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Vets that have knowledge on SM in the Solihull area?

I noticed on your video that you have a wooden floor - these can be quite easy for dogs to slip on and pull a muscle, and dogs will walk cautiously on them if they have a painful leg. Crate rest will usually sort it out - it may appear on and off because it's better when Ziggy has been resting it. I'm puzzled as to why Stephanie thinks a 3-4 heart murmur makes taking Lyrica problematic - that isn't a particularly serious level of murmur unless there are added complications, and I know several Cavaliers with that level of murmur who have taken Lyrica without any problems. Since Stephanie is a neurologist, it might be useful at some point to take Ziggy to a cardiologist to check out his heart.

Kate, Oliver and Aled
 
I noticed on your video that you have a wooden floor - these can be quite easy for dogs to slip on and pull a muscle, and dogs will walk cautiously on them if they have a painful leg. Crate rest will usually sort it out - it may appear on and off because it's better when Ziggy has been resting it. I'm puzzled as to why Stephanie thinks a 3-4 heart murmur makes taking Lyrica problematic - that isn't a particularly serious level of murmur unless there are added complications, and I know several Cavaliers with that level of murmur who have taken Lyrica without any problems. Since Stephanie is a neurologist, it might be useful at some point to take Ziggy to a cardiologist to check out his heart.

Kate, Oliver and Aled

Rebel used to see Emily Dutton at Willows, who is a Board Certified Cardiologist.
 
Hey both!
Didnt want to reply for a few days as I wanted to see what was up with his legs. His scratching has gotten worse, hes doing it about 3 or 4 times a session now and he usually has 3 sessions a day of this scratching. He also shoots his head round to his back legs and bites them after said scratching too. His limping has moved to any leg on his body now and rather than limping its turned into slipping and sliding on any of the legs :( . Sometimes its on wooden floors, sometimes its on carpet. We have tried making sure he rests incase it was something else but to no avail. Wel ring Stephanie and see what we can do about this. RE to the Lyrica, im not sure if she ment that but it does ring a bell about her mentioning it, so wel ask her about that to confirm.
Wel let you know how we get on!
:)
 
Umm... We just rang Stephanie only to be told by a receptionist that she has left and they have no idea when she might be back. :( So im not exactly sure whats going to heppen rom this point on but they said wed have any neurologist ring us back. Bit worrying to be honest as Stephanie knew *everything* about Ziggys treatment and how he has progressed/regressed under different scenarios. Anyway, will let you know when we get a call
 
Ask to talk to Sebastien Behr - he looks after Aled's myoclonus but from the way he talks obviously knows a lot about CM/SM. He's a European certified neurologist and his research speciality is cerebral spinal fluid. He's very good at phone consultations!

Kate, Oliver and Aled
 
Looks like it was meant to be, Kate! We had a call back around 3 or 5 hours later and none other than Sebastien himself rang up. He gave us a terrific phone consultation and told us to up the dosage to 1 full a day to see his symptoms improve! This was fantastic news as he did so so well on a full steroid. So far so good! His symptoms which hes been declining with are starting to go already. So all is good as of now! We are going for a weeks holiday this week so thats just in time, itl be nice to spend some time with him being well down here this time (Hopefully! :lol: )
 
Glad that worked out - and hope you have a better holiday this time, with no alarums and excursions!

Kate, Oliver and Aled
 
So glad that you got a call back from Sebastian. I have heard good things about him too.

Let's hope that Ziggy and you have a good family holiday without any symptoms flaring up again.
 
Well, its been a few days now and hes been on his new dose for a good while now. He is once again making a marvellous amount of progress once again. Lovely to see him so comfortable! He was actually able to go out on a few walks these past few days which is something we havent been able to do since last year (properly). He actually managed a full walk without collapsing and whining in pain which was amazing to see! He throughly enjoyed his walk and he is getting better nights and he has even played with us! He hasnt played with his toys or us for ages now, but he has been playing, chewing his bone properly without it leading to paw licking and hes just a lot more happy in general.
Hes just so much better on this dose! Only now I hope his stomach doesnt start to play him up again.
hXNRQm9.jpg


His vibes have improved, hes happier, his eyes arent red, the big thunderstorm we had down here in Hereford didnt bother him at all (which the pressure usually would).

