Holly's
Pals
News of
Other Afflicted Cavaliers
Rosie
May I, with great sadness, say
that Rosie (Lynordan Gypsy Rose)
passed away in February 2002, aged
only six and a half years. Rosie was the first Cavalier to be
diagnosed in 1996 by Clare Rusbridge as having the syndrome.
Unfortunately, it was too late to operate by then. While making
Rosie's life as much fun and as comfortable as possible, Janet Ireland,
her owner worked, and is still working to draw attention to this
distressing problem in our Cavaliers. Sadly, Rosie's quality
of life deteriorated, and Janet lost her "foxy lady".
If you would like to tap into her expertise her email address
is janet@irelandj.freeserve.co.uk
You can also read Janet's diary
of her search for the cause of Rosie's distress covering the
period from 1993 until 1996. Just right-click on the following
link and save it as an MS Word document. rosiehist.pdf
This page was first published
in early 2000. Since then we have heard hundreds of histories
of afflicted Cavaliers, some too sad to repeat but many strangely
heartening at the courage displayed by these dogs and the dedication
of their owners. Some of Holly's oldest "friends" have
now gone, including Bonnie, Chad, Charlie G., Missie, Fillipa.....
everyone of them missed, others like Hector and Charlie Walsh,
still struggle on, tails still wagging.
Carol Fowler tells
Bonnie's Story
(Living with Syringomyelia)
Bonnie
"Bonnie was my first dog.
I went to a local breeder whose name was given to me by my local
veterinary practice. I knew nothing about breeding and pedigrees
but I had read Ken Town's book about Cavaliers and decided that
this was the breed for me. I had no interest in showing at all.
I just wanted a dog to love and share my life ..........................."
To read Bonnie's remarkable story
and of Carol Fowler's dedicated caring and search for a cure
please download this MS Word document, just right-click on this
link bonniefr.pdf and
select "Save Target As", then choose whereabouts on your computer
to save this story Alternatively, send it directly to your printer
by right-clicking on the link and selecting "Print Target".
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Josh
Last July , Mrs Julie Davies,
owner of Josh
whose shunt was implanted at the same time as Holly's but with
less success then hers, told me that she had reached the point
of arranging to release him from further suffering. As a last
resort she massaged the area of his shunt every 15 minutes. By
the end of the day Josh seemed much happier and free of his accustomed
pain. Two months later Josh started a course of acupuncture but
the treatment was discontinued abruptly when Josh complained
vociferously. In early February 2001, Julie telephoned
to report she had, as a last resort, taken Josh off all drugs
though continuing with daily massage. After several days, contrary
to all expectation, Josh's condition started to improve and by
June, Josh seemed to be more comfortable than at any time
since the shunt was implanted, enjoying his walks, something
he had never done since the operation. This phase lasted just
several months until he had a seizure resulting in his not being
able to walk properly. This was treated with daily steroids (two
prednisolone) which may have caused some liver damage as well
as weight increase. We know that Holly had painkillers after
her operation for no more than two or three days and has had
none since while Josh has never except for a brief period been
without them. By the end of 2000, Josh was still doing well but
not walking quite as well as earlier in the year.
In July 2005 we received Julie's 'phone call to tell us
that Josh passed away on 4th April. During the last six months
of his life his condition had deteriorated. He developed colitis
with consequent loss of bowel control. He was on steroids to
alleviate the syringomyelia and these led to his developing Cushings
Disease. His condition became intolerable and so at the age of
almost nine Josh was put to sleep with Julie at his side. at
the vets , Julie writes "Throughout he was a very faithful
companion with an exceptional temperament. He was much loved
and is still missed by us all. We now have since acquired (rescued)
another pet dog, a four years old terrier-cross called Rosie.
