Sage’s diagnosis

Sage’s syringohydromyelia

Here is the follow up to our vet appointment in Vancouver. It was a very long and stressful day. We left Greg’s brother’s at 9am. It  took us a full hour to get to the vets. Since we don’t live there, we did the whole thing with our faith in GPS – Unfortunately we used my phone, and it wouldn’t talk to us, so we just had to keep checking the screen to see if we were going the right way. A very frustrating way to navigate.  Our appt was at 10am. First they did an examination of Sage and took her  history. The course of action that they recommended was to start with an x-ray and see if there was anything skeletal. Following that if nothing showed up on the X-ray, they would go ahead and do an MRI.

Neurology isn’t cheap

We agreed to do this. They sent in a technician with our estimate. And even though I thought I was prepared for it…I wasn’t The bill was for $2600.00!!!!!!! Holy crap, thank god we have pet insurance! Unfortunately, certain items are not covered, such as exam fees and taxes. Also, because I had not put through any of the invoices for the chiropractic or accupuncture, there was out standing deductible in the amount of approx. $350. So, the amount that I had to pay was $980.00. I should get about $350 of that back, once I submit all my invoices. Still a bit painful, but would have been much scarier if I had not had insurance.

They did the X-ray so fast, we hadn’t even driven out of the parking lot, and they called us and said that they had done the X-ray, and nothing had shown up, so they would be going ahead with the MRI. Both Greg and I were feeling pretty stressed out about the whole thing.

Distractions

They advised that the MRI process would take between one and two hours to complete.We didn’t really want to do much, but time moves very slowly when you are just staring at the floor waiting for results. So, we went on a mission to find a Tim Hortons; so that I could get a latte.

Since getting a latte only took up about 15 minutes,we decided to go to IKEA to kill some more time. But even shopping at IKEA isn’t that much fun, when you are worried about your tiny dog.

We wandered all the way through IKEA and only left there with a set of wineglasses. Just as we were leaving IKEA the vet called to say they were finished Sage’s MRI, and that we should come back to discuss the results. So we headed back to the vets.

Syringohydromyelia

So, here is the outcome of the MRI. Sage has syringohydromyelia. This is a condition that she would have been borne with.  Here is a link to an article that gives a bit of explanation.

http://www.merialvetsite.com/sites/townsendrubery/documents/syringohydromyelia-.pdf

Basically she has fluid around her spinal cord, which can cause pressure and pain. It is difficult to know whether this will get worse over time or not.  I am hoping that it does not. If this happens, the first line of attack would be medication. The neurologist advised that there are about 4 different medications for this condition. If things got very bad there would be a possibility of surgery. But I would only do that if she were in a lot of pain. Currently her only symptoms are:

• she drags her right foot a bit
• She scratches her left ear
• She sometimes yelps when picked up

Magnetic Resonance Imaging

So here is Sage’s MRI. This one is actually her. The areas along her spine that are white are fluid.I am not sure how I feel about the prognosis. I am glad it isn’t something worse, like a brain tumour or cancer. But I’m also sad and scared that there is a possibility that this could get worse. Either way I will ensure that Sage has the best dog life a dog can have. She is my tiny little baby dog and I love her more than I can even put into words.

On the bright side I am happy to have that vet appt behind us. We were very stressed out about it. Here is a shot of Greg and Sage on the way home waiting for the ferry. It was super windy that day, Sage likes the wind.

 

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