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Campaign to improve the health of Pedigree Dogs
Bonnie's Story - Page 2
The neurological examination and MRI scan revealed all. Bonnie had severe Syringomyelia. Part of her cerebellum herniated through the back of her skull, and there were three large syrinxes (fluid filled pockets), in her spinal cord. In fact most of Bonnie's spinal cord had been destroyed - the white colour of the fluid present instead of the black solid colour of a healthy spinal cord. As the neurologist put it, 'a rod had become a tube'. The vets were astonished that Bonnie had managed as well as she did.
The neurological examination and MRI scan revealed all. Bonnie had severe Syringomyelia. Part of her cerebellum herniated through the back of her skull, and there were three large syrinxes (fluid filled pockets), in her spinal cord. In fact most of Bonnie's spinal cord had been destroyed - the white colour of the fluid present instead of the black solid colour of a healthy spinal cord. As the neurologist put it, 'a rod had become a tube'. The vets were astonished that Bonnie had managed as well as she did.
I was devastated to discover how much damage my beloved Bonnie had sustained, and how much pain she must have been in. I turned to the internet and found a website which another pet owner had set up, whose Cavalier had also suffered from Syringomyelia. There I learned about the work of Geoff Skerritt, a neurologist in Cheshire, who had been performing a surgical procedure known as sub-arachnoid shunting. I also learned of the work of Clare Rusbridge who was researching the mode of inheritance of Syringomyelia.
I decided that Bonnie's best chance was to have the surgery performed by Mr Skerritt, and so I took time off work and drove the two hundred miles to Cheshire. Leaving her there, so far from home, was awful, but I believed that I would be bringing home a beloved companion who would no longer be in pain, or unable to walk without 'scratching'.
This was not to be. Although Bonnie seemed better in herself for a while, her leg 'scratched' just as before and I could see that she was becoming more and more disabled. Six months or so post surgery, the episodes of severe pain started again and we returned to Cheshire. Bonnie was re-scanned and the shunt was judged to be in place and working. There was no more that could be done.
My own vet did warn me that I should be prepared for the time when Bonnie's quality of life would be such that euthanasia would be the only course of action to take. For some time, however, in spite of everything, Bonnie was still a happy, lively and sociable little dog. She could enjoy the garden, even go for short walks, and greeted every family member and visitor with a waggy tail.
But Bonnie tired easily, and whimpered when driven to distraction by the irritation (burning sensation?) around her neck and ears. This was always worse when she became excited, and I tried to avoid any situation which might trigger her symptoms, such as visiting other people, or doing too much, or getting too warm.
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