Hi Brian
As I said in an earlier post, Oliver has spondylosis as well as SM. I had taken him for a second mini-scan in May which had shown that his very small syrinx had doubled in size but was still small; after a mini-scan, the neurologist will look at the scan with you but you don't get a proper consultation. At that stage, still no obvious symptoms. In June he developed the spondylosis, which made him very wobbly on his back legs and obviously uncomfortable. My vet X-rayed him and diagnosed spondylosis, but given that he also had SM, recommended that I took him to Chestergates to see a neurologist in case there was more to it than straight spondylosis (we happen to have a vet who did her internship with Clare Rusbridge!). So I went three times and saw Ulrika Michal, who was very careful to separate out the SM and the spondylosis. She recommended complete rest, and had me back to make sure that this was working. She also felt that Oliver had a bit of pain when his back was pressed hard above his syrinx, so put him on a small dose of gabapentin, with furosemide to help his dilated ventricles, and sent a comprehensive report to my own vet. One of the best things about becoming Ulrika's patient is that I can still ring her for advice, which my vet encourages me to do when Oliver seems to have SM-related problems (such as the bad headache he got last autumn due to very strong sunlight).
You will find everyone at Chestergates friendly and caring. They know better than anyone how devastating the diagnosis of SM can be for Cavalier owners - Geoff Skerritt said wryly to me that they run up a flag on the roof when they scan a Cavalier who hasn't got it! I think they really do hope that they won't have to diagnose SM yet again. The reception staff remembered Oliver when he came back (though I think they also remembered the homemade shortbread I took for the staff at each visit!); you will also meet dogs with other neurological problems, and every owner I met said how good Chestergates had been with their dogs - they deal with all sorts of neurological conditions, not only SM. They have very good free coffee in the machine in the waiting room too!
You may find that some of Rosie's present pain is due to not having rest for her back problem, but anyway you will be able to help her far better after your visit to Chestergates, whatever the problem is.
All the best,
Kate, Oliver and Aled