Although we love Rosie very much Josh cannot be replaced. We
did consider getting another cavalier but considered it too big
a gamble and decided that we could not go through again the years
of heartache and pain watching an animal suffer as Josh did.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Laughing
Cavaliers -Peaches, Rupert, and Fillipa
by Nicki Hughes
Their Stories
You may download a text version
of Rupert, Peaches and Philippa by clicking on rupert&co.pdf
Rupert was our first Cavalier. He was born on 11th
June 1996 and has always loved everybody and everything, making
friends wherever he goes. Unfortunately in 1998 he appeared to
have become deaf. We wondered if the vaccination given in February
of that year for kennel cough (which left him with a mild cough
later diagnosed as bronchitis) may have caused this deafness.
In August he underwent a full neurological assessment and hearing
tests at the Animal Health Trust in Newmarket where they diagnosed
bilateral deafness. In all other respects he was fine. Rupert
adapted well to his disability, and even carried on competing
in local obedience competitions, having changed over to hand
signals!
Rupert has always been sensitive
around the head and neck. If a stranger fusses him in that area
he will often cry out. Sometimes he also does this with people
he knows well, especially if he becomes excited. His front legs
are also sensitive and he is reluctant to be groomed in that
area. His first episode of neck pain was February 2000. He was
obviously in pain as he would not pick up a biscuit off the floor,
and would scream if we picked him up. Our vet treated him with
pain killers and we made him a collar from a woollen jumper sleeve
to keep his neck warm. After a while he recovered, but had another
episode in April 2001.
Our vet produced a news clipping
called "Squeakers and Squealers" describing a syndrome
in Cavaliers which seemed to fit Rupert's symptoms. We were unable
to find any more information until the vet gave us your website
address. From the clinical signs he believed this to be the most
likely explanation of Rupert's problems. However, following further
discussion with him we felt that it was not appropriate at that
time to have an MRI scan done as Rupert was not too severely
affected.
In July 2003 Rupert had another
bad episode of neck pain prior to which he had been intermittently
crying out for no apparent reason for a couple of weeks . He
did not "scratch", but was very sensitive particularly
when moulting when he worries and chews at his coat, much more
so than other Cavaliers we have owned. We have raised both his
food and water bowl and now use a harness rather than a collar
Following that episode we tried treating him homeopathically
and this seemed to help him considerably.
In May 2004, Rupert had his worst
episode to date. It started just like earlier episodes but this
time he refused to jump off the bed in the morning. When I lifted
him down he cried out. In the kitchen he just sat down and started
screaming. He is totally deaf and so we comforted him, stroking
and cuddling him but our touching made him scream all the more
which was very frightening. When we took him to see our vet Rupert
perked up seeming to understand that help was coming and he stopped
screaming . The vet checked him over but could find nothing else
which might be causing Rupert's pain. Despite being eight, he
showed no symptoms of a heart murmur. Metacam (a NSAID) was prescribed
for nine days and after a couple of weeks on this and his homeopathic
treatment he returned to being our bouncy, waggy-tailed boy.
It seems likely that Rupert is one of the known group of dogs
who periodically experience infrequent but acute episodes of
pain.
Possibly because Cavaliers are
rare in our area, Rupert is the only syringomyelia case seen
by our vet who is keen to learn all about the condition and was
very interested to see our copy of Clare Rusbridge's video presentation
to the CKCS Club.
Updated March 2006
Rupert, now nine, has a
little urine dribbling, he underwent investigations which ruled
out causes such as bladder stones and prostate, so we suspect
it may be due to the Syringomyelia - or possibly just his age
catching up with him. The great news is that his heart is still
clear!
Rupert is on various homoeopathic remedies, to control his Syringomyelia
and Focal Seizures, and is doing very well. Fortunately it is
now many months since his last major pain episode, his walking
has improved dramatically and he runs now too! He improved tremendously
after starting an homoeopathic remedy made from Frusemide {Lasix},
a diuretic which some of the more mildly affected dogs are now
taking, many are doing extremely well on it.
