Wow! It has been a long time since I've posted anything about Sailor. She is still on the same meds although the neurologist said I could eliminate the supplements. I have cut back on the L-Carnitine only giving her 1500 mg. once per day instead of 2500 mg. twice a day. She gets the COQ10 every day, but I only give her the famotidine (like Pepcid) on the days I give her the steroids.

The best news is that finally the growth on her foot pad went away. It kept getting gradually smaller and smaller until it completely disappeared. What a huge difference that has made. Now Sailor and I have resumed our twice daily walks, which we have gradually increased in distance. Well, sometimes, for reasons only known to Sailor, she decides she has walked far enough and just refuses to budge. I can drag her along, but she is so resistant that I just give up and take her back home. Fortunately, that happens only occasionally. Today, as we were coming home from our morning walk, my husband was at the mailbox and I took off Sailor's leash and she actually ran to him for about 20 yards! We held our breath for fear of a stumble and a hard fall on the pavement, but she made it without a problem. I have noticed that she rarely stumbles when she is trotting along with her head up. The stumbles come when she has her head down and is ambling along checking out all the interesting smells. I think the joint on her left foreleg bends slightly when she puts her head down to get closer to the ground, and then it just collapses on her every once in awhile. That doesn't seem to get any better as far as occurrences, so this may be a lifelong problem for her. But, it is certainly one we can live with and doesn't seem to bother her at all.

Sailor continues to obsess about food, but the fat rolls on her body have all but disappeared. I wouldn't be surprised if she is over the Cushings disease. I took her by our local vet to get her weight and it is still 56 lbs. but I think she has lots more muscle and less fat. And muscle weighs more than fat. (I tell myself this, too, when I'm on the scale).

Sailor loves to play with all her toys now. She catches the ball in the air and actually jumps for it. She still doesn't run after one that is thrown preferring to stalk it and sneak up on it. We also play hide and seek with her stuffed toys. She waits in the kitchen while I hide the toy in the rest of the house, and then she goes to find it. This is her favorite game.

We feel so blessed to have our sweet Sailor back. Still not the same as she was before this awful disease infected her, but a long, long way from the immobile, pain-wracked puppy she was in February. Sometimes I become impatient and wish she no longer had to have these steroids that still affect her, but February 2017 will come eventually and we will begin to wean her from those.

I haven't posted anything for awhile, mainly because there haven't been any significant developments for Sailor until lately. We had taken Sailor back to our local vet about two weeks ago, because the histiocytoma on her foot pad continued to be the same size and to bleed occasionally. This time, the vet sent the scraping off for a biopsy, just to make sure it was a histiocytoma although she felt that it was. After two months with no significant change, we wanted to make sure we weren't dealing with a more serious problem. The biopsy showed that there was no malignancy and we would just have to wait it out for the growth to disappear (usually within 3 months). For over two months, every time Sailor has gone out, she has to have a protective boot on her left foot. The boot makes her stumble, which precluded any walks of any length. About a week ago, the growth began to shrink. Now, it is just a tiny spot on her foot, and for the past two mornings we have gone for longer walks - not just out to the circle in the cul de sac next to our house. This is very important because Sailor needs to exercise to get rid of the fat she's built up while on steroids. Hopefully, the next time she gets weighed, she will not be 55 lbs.!
Sailor seems to be moving better and often trots as she used to before she became ill. The faster she moves, the greater tendency she has to stumble. I am concerned that she may have some permanent nerve damage in her left foreleg, but she is so much better in the last few months.

