My Oliver was diagnosed with SM when he was scanned in June 2007.He has a small syrinx at the top of his spine. We don't know how long he has had it; I took him to be scanned not because he has any symptoms, but because he has a family history of SM (father has produced at least one symptomatic daughter from a different mother, grandfather and great-grandfather had SM in old age) and I wanted to know if Olier had it. His prognosis (from Geoff Skerritt) is that he may never have symptoms or, like Margaret's Monty (Oliver's g-grandfather), may develop them in old age. After talking to Nick Jeffries (Cambridge Univ. Vet School) at the CKCS Club Champ show in Malvern in February, I'm getting Oliver scanned again in May (under the Midland Club scheme). Nick said that they have very little research evidence for older asymptomatic dogs with SM (for example, how much does their syrinx have to grow before they start showing symptoms - or do they adjust to a gradually increasing level of pain?), so monitoring Oliver regularly could be useful. I wouldn't do this if it meant Oliver having an anaesthetic every time, but Chestergates sedates, and at £100 I can just about afford it!
I shall get my new dog, Aled, scanned at the same time (he'll be just about two) - he has no symptoms (a very occasional squeak, but ever since I had him from the rescue 4 months ago he's had a recurring ear infection, so I think he has a sore ear - I have to clean them regularly and he has small ears and I have big hands!) - I'm just plain nosey! And having come from a puppy farm, he could have anything and everything - a visit to the cardiologist at Malvern revealed a Grade 2 heart murmur.
Having said all this, both of them spent a happy afternoon tearing round the local country park, both fit and healthy dogs, so I'm lucky.
Kate, Oliver and Aled