He is only having a few seizures each week now - these are worse
in cold weather, and when he is stressed.
Despite his problems and our worries about him we feel fortunate
to have Rupert who seems to be relatively mildly affected and
is otherwise a happy, joyful boy.
Our family was extended by a further four paws at the end of
April 2005 - Teddy Edward - affectionately known as TedBear - came to
live with us. He was two in September, a retired show dog. He
and Rupert are very close, and really enjoy each other's company
- I'm sure having a younger dog around has helped Rupert too,
when off lead, they run around together, and Rupert tries to
keep up with TedBear!
Despite all their health problems, we could not imagine life
without a Cavalier.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Fillipa was
born 20th October 1997. She came to us at seven months
when it became apparent that she was not suited for the show-ring.
While she was rather nervous of people she loved other dogs and
was wonderful with us. She soon established herself as "Top
Dog" in the household despite being the smallest! After
Rupert lost his hearing she became his ears. Sadly, we lost our
beloved little girl with sudden heart failure on 8th May 2003.
She is still very greatly missed.
Last but not least, Peaches was
born on 13th November 1998. She was almost three when
she came to live with us as her first owner had returned her
to her breeder when she was eight months old. She had been very
poorly socialised and is still nervous of other dogs - except
for Cavaliers. However she is a wonderful character, very loving
and affectionate.
Peaches has had a bad year health wise. In December 2003, she
was diagnosed with MVD with a Grade 2 murmur (where on the scale
of 0 to 6, 6 is the most severe) as well as with Cardiac Sinus
Arrhythmia. Fortunately she does not currently require any treatment
for these conditions as she is not showing clinical signs for
either condition. To date, the murmur has not got any worse.
However, in January 2004, we took
the opportunity, while Peaches was being spayed, of taking x-ray's
of her back and hips, and also of her knees because she had been
reluctant to go for a walk, was unwilling to run and did not
want to jump on or off the furniture. The x-rays showed that
she had luxating patellas{slipping kneecaps}on both knees. They
were so loose, that they were slipping in and out constantly,
which gives the distinctive "patella limp". She also
had moderate hip dysplasia. The vet thought that without an operation,
Peaches' leg muscles would bow and , exacerbate her hip problems,
and so he recommended that both knees be operated on, and that
the hip problem be reviewed in a year's time.
We started Peaches on a combination
of homoeopathic remedies, kept her weight low and slowly increased
her exercise to get her really fit. She was given two months
to recover from her spaying before we booked her in for the first
knee operation. By then, she had improved markedly, was enthusiastic
about walks, and was running and jumping again. On examination,
the vet could find no signs of bowing, so it was decided to postpone
the surgery for now, and just monitor the situation.
All of these health problems were
a shock to both us and to Peaches' breeder who was not aware
of any such problems in her lines. We are now managing Peaches
and Rupert's problems, and enjoy each and every day that we are
privileged to spend with our two beloved doglets."
Peaches (23rd Jan 2006)
During the latter half of 2005 Peaches became really miserable
on the new drug Lanoxin which was intended to combat her MVD
problem. She became very nauseous, refusing food. After a while
the Lanoxin began to work and her pulse came down to 130 {from
a record 176) To improve the quality of her life, the vet suggested
halving the dose. Peaches, for a little while, became happier
and her MVD stabilised. Sadly she was suffering increasing pain
from her hip dysplasia and luxating patellas, and was not able
to undergo surgery due to her MVD. Medications {in addition to
homoeopathy and supplements} were tried but made her ill, and
as she was no longer enjoying her life, our beloved Princess
was given her wings on 16th January. She is now reunited with
her beloved "sister" Fillipa, and all the Angels. She
will always have a very special place in our hearts.
A favourite photo of her
in happy days.