Today, after 7 weeks, we went back to the veterinary neurologist. The good news is that Sailor is progressing. She has not lost any weight, but she has lost fat - doesn't have those rolls of fat that she had previously, but still doesn't have the muscle mass that she should. Her energy level is much better, and her neurological responses in three of her four feet are good. The problem still lies in her front left leg, which is the one that causes her to stumble. That is also the foot with the benign growth. The vet expressed some concern that after a month it has not begun to recede and also the fact that it is on the pad of her foot. Most are located on the top of the foot. He suggested we have our regular vet re-test the growth. There were a lot of technical terms, but the re-test should show whether the growth is beginning to break down or whether it is still the same. If it is still the same, then surgery is a possibility to remove it. We will make a trip to our regular vet this week to see. I don't see any surgery happening until our head vet returns from vacation in August, and the neurologist said that if our vet had some reservations about removing it (it is in a very sensitive area), we could have a vet surgeon do it.
On a happier note, the vet said we could discontinue the B-12 shots and the supplements that she now takes. I think I will continue with the supplements until they run out, which the vet said was fine. As far as the steroids are concerned, she will continue with the current dosage every other day for 6 more months. Seems like a long time to me - until February 2017 - but we will do what we have to do. My husband thought the vet said that Sailor had probably regained as much neurological strength as she was going to get, but I'm not sure that's what he said. But, if that is the case, it is still 100% better than she was 4 months ago.
Sweet Sailor is so beloved by every one she meets. The entire staff of the neurology clinic has fallen in love with her, and she returns the favor. The receptionist today said she was so sorry that it would be 6 months until she gets to see Sailor again. How fortunate we are to have Sailor, and especially fortunate when we could have lost her 5 months ago.
If any of you reading this blog are in the same situation we were in back in February, please keep the faith. There is hope if you get the right treatment.

Happy to report after one week of steroids every other day, Sailor is tolerating the new regimen well. She actually seems to have more energy and wants to play with her toys (squeaking them obsessively) and will play catch with her tennis ball. That is something that she hasn't done for a long time. She is still not up to chasing after a ball, but she does stalk it:) Her feet still get tangled up sometimes when she moves too quickly, but her gait sometimes is reminiscent of her days before she developed SRMA. Definitely an improvement. I have tried and tried to upload a video of Sailor and her ball catching and retrieving, but can't seem to make it work. Finally, I think these will work.

Sailor catching ball

Sailor fetching ball

Her appetite for anything edible (except kale or spinach) remains strong. But, she is very happy with baby carrots for lunch and green beans for dinner. We think she may have lost some weight or at least replaced some of that bad fat with muscle. She's weighs too much to hold her to be weighed, so we'll just have to wait for the vet visit to confirm that. Now that she is a year old and no longer officially a puppy, we will begin switching from puppy chow to regular dog food, a process that takes about 10 days.

Just a note about the growth on Sailor's left foot. She still has some bleeding when she has been actively playing and still has to wear the boot when she goes outside, but it looks as though it is finally beginning to wear down in some spots. Three months is a long time to wait for it to go away, but we only have two more months to go.

Happy Birthday, Sailor. You have reached a milestone in your life on your first birthday. We thought back in February that you'd never achieve this, but through prayers and wonderful veterinary care, you are here with us and you're a much more energetic pup than a month ago.
We are blessed to have you with us, even though you still suffer from the repercussions of SRMA. Yesterday you went to the groomer, which brought you back to us as a sweet smelling, freshly clipped and groomed puppy, with no problems from your foot pad growth from the grooming.
Here is a photo of Sailor on her birthday - she's looking better and maybe has even lost a few pounds.

Next we embark on the next phase of stepping down the steroids. From 4 mg. once a day, we will go to 4 mg. every other day. I am very nervous about this, but am hoping for the best. The supplements and B-12 shots will continue as usual. I'll update after she's been on this regimen for a few days.

Sailor has been back on a higher dose of steroids for 5 days now. I don't seem to see any difference in her behavior. At first I felt as though she were a bit more lethargic, but have decided that isn't the case. The infection on her skin growth seems to be healing, and it hasn't bled for two days. Of course, when we take her outside, she has to have a boot on her left foot. Getting that on is a real chore, and it really isn't an ideal fit. Because she still drags her feet, the boot makes her stumble more, so I keep a firm grip on her harness to try and hold her up when she trips.

Since her SRMA she has not worn a collar, but a Sporn harness. It is much easier to put on than a regular harness. It's supposed to be a "stops pulling" harness, but it never stopped Sailor. She doesn't pull much anymore - only when she sees one of her "friends" and can't wait to get to them to get some extra love. Sailor is much more interested in the people holding the leash rather than the dogs they are walking. She will acknowledge the dog, but then goes right to the person to get her pats and scratches. She was lucky today - she got to see two of her favorite people and was rewarded with lots of love. Both of them remarked that she seems much more energetic than previously. Since we see her every day, we don't notice the improvement as much, so it's good to have others notice.

