absolute chaos back home.
Great pic Nicki! :D

Hes doing swell so far. Been really enjoying the nice weather and hes doing better than ever on his currently lower dose of steroid which is absolutely great! So pleased that the change is going well for him.
Was great seeing you all and the cavs! Was a great event. We bought Zigg a nice tag while we were there as well, so Il get a pic of that up later on.

We'l keep you posted!
 
Hi everyone!
Sorry its been such a long time! All been enjoying the nice weather. Ziggy has been doing okayish, it has to be said although his symptoms are still well under control, his paw licking is very obsessive and becoming more frequent. I have noticed a change in his gait too, while taking him on walks you can hear his back leg occasionally scrape against the pavement. Theres also a new symptom we have seen which involves his back legs literally completely giving up for a few seconds. Like the other day, he came into the living room just fine and all of a sudden he went really funny on his back legs and they suddenly gave way and he was basically dragging himself along somehow. It lasted for around 10 seconds or so and this has happened 3 times so far, so wel keep an eye out for that.

The Willows sent us a message to get in contact with them within 2 or 3 weeks so I think wel get hold of them earlier to see what can be done. I dont think hes in any sort of pain with his back legs, because when they give way, its almost as if theres nothing wrong with him at all, no visible signs of pain or anything like that. Something interesting though, he did just fine through all the storms! Usually the massive drop in pressure takes a really negative effect (like to the point where you *really* notice it) but it didnt effect him too much. I dont think his legs have anything to do with air pressure as it seems to happen regardless of air pressure.

Today when we were upstairs, he was with us and he was about to go down (we carry him down if he gets past the stair gate now days) but he went to go past the first step and just completely stopped, whether this was because we caught his attention or because he felt he couldnt move:
PmnRqko.jpg


He was like that long enough for me to take a picture. Hes never actually done that before so thats pretty unusual. It took a while but I managed to make him move and once he got moving he was just fine... What could be done about his legs if it does start to become a problem?
Also:
We are joining the KC! Just havent got round to it yet due to the weather and we are all sick with a virus thats going round. (It makes us cough really bad and none of us have had much sleep haha)

Anyway, hope youre all OK! :)
 
Oliver also has wobbly back legs. They don't seem to be painful, just don't work. It could be relatd to his osteo-arthritis but out vet thinks that they would then be oainful. Ditto for being directly related to his syrinx. which as far as we know is still small. I haven't taken him to a neurologist, but the vet (and 1) think it may be connected to the state of his cerebellum. This lowest bit of his brain controls movement and balance and due to Oliver's Chiari Malformation it has been pushed down into the top of the spinal cord, like a stopper, for more than 6 years, which possibly hasn't done it much good!

What does help Oliver is walking. If he doesn't get taken out for a walk, his wobbliness is much worse. I try to take him out for a gentle walk for 20 minutes or so twice a day (including some time off-lead) and he gets on OK and is better generally on his legs for the rest of the day. It's the getting up and down and navigating corners in the house that he finds difficult. I'd be interested to hear what the Willows have to say about Ziggy's similar problem.

One of the Companion Club members who lives in Wolverhampton is hoping to organise a group walk in a local park. Not sure where you live, but if you and Ziggy were interested in joining in, I could put her in touch with you if you pm me your own email address.

Aled has gone into heart failure, so we're trying to find the best mix of drugs for him. Sometimes I feel as if I'm running a clinic and pharmacy!

All the best

Kate, Oliver and Aled
 
Hi Kate! Sorry to all for the big gap! Things have been very very busy and we also caught a nasty cough and because I have astma I didnt manage to get much sleep, only just caught up!