You may download a text version
of Rupert, Peaches and Philippa by clicking on rupert&co.pdf
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Catherine Walsh tells Charlie's
Story -
You may download a text version
ofCharlie's Story by clicking on charliewalsh2.pdf
and selecting "Save Target
As"
"Born March 17th 1992, in
a litter of seven pups, on Christmas Day 1995 he started to howl
with pain, and we could not figure out what was wrong with him.
Gradually over the next few days we noticed that the problem
was with the left side of his body, his front left paw, left
ear and surrounding areas. Over the next two years, he had multiple
X-rays, ear examinations, allergy and blood tests, teeth extracted,
surgery, and changes of diet. The list of drugs prescribed is
too long to list here. But all to no avail. Over a two-year period
we saw at least one vet each week and travelled in excess of
20,000 miles in Ireland in the hope that someone could help us.
We went to the Vet. College in Dublin, where he was seen by visiting
vets from New Zealand, Australia, and Europe but they all thought
it was either a behavioural problem, or that he may have had
an ear infection sometime and got into the habit of scratching
his ear.
We were still not content with
this diagnosis. An attack would sometimes be triggered by his
getting excited, possibly on a windy day, by rubbing his left
ear or left paw, or just by eating and drinking. We checked with
his breeder who gave us the names of the families who had taken
the other pups from Charlie's litter, and also of a second litter
from the same mother and father two years later. We visited all
of these families and Cavaliers (except for the one living in
the US) but none of them showed similar symptoms. When Charlie
was about 7 years old, a friend of mine told me about an article
which Janet Ireland had written about "Rosie". When I
'phoned her, I realised that at last here was someone who could
explain what was wrong with my dog. The search had taken four
years! Even though we knew that he had a major medical problem,
it was such a relief to know that we were not alone any more.
Charlie was 12 years old in March
2004. We last reported in 2002 that he he had not got any worse.
still scratching his ear and over his head many times a day.
Some days were better then others, but because we had found out
what to do. He still enjoys his walks which tend to be walk,
scratch, walk, scratch, walk, I am the only one allowed to touch
his left ear, and this only once a month or so to trim the hair
there. His water-bowl is raised so that he can drink without
bending his head, and we spoon-feed him his meals. This allows
him to sit down or stand up to eat with the minimum movement
required. We leave his collar very loose around his neck on walks,
and try to prevent his getting over-excited. The problem has
been with us for the past 8 years. It is a normal part of our
everyday life. Despite everything, Charlie is a really happy
dog and we would not swap him for any other Cavalier in the world.
If you think that your dog show similar symptoms and you want
to contact someone in Ireland to discuss the problem. please
feel free to contact me, Catherine Walsh, by email at walsh.c@euro.apple.com"
Charlie's StoryUpdated
August 2005
In August 2005 we received the
following message from Catherine which we will reproduce in full
-
"To those of you who knew
Charlie from Ireland, my little boy received his angel wings
at 20:20 on Sunday July 31st.
We were away for the weekend,
and he really had a great weekend, he was sitting up looking
out at the sights while we were travelling, barking at people
passing when we stopped up, demanding food and treats, walking
and enjoying the sunshine. On Sunday evening, he was sitting
on my lap at the door of the camper at 18:00 hrs, while I had
the dinner in the oven, lots of people were passing by commenting
on the cute puppy - and coming over to rub him, he always loved
been the centre of attraction. We sat down for dinner about 19:00
hrs and Charlie ate his Chicken and Tuna without a bother - followed
by his medication and almost half a bowl of water. I washed up
the dinner ware and he was watching me waiting for me to put
the tea towel down as that is his trigger to go walking - we
went out at 19:45 and he was sniffing, walking, tail held high
wagging at knots an hour - his eyes were sparkling, and where
we were walking there was a river running along side, he could
hear the river but there was a high bank, so I lifted him up
to the top of the bank so he could see over and into the river,
- as he was now chest height to me, he turned around and licked
my face. We had been remarking all weekend how happy he appeared
to be and this walk was no exception.
