That King Charles Spaniel (English Toy Spaniel) itching and scratching isn't allergies

* Update March 6th (+1 month after surgery): It's been about a month and Bambino is doing amazingly well. The first couple of weeks were very shaky, but in the last week, we've seen him remarkably improve. He's gained back his interest in playing with toys, he's regained his energy running around the house and he even jumped on the couch for the first time since before the surgery. The difficulty here is that while he may have his energy back, we still need to watch him and keep him confined for at least another four weeks. Still, the improvement in the last two weeks has been nothing short of amazing :)

 

 

My wife and I have a "son", his name is Bambino, he's 3 years old, has 34 friends on Dogster, has travelled to Austin, DC, Vegas, New York, Whistler, South Beach (he was even in the VIP section of Nikki Beach Club, but that’s a different story), and he's the light of our lives. On Wednesday of last week, we got the official confirmation from an MRI scan that he has Syringomyelia (SM), a serious genetic condition where pockets of fluid develop in the brain and spinal cord that, if left untreated, could cause paralysis. It is also known as "neck scratcher's disease", because one of its common signs is scratching in the air near the neck.

Before his diagnosis, we assumed that his constant scratching was due to allergies.  We saw a veterinarian dermatologist and did skin allergy tests.  We found that he was, in fact, allergic to cedar and fleas, so it seemed to make sense that allergies were causing his problems since the itching was worse when we took him outside for walks.  The reality is that the itching (or tingling) would get worse when going on walks because it caused him to get excited, and he has a leash around his neck which can exacerbate the pain.  This also explained why he was itchy after a bath and why he seemed to love lying on a chillow (but then again, so do I) as the coolness relieved his pain.

This condition is very hard to diagnose because most of the symptoms are normal dog behavior (itching, scratching, panting), and it seems that most veterinarians aren’t really aware of the problem.  This is especially true if you have an English Toy Spaniel because they don’t get nearly as much attention as the Cavaliers when it comes to the medical problems that these breeds have in common.

Symptoms

SM symptoms include itching or air scratching, sensitivity around the neck, yelping in pain for no apparent reason, and even heavy panting.  You can see videos of affected dogs here - https://sm.cavaliertalk.com/video.html.

Treatment 

The only way to actually treat this condition is through surgery, which is a bit invasive, but frankly appears to be the only option. The surgery isn't uncommon, but any surgery has a level of risk and this is brain/spinal surgery so it's relatively complex.  We’ve been told that there is an 80% success rate.  About half of those dogs experience a complete recovery (limb strength restored and air scratching stops), the other half show moderate improvement (usually means that limb strength is restored, but the air scratching persists).  The other 20% develop scar tissue which causes a relapse, but the dog is no worse off than before. We’re grateful we caught this before it progressed to become completely debilitating, but it’s been an emotional roller coaster.  He’s scheduled for surgery this Thursday and Angie and I will split time working from home after the surgery to make sure his recovery goes smoothly.

Blogging

I wanted to blog about this to raise the awareness of SM since we’ve seen many veterinarians that weren’t aware of SM and missed all of his symptoms, allowing him to go undiagnosed for years as we kept giving him Benadryl in an attempt to stop his itching.  SM can be found in several breeds, most commonly in the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, but also Pugs and even Yorkshire Terriers.

This whole experience has been eye opening, and we hope that this information may help others whose pets may be undiagnosed and suffering.  If you’re purchasing any variety of King Charles Spaniel, make sure to ask the breeder if they are doing MRI screening for SM on their breeding animals since that is the only way to detect this condition. The reason MRI screening is important is because some dogs don’t exhibit all or any SM symptoms and the condition tends to get worse with each generation.   It’s a red flag if your breeder has no idea about SM, or claims that their line doesn’t have that problem and cannot provide documentation that they are doing MRI screening for SM.

- Dan and Angie

Comments

• Anonymous
  February 09, 2007
  The comment has been removed

• Anonymous
  February 10, 2007
  So you would let a pet just suffer and die? Or you wouldn't want to know something that could help you save money by not spending it on allergy treatments? I'm guessing you're not a dog person

• Anonymous
  February 21, 2007
  Ignacio, you've clearly never had a pet you loved like a family member. Quite sad...

• Anonymous
  March 05, 2007
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• Anonymous
  March 05, 2007
  The comment has been removed

• Anonymous
  March 06, 2007
  The comment has been removed

• Anonymous
  March 06, 2007
  Thanks Bev for asking, I went ahead and updated the post, but Bambino got his stitches removed and is doing so much better!!

• Anonymous
  March 06, 2007
  The comment has been removed

• Anonymous
  March 19, 2007
  I have a Cavalier who is 2 & she has always been sensitive about her ears, scratching often but not "air" scratching.  Occasionally yelps if her ears are touched but very inconsistently.  Since the symptoms are also normal habits how would I know when I need to worry?  At what age are you free from worry?  We would like to get another one as we just love this breed but I hear that over 50% have SM and this is very frightening to me.  I'm so glad your baby is doing well & that the surgery to this point has been successful.  Renee

• Anonymous
  June 12, 2007
  i have an 18 month old female - Bella - who exhibits all the symptoms of SM - she has been seen by the Univ of Penn School of Vet Med - Emergency Room - and the diagnosis - not certain w/o MRI - is SM.  She does not appear to be in pain - the occassional yelp if picked up the wrong way, etc - but has a healthy appetite, loves to be with other dogs and always wags her tail.  i am looking for reassurance from other KCCS w/SM owners as to what i can expect.  also, any success stories re surgery.  please respond.  