We have been taking Ziggy for a few small walks now we are better and hopefully we will see that making an improvement legs wise (although as of right now they seem better than they have been which is interesting!). One of his biggest issues lately has been his paw licking... He has been doing it to a bit of a ridiculous extent as of late. To the point where his paws are basically constantly wet which is obviously, not a very good sign. Not only that, but we have noticed growths sprouting up all over his body (calcium deposits due to the steroids?) which we are keeping an eye on. Not only that though, but he has had some problems with losing fur! Not sure why but the white patches of fur are starting to thin a lot, to the point now where you can actually see his skin and markings... Not only that but you can also feel the skin which is rather strange. Especially as he has never had this issue before. We noticed it after we took him off his steroids for half a week around 3 weeks ago. I was on toilet duty and noticed some small spots of blood in his stools, not soft or anything, normal but you could see it was the start of something nasty! So we aborted his steroids straight away and he was perfectly fine (stomach wise, he didnt do too well without his steroid :( ) for doing that which solved the stomach completely. After half a week off the steroid we put him back on them and thats when the fur thinning and more growths came. Strange!
Anyway, we rang Stephanie last week about his obessive paw licking, and she prescribed him Lyrica (10mg, branded under a different name but from what Wikipedia tells me, its Lyrica. I think anyway, Il get back with the proper name!) and said that the dose was very very low and that it would probably need to be boosted. So hes been on that on top of everything else but I cant say it has made that much of an improvement if Im honest. The past few days his paw licking has been a bit less worse, whether this is coincidental or whether its because the Lyrica is building up in his system.
Anyway, at the moment we are down at our caravan and he has been very good so far, so fingers crossed! :D

He was sleeping where the sun comes into the hall this morning, so thats a good sign! Havent seen him do that in a very very long time. Anyway, we'l keep you posted :)

RE to Aled, I hope everythings going OK for him :( . We could indeed run a pharmacy, with how we have his layed out in it looks like we have some sort of mini vet practice running!
 
Good to hear from you, James and Ziggy. The fur loss could be a side effect of the steroids; the little growths could simply be warts, which are very common, Oliver has had them most of his life. Hope Ziggy will do well on Lyrica; it's a refined version of gabapentin, but some dogs do much better on it, and usually need a smaller dose. Sorry you have had a cough - always much worse if you have asthma.

Aled is progressing slowly but steadily. He comes out with us in his buggy, which he uses to get to and from the local parks and then has a little run around off lead when we get there. His breathing is low and steady; his heart is quite slow but jumpy - altogether I think he's doing pretty well for a dog that nearly died 5 weeks ago, and I'm certainly not going to push him to do more until he's clearly ready. How long he will keep going is anybody's guess, so it's difficult to plan ahead (things like camping, for example, are definitely out at the moment because of transport problems), but he's his old self and enjoying life for the moment.

All the best

Kate, Oliver and Aled
 
Thats good news about Aled, Kate! :D

Im very sorry about the delayed reply! I have been insanely busy with study and numerous other things. The good news is that Ziggy has very much flatlined with his condition, he is very stable and so far since putting him on that Amitriptyline (thats the name of it, apparently from a bit of Googling its a Lyrica like drug?) it has done him the world of good! Stephanie said to lower his steroid to quarter and we had absolutely no repercussions as a result all thanks to Amitriptyline! I was really worried and cautious about lowering his steroids but the new drug literally filled in the gap perfectly, hes absolutely no worser and his condition doesnt seem to be so much of a roller coaster anymore. Since being on this new combo, its just stayed at one level of severity and thats it. I have also noticed his mobility has improved a lot! He can jump up and off the bed (although we do not allow it but hes so much more frisky now he does anyway if we dont pick him up in time :rolleyes:) and a very interesting development taken place as well: I have noticed (unless its just me but I have asked my Mom and she thinks the same) his gait has also improved as a result? Its a lot straighter which is rather bizarre as I wouldn't have thought the new meds would have helped with that? His stomach has stabilised a lot as well, we havent had any bad stomach issues since my last mention of it (fingers crossed) which is all good.

Hes had more energy and hes been playing more (it is few and far between, but I think thats more because hes 9 now) but not only that, hes been sleeping better and hes a lot more settled now. More relaxed and a lot less tense which is fantastic to see. No new symptoms either, the only thing I have noticed thats come about (although these where there beforehand anyway so its more of a progression than an occurrence) is the fact that he does collapse (just falls over completely and is able to get up straight after) on the very rare occasion and that his head tremors have worsened but its plain to see that neither are causing him any sort of discomfort.

Safe to say, Ziggy is doing marvellously and if you would have told us that hed still be with us today in this condition one year ago today, theres no way I would have believed it. Its amazing how much the medications can do once you have the right combination!

Heres a few up to date pics:

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We'l keep you posted! :D
 
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