My puppy is broken

[trendybraincell]

Up in the bathroom brushing my teeth before work this morning and I hear my 8 month old Cavalier King Charles Spaniel fall down the stairs

Can't see the stairs from bathroom so I don't know what happened, only that she ended up at the bottom. So I went down to check her over and she was crippled, could just about stand but wasn't happy trying to walk. So I phone vets telling her I'm coming straight down, phone work and tell them I'll be late.

Get to the vet (I love our vet, he is such a nice guy

) he checks her over and says she's really quite uncomfortable in back end and is quite ataxic

Gives her a jab and says she needs to be watched all day...argh...I've got work and parents are away on holiday so no one remotely doggy to keep an eye on things. So bless vet, he keeps her at surgery and says he'll take her home if I can't pick her up this evening

Anyway day goes by and get to stable after work to get fat horse in, phone goes and its vet...I can go pick her up. When I got there he said she's not really any worse, nor is she better, got intermittent ataxia but she can go home

Then horror of horrors...the one thing I was REALLY hoping wasn't going to get mentioned. Because we don't know why she fell he said that it could be Syringomyelia

. For anyone that knows the breed I'm sure you are aware how horrid the disease is.

Well for now she's crashed out in front of tv, so long as we have a quiet night we have to go back monday morning, if its a bad night he gave me his private mobile to call in am if I need help.

Can I please get some spare good vibes if theres any going

Cookies and wine if you get to the end.

 

[Spot_the_Risk]

Oh hell, fingers crossed that it was just a freak accident and not SM. Hope she wakes you up in the morning happy and well.

 

[Acolyte]

Well, loads of get well soon vibes for your puppy and I hope she gets better soon....

BUT this makes me SO mad, it sounds to me just like a vet jumping on the band wagon

Strangely enough there are lots and lots and lots of CKCS out there WITHOUT syringomyelia..... I am going to see nine (or more, I forget

) of them tomorrow when I visit my mum..... but vets get a fashionable idea and wont let it go.

Believe me, I have known CKCS for 27 years now, and just because they fall down the stairs it does not mean they might have syringomyelia! Although they would have a job at my mums house as she lives in a bungalow

 

[trendybraincell]

I know what you mean...after BBC the other week its a bit of a buzz word!!

But I have to say I don't think he's jumping the gun. She was out of sorts recently, we never found out why but you know when you just know SOMETHING is not right.

Now it could be (and I hope it is) that the axtria came as a result of the fall, but I must admit with what has happened before I am leaning towards this too

 

[CAYLA]

I have to agree with Acoylte....if it was a case of puppy was found at bottom of stairs and u did not whitness what happened... is it more than likely a typical inexperienced puppy taclking the steepness of the stairs and falling down to the bottom, I commonly take emergency calls for all variation of breeds after falling down the stair or of the settee and breaking a leg e,t,c staffi's more commonly in my experience.
I have seen many a puppy squeeze through the baby gate in my mams ands tumble all the way down the stair....suprised they did not break their necks...esp the crazy whippet rescues we once had in

Don't worry yourself or the minute until you get a conclusive result.
Hugs for a quick recovery for your puppy...and *coughs* where are our puppy piccies

 

[trendybraincell]

thanks everyone. You know what its like, someone says it could be this and all you cant think is oh my god its X

I'm just hoping its a normal puppy fall!

 

[madmav]

Sometimes vets do spring to the worst conclusion to prevent letting owner down. Really hope it works out.

 

[dozzie]

I dont know much about KCS but I do know that vets often jump on certain diagnoses because of the breed. They dont think outside the box.

If your pup fell down the stairs she could have injured her neck or spine easily. Which could give similar symptons.

I would wait and see and if it was me, if she doesnt improve, which hopefully she will, I would ask for xrays too to check that the spine isnt damaged or out of allignment.

If that was the case then I personally have had success with Mctimoney and my dog. So I would recommend it. I am by no means as experienced as many people on here, so i am speaking from my own experience, but I just think sometimes it is easy to accept the most obvious diagnosis when in fact there are other possibilities.


(((((((((((((((((((((((Vibes))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))

Hope your pup improves.

 

[prose]

I hope your little one feels better soon. My dog collided with a wall at full speed a few months ago, so I know how horrid this waiting period is, when all sorts of medical conditions are thrown into the theoretical mix. Sending a wealth of good vibes.

 

[MurphysMinder]

I wouldn't start panicking just yet, I agree some vets do tend to jump to conclusions with certain breeds. I have heard of people taking GSDs to vets with really good hip scores, but a slight hind lameness and have the vet diagnose HD, without even an x-ray. Hope your pup is suffering from no more than some soreness from the fall, which improves soon. Sendign vibes.

 

[trendybraincell]

Thank you all for your well wishes. We had a really good night saturday, she slept (in my bed

) the whole night through, so no need to call the vet in the morning. She was walking much better yesterday too, so there was me think "yay nice quite night sunday to catch up on sleep"...puppy had other ideas!!

She got me up 4 times between 1.30 and 5 asking to go out

so being the wonderful kind owner I am

I got up and took her out...but in my dodgy pjs!

Anyway took her back to the vets for a check up this morning and he is quite pleased with her. Although she is still uncomfortable on the left hind, she is walking much better than she was, but upon feeling her joints and legs etc he found a luxcating patella on the left hind

I tell you this puppy is a walking a-z of conditions! Because there was no sign of this on saturday, we are thinking that it may be she has a luxcating patella which she dislocated going up the stairs and that caused the fall. But it could be this is another result of the fall, can't be sure yet.

So for now we are just going to sit and wait to see how she changes (hopefully improves!) Vet and I agreed we don't want to jump the gun and start x-raying, mri scanning or treating something which may have not been the cause. The steroid injection he gave her saturday morning should last few weeks so we are going to just have to wait now.

Thanks for all the well wishes, will keep you posted.

P.S there is ACTUAL cake at my house if you get to the end!

 

[HeatherAda]

good news... fingers crossed she is sorted in no time