• Anonymous
  June 13, 2007
  The comment has been removed

• Anonymous
  April 18, 2008
  How early can SM be detected? It broke my heart to see the severe case in the video. I have a 5 month old cavalier, and he seems to be scratching his neck for no reason. I told the vet and she thought it might be his collar. I really hope its not SM.

• Anonymous
  May 23, 2008
  I have an 8yr old Cavalier King Charles, who suddenly decided not to go for walks with a collar & leash,will sit and not move,will do so only when I take off the leash,I have also tried a harness,to no avail ,can you help correct this problem ?,Hopefully you can.                                                                                               Madeleine.

• Anonymous
  July 15, 2008
  We have a 2 year old Cavalier, Gracie, that has been experiencing the systems you have described.  We had tried several different treatments for allergies and had her checked for skin infections.  Everything we tried never seemed to really do the trick in clearing up the problem.  Our vet was at a loss other then to send her to Iowa State University for skin and allergy testing.  Before going there I decided to do additional research and found information about SM, but also on another condition called PSOM.  This is a condition that has similar symptons as SM, but involves a plug in the inner ear drum.  I've read that in some cases of PSOM are misdiagnosed as SM.   In my research I found the Ohio University Vet Hospital is currently doing a study on Cavaliers and SM.  I just contacted them yesterday via email and I hope I will hear back from them soon and maybe get Gracie in on the study.  I'm very interested to learn as much as possible about SM and PSOM and have Gracie tested for both to determine which she may have and get treatment. We do have another Cavalier, Winston.  He is actually Gracie's littermate.  So far he does not display any of the symptoms and we hope that continues. Thank you for sharing your experience with your dog and his surgery.  I'm glad to hear he is doing so well and hope he continues to stay healthy.  This gives me hope that we can help Gracie and get her healthy.

• Anonymous
  August 25, 2008
  There has been a television programme over here which was nightmare viewing for anyone with a Cavalier mine is 2yrs old his name is Alfie and he is adorable  and although he doesnt seem to have the symptons i am seriously considering having him scanned to know for sure.

• Anonymous
  September 25, 2008
  I had my 11 year old  toy spaniel put to sleep this week with severe sm symptoms. it is a heartbreaking illness & as much as I love the breed I can not bear to buy another until progress has been made in testing breeding dogs , etc

• Anonymous
  November 29, 2008
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• Anonymous
  January 18, 2009
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• Anonymous
  February 24, 2009
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• Anonymous
  March 15, 2009
  Hi, I am really concerned after reading all the comments. My 8 month old king charles has just started yelping for no apparent reason, we have done the usual checks and nothing when touched, It seems to be more when she's lay down. Could she have this awful disease your all talking about ?.

• Anonymous
  May 09, 2009
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• Anonymous
  May 16, 2009
  @Cindy - the best way to see if your dog does have SM is to take him to an animal neurologist and ask them to evaluate whether he/she has SM.

• Anonymous
  April 13, 2010
  A team of scientists have developed a site  where everyone can contribute information on symptoms, diagnostics, treatments and outcomes. Sharing information will help other owners with similar problems, but also will aid research on canine health. Please join and contribute if you have a dog (healthy dogs too, as this will show the prevalence of specific diseases): http://www.DogHeirs.com Everyone that has a dog has a piece of the puzzle - please share your puzzle piece so we can help find some solutions.

• Anonymous
  September 22, 2010
  Can anyone tell me how old the Cavalier has to be befor he/she can be tested for SM and the cost?

• Anonymous
  September 24, 2010
  Kati - I'm not a vet so I don't know, but if your dog starts to show symptoms, I would go to your vet and ask for a recommendation to see a neurologist - sm.cavaliertalk.com/.../infosheet.html The Neurologist will give your dog an MRI which will show whether they have the condition or not. Best of luck It's now been close to four years since Bambino's surgery and he's doing just fine :)

• Anonymous
  October 31, 2010
  The comment has been removed

• Anonymous
  October 31, 2010
  Our 11 year old CKCS has this, (although we haven't done any scan) and it is very annoying, but apart from the scratching, she seems fine. Does anyone know what happens if left untreated? Do not scan your dog if she doesn't have symptoms, that is silly.

• Anonymous
  November 03, 2010
  Emily - It really depends on how bad the itching is. It sounds like your dog has been living with this comfortably for a while so it hasn't progressed. If left untreated, it can start to cause severe itching or your dog wil start to cry out in pain, which is the big thing we noticed and that's when we discovered SM. If you want to see videos of dogs with SM, watch the videos here - sm.cavaliertalk.com/.../videos.html