Good stuff, eh? :D
 
I'm so glad Ziggy is doing so well. People are reluctant to use steroids because of long-term side effects but sometimes the help now outweighs the possible problems in the future - you can't leave a dog in pain because of some future possibility. It's lovely you've got the real Ziggy back - have a great holiday with lots of walks and games b*n*n*

Kate, Oliver and Aled
 
Im with you on that, Kate! We had such a fantastic holiday with him. We had several really bad thunderstorms which would have usually made his SM worse but it was as if he didnt have SM. He also went for walks all throughout the week! There is no way we could have walked him before, because hed stop in pain and cry. He was able to do a decent walk around the caravan park and really enjoyed it like he has done over the years. He even played with us too! He actually got one of his toys and played with us which is something he hasnt done for months and months.
We have been home for almost a week now and hes remained the same! He was so good that we gave him a cut ourselfs. Although he is good now there is no way we could send him to the groomers purely because of his separation anxiety (which is abnormally extreme, you have honestly never ever seen anything like it in your life. Its borderline disturbing :O . Not sure if its SM/CM related or not but hes had it since 2-3) but my Mom managed to do a good enough job:
b88gZtF.jpg


We would have gotten one of those mobile dog groomers to do it but we didnt bother because the last time we did that they didnt bother to dry him off and missed loads of patches on his body.

Hes very happy and must be a lot more comfortable now he can be cooler thanks to a shorter coat!
Anyway, thats where we are as of late!
 
He looks so cute in that picture - oh Ziggy you are one handsome man!

So glad that the holiday went so well now that the meds have been sorted out and that Ziggy had such a good time, despite the thunderstorms.

Rebel needed his meds stepped up on (I think) Wednesday because the air pressure went wild. He now asks me for more when he starts to feel bad, which is great. He was back down to maintenance doses yesterday and has been absolutely fine so far today.
 
I am a little late posting and I am sorry about Ziggy. There are some great people on this forum that have offered support and help as you know. I had a cavalier with severe SM but is no longer here due to something unrelated. It is so hard trying to find the right medication and the bad days can be upsetting :(. I am saying this looking back on things and I totally understand the agony you feel but I know I handled Ella with I think bev said "kid gloves" at first. Bev talked about Riley who is a lot like Ella. Each dogs symptoms are different and you have to make adjustments along the way but they can also have good days. The first year was tough but I think it was also me handling things. As Flo said or someone else, they don't know what's going on and even though you have to be aware of changes and make sure their pain is being managed, it is the toughest thing to do but stay strong. At first I wouldn't let Ella do anything but I am glad towards the end of her life she was playing on the beach. I know it's easy for me to say things three years later but I want you to know that they can enjoy life. I wouldn't say normal lives but with right management because there were things Ella couldn't do like chase a ball but relatively happy ones.

As for treatment, each dog is different but you are doing the right thing by noticing changes. I saw a tremendous improvement when Ella switched to lyrica but not every dog does. I feel Ella wouldn't have been able to be without prednisone. It was necessary but she also was on almost every drug on the list along with being treated with acupuncture for pain. I will keep Ziggy in my thoughts. Hugs to both of you
 
Great to hear Rebel is doing ok, Flo!

Anniemac, dont you run that blog named Riley Beats SM/CM? I came across it last night while doing some research, small world! Riley is so cute! Thanks for the support, much appreciated. It is indeed a bit of a roller coaster meds wise! I think the full dose of steroid each day has made the world of difference in Ziggs case, Id almost go as far as saying its a partial cure. He shows basically no symptoms, the only one I could say he has when on a full dose of steroid is paw licking, but that does vary day from day. He has been doing his paw licking all his life though, so I dont really expect any meds to change that. I know when its bad when I start getting bad vibes while hes doing it (plus it is much more obsessive and intensive) , not sure how I can explain it but you can just tell.
Do hope yours are doing ok!
 
Actually I was meaning Lovemycavaliers AKA bev's riley. So confusing I know :). I used to post a lot and you get to know people (strange as it sounds) can relate and care about them and their loved ones even if I've never met them. I did create a blog for Ella www.fightforella.blogspot.com. I found this forum when Ella was first diagnosed and I had a lot of support from the same people that have been responding to this thread.

I am so glad that Ziggy has improved.
 
Ahh! I see, very nice blogs! :)

Ziggy has indeed improved. One symptom has been creeping back in a little more which is his paw licking, but I can say that is the only symptom thats rearing its head again which is nice because usually when we get one symptom coming back, its usually accompanied by a few other symptoms. Having said that though, he did give us a big scare this morning! We were down stairs and having our breakfast and realised Ziggy wasnt anywhere to be seen downstairs, which is highly unsual if we are downstairs as he never goes upstairs unless we are up there. So we went upstairs in the unlikely event hed be up there and there he was, lying there in my moms room. My Mom approached him (he was awake. We think?) and he responded by a very very small wagging of his tail (almost like a twitch) and his eyes were open but he couldnt move. He literally couldnt move, we called him to walk over to us (which he always does no matter what when we call him) but he didnt... So my Mom gently scooped him up (which he usually gets up for so we can pick him up properly) and he was like a ragdoll, as if he was completely paralyzed! He couldnt move at all, we started fussing him and talking to him to see if we could get more of a response and sure enough he started to move in little bits of stages and eventually did 2 or 3 massive yawns and he was okayish, about 30 minutes later he was well awake and he had a great day today! Not sure what happened there? Maybe a cataplexy attack? Not sure at all, this has never happened with him before? Hes always fully alert after waking (usually) .
Not sure what went on there!
 