We returned to the camper at 20:15
- and I lifted him onto his seat, he sat there waiting for his
treat, because that was his routine, he ate his treat, and I
turned around to get some cold water out of the fridge to fill
his bowl again, and just as I was at the fridge, Charlie lay
down on the couch, gave 5 loud barks, Phil was right next to
him and thought some of his treat had got caught in his throat,
I came back up to him, and put my hand under his head and he
looked straight into my eyes then I could see the sparkle drain
from his eyes, I put my hand on his heart and couldn't detect
a heart beat, then he moved his back paw forward and back once,
and fell into his deep sleep - this all happened within 15 seconds.It
all happened so fast I just picked him up and held him in my
arms for over an hour, We called out the Emergency vet, who confirmed
his passing, he was so sweet, he was with us within 15 minutes,
and we had never seen him before but there were tears in his
eyes as he verified Charlie's passing.
Monday morning, We got a beautiful
little casket from our own vet, and even when he arrived and
saw Charlie he said he looked so at peace just sleeping. The
casket was lined with velvet, and it was so soft to touch - We
put Charlie inside and a little cushion beneath his head, We
had a little Cavalier soft toy with a heart which said I love
you, and we put that between his front paws, we pinned his St.
Francis medal to his blanket, and put in his ball and his favourite
treats, then kissed him for the last time before securing the
lid.
We buried him yesterday, in a
lovely spot, where he will remain undisturbed forever, and we
can go visit him whenever we want to. The house is now so empty
without the pitter patter of our little boys paws across the
timber floor - and the void he has left in our lives really meant
how special he was and how much our lives revolved around him
for the past 13 and a half years.
He is now free from all his suffering,
his SM and his heart murmur, he enjoyed his life up to last second,
he went as he lived without a bother, and he ensured that both
his Mum and Dad were right there with him so we knew he didn't
suffer. He is now catching up in person with Chad and all of
his buddies that have gone before him, and as he flies over us
all with his Cavalier wings.
Sleepy tight little buddy, you are our forever dog, we love
you always. Catherine
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Amber
The last report received was in May 2000 when
she was three years old. This said that she "had improved
a bit since being on a daily steroid (prednisolone, or however
it's spelt) for the last 6 weeks. Her pain spells have diminished
(not disappeared) and she is having far better walks in general.
She is still also on methadone twice daily".
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hector
Hector
was born in June 1997. He is
still "neck-scratching and screaming at least once a day.
He used to do this for under a minute but this has increased
now to well over a minute. As a result he had a second MRI scan
in 2002. This revealed that his shunt has not moved, nor is it
blocked. The medical opinion is that his screaming is caused
by the prior extensive nerve damage caused by the escaping cerebral
fluid. Assuming five degrees of severity from one to five, five
being the best case, unfortunately Hector's score is one. Now
in 2004 he is requires a powerful painkiller (Neurontin) three
times daily just to make life tolerable.
We heard a few months later that
Hector had been put to sleep on 27th September 2004 at home while
in loving arms. Hector had deteriorated very quickly and his
front leg weakness had become such that he was limping badly
and could not be taken out for walks. Life became hard for him
as he was still scratching and screaming. He is and always will
be missed dreadfully. "He was a brave and loyal companion."
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Chad
Chad is
no longer with us. No more will he play that piano. Mrs. Angela
Baker, Chad's owner, tells the story of her much-loved, very
handsome and brave two year old Tricolour who suffered from syringomyelia.
To read "Chad's Story" please follow this link:
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Acknowledgement is due to the
many kind people, owners, breeders and vets who have made contact
or added their contributions, constructive or otherwise, over
the years since Celia Haddon published "Holly's Story" in The
Weekend Telegraph's "Pet Subjects"column and to the
Kennel Club
who likewise published the story in "The Gazette".
If you have a story to tell please contact us.
Donna Button Belle
(Who lived to
see her thirteenth birthday)
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