Never doubt yourself, ask for a second opinion

This past week has been full of information with the wonderfull sm awareness event www.twolittlecavaliers.com that i give so much thanks for.

I want to talk about a friend that found out yesterday that her beloved cavalier has sm. My prayers are with her and i hope if she reads this or anyone else, i may not have the answers but i have an ear and can be there for you during this hard time. I want to share this not only because she is a friend but because of what she did. She got a second opinion because her gut told her something was wrong.

This week has brought awareness and i seen people ask my dog scratches does he or she have cm or sm? I can not tell you that but i can tell you what i wish i did thinking back on ella. Every dog or puppy does things (scratch, rub faces etc.) But i had a strong feeling there was more. I have told her story but i trusted my vet when he said i shouldnt worry. I doubted myself because people didnt see what i did. I know ella more than anyone else. So i should have not doubted my questions and asked for another opinion, which i eventually did.

So when a friend emailed me because she was concerned that there was something more and did not want to wait and see which a neurologist told her, i gave her ellas neurologists information. I dont think someone saying she doesnt look like she is in pain is good enough. That is because ella looked normal and fine to others. If you are concerned and think something is wrong, get another opinion, (not mine but a specialist).

I think ellas neurologist dr. Brofman is the best, the best to ella, i know, and thats what matters. She saw him and her cavalier had an mri and confirmed what she thought. Now i am not saying anything about the other one, just that it is never wrong to question.

To have surgery or not. That is up to each owner and each dog is different. There are no right or wrong answers. You do what you can and hope it is the best for your loved one.

I did that when i debated having ellas eye removed. I put off the surgery and scheduled an appointment in the future. The optomistrist is one of the best in the country. When he saw ella, he told me i made the right decision. He said he thought it was going to be terrible but he was pleasantly proven wrong. Even experts may not know what the future brings.

Sometimes you got to question and trust yourself.