I would have a word with Sebastien and tell him what happened. It could be something or it could be nothing, but you need to know so that you can perhaps prevent it happening again - it may mean adjusting his meds or similar. Glad that he's still doing well, in spite of this episode.

Kate, Oliver and Aled
 
Stephanie is back! We rang her Monday and she said that its just something we should keep an eye on. She also seemed happy with how he was and everything so thats all good! Although of course, typically he starts showing some new symptoms just after we ring her! He is having a bit of trouble with mobility now, like the other day he tried to get off the sofa and he slipped off, he almost fell. We have had a few episodes like this but they arent getting too frequent just yet. He didnt seem in pain at the time but that was on a bad day where his paw licking was just ridiculous. But other than that really, things have been brilliant with him. I forgot all about him not chewing his bone, he hasnt chewed his bone for such a long time and hes doing it now which is so nice. Hes also sleeping in our arms and is way more fussy (that last bit has no logic what so ever, but some how it seems that way! LOL) which is really nice. The other week when I wasnt well due to a virus he slept by my side in the morning which was lovely! While we rang Stephanie I also asked if I could have the MRI scans and she put them in a file and sent it in the post on a CD! Would they be of any use to any researchers do you think?
Heres one of them which illustrates it quite well (I have them from all positions, from front of the skull, lying on side and top down bottom left right sideways and upside down lol)
mhu9TnM.jpg
 
It would be a good idea to get steps for the settee and perhaps your bed. Hyperdrug do good ones at a reasonable price - look at their website. Jumping, either up or down, can be uncomfortable as it jars the spine. If Ziggy has a pedigree, the Estimated Breeding Values project at the Animal Health Trust would be glad to have information about him:

If your Cavalier has been MRI scanned for syringomyelia and/or screened for mitral valve disease (heart murmur) then we would like to have a copy of the results certificates, together with the Kennel Club registered name and number of the dog or a 5-generation pedigree. For quality control purposes we cannot include in our database screening information about a dog unless we hold a copy of the results certificate and have owner consent to have it. All results certificates and the actual disease status of individual dogs will remain completely confidential and will not be shared with any other parties outside the AHT.

All copies of screening results certificates and pedigrees should be sent to:

Dr Sarah Blott,
CKCS Health Breeding Programme,
Animal Health Trust,
Lanwades Park, Kentford,
Newmarket,
Suffolk CB8 7UU

Or electronic copies of the documents (e.g. pdf files) can be e-mailed to[email protected]

Are you and Ziggy still hoping to come on the Sunday to our Cavalier Weekend at Copt Oak? I hope you will manage it, it would be nice to meet you both.

Kate, Oliver and Aled

PS Would you mind if I copied the photo over to the Companion Cavalier Club Facebook page, as it shows Ziggy's syrinx so clearly?
 
It would be a good idea to get steps for the settee and perhaps your bed. Hyperdrug do good ones at a reasonable price - look at their website. Jumping, either up or down, can be uncomfortable as it jars the spine. If Ziggy has a pedigree, the Estimated Breeding Values project at the Animal Health Trust would be glad to have information about him:

If your Cavalier has been MRI scanned for syringomyelia and/or screened for mitral valve disease (heart murmur) then we would like to have a copy of the results certificates, together with the Kennel Club registered name and number of the dog or a 5-generation pedigree. For quality control purposes we cannot include in our database screening information about a dog unless we hold a copy of the results certificate and have owner consent to have it. All results certificates and the actual disease status of individual dogs will remain completely confidential and will not be shared with any other parties outside the AHT.

All copies of screening results certificates and pedigrees should be sent to:

Dr Sarah Blott,
CKCS Health Breeding Programme,
Animal Health Trust,
Lanwades Park, Kentford,
Newmarket,
Suffolk CB8 7UU

Or electronic copies of the documents (e.g. pdf files) can be e-mailed to[email protected]

Are you and Ziggy still hoping to come on the Sunday to our Cavalier Weekend at Copt Oak? I hope you will manage it, it would be nice to meet you both.

Kate, Oliver and Aled

PS Would you mind if I copied the photo over to the Companion Cavalier Club Facebook page, as it shows Ziggy's syrinx so clearly?

Unfortunately, he isnt pedigree so Im not sure they would be of help to them as he isnt KC or pedigree. I could get the result certificates if they wouldnt mind non KC registered cav scans!
I would be more than happy for you to use his scans, I have a tonne more if need be. In regards to the event, (assuming we are talking about the one in June?) we are hoping hes going to be well enough to take with us. Itd be lovely to see him socialising with his own kind! We are VERY much looking forward to that event, cant wait!
As far as the steps go, that would be a pretty good idea. Shal definitely look into those as itd make it a lot more easy for him. In the mean time we will definitely be more mindful of making sure we lift him up rather than letting him jump up.
 
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