Here's a photo of Sailor showing off her new footwear.

This is day 12 of the new regimen, and Sailor continues to tolerate the reduction of the steroids well. There are even some glimpses of the puppy she once was as she actually wants to play with her squeaky toys. Her ravenous appetite continues unabated though we have cut out the treats (mostly except pill time) and the table food. She loves those unsalted green beans, though, and I'll bet she'd eat as many cans as I would open.  Her hair loss is obvious especially on her elbows and her stomach. She also has changes in the texture of her hair - all of this attributable to the steroids.

Unfortunately, I had to take Sailor back to the vet yesterday. She has a growth on her left forefoot (I thought it was a sore). The vet did a needle biopsy and determined it was a harmless growth and should go away within 3 months. However, it had started to bleed and had become infected - another unfortunate result of her compromised immune system. Now when she goes outside she has to wear protection on her foot to keep her from traumatizing it. The vet thought she was chewing on it, but she never has. The trauma is from walking on the pavement because she drags her feet. Also, one of her eyes is looking a little red. I'm hoping it is just a little irritation and not another eye infection. In any case, she is back on an antibiotic, which she takes twice a day with a full tummy. This presents a problem as she normally eats in the morning and at 5:30 in the afternoon. So, I am giving her a half a can of green beans at 8:00 at night before she gets her second antibiotic. I'm trying to avoid an upset digestive system.

Sometimes I get discouraged because she seems better and then something else will pop up, but I am still so thankful she is still with us.

So, this is day 9 of the new regimen, and so far so good. I will say that Sailor still has major stability issues, but her energy level is so much better. I attribute this to a number of things - first is the regimen to give her the steroids in the morning and hold off on the nightly dosage which gives her adrenal glands a break. Secondly, she is getting a huge dose of L-Carnitine which is an energy booster and a fat metabolizer. Third, she has a B-12 shot once a week. She is so much better in the morning because I guess the steroid isn't suppressing her energy. She gets progressively slower as the day progresses. We had family here this week, and she (the dog who loves everyone) was so happy with my grandchildren. My eldest granddaughter had her "speaking" to the song "If you're happy and you know it, then you 'speak'". Sailor loved it and the reward of carrots was an extra special treat. Our breeder who offered a one year guarantee against genetic defects and quality of life issue has been true to his word, and we expect a refund of our purchase price. This is a wonderful financial bonus for us, though it is through no fault of his own. He has impeccable standards when it comes to breeding, but Sailor's unfortunate disease is like a roll of the dice. My advice to all of you with a new puppy is get health insurance - a small price to pay - and you may not have a breeder who is as exceptional as ours.

Day 4 of the new regimen. So far, so good, but when we tried to reduce the dosage before, she had three good days before the stumbling started again. Hopefully, the supplements and the B-12 shots will help this time. Or it could be that skipping the second dose at night instead of dividing the steroids into two equal doses 12 hours apart has helped.  It is such a random chance that Sailor developed this. She does seem to be a bit more energetic - maybe the B-12 or the huge dose of L-Carnitine (2500 mg. twice a day). We have cut out her treats (for the most part) and my husband has been pretty cooperative about not feeding her from the table. The neurologist said that she had also developed Cushing's disease, which deposits fat around her stomach. Just another bad side effect from the steroids. In the four weeks prior to our visit, she had gained 6 pounds and now weighs a whopping 54 pounds. She weighed about 42 pounds when she first got sick and when we brought her home from her hospital stay, she was just skin and bones. Now her treats are baby carrots and unsalted green beans make up the bulk of her evening meal. The L-Carnitine is supposed to help metabolize fat, so maybe she is losing a little weight.

We went to see the veterinarian neurologist today and have started on a course of treatment that is likely to last until 2017. I'm o.k. with this, but it seems like such a long haul for our sweet little Sailor. There is a lot to process from our visit. We will be reducing the dosage of steroids by half to 1-1/2 tabs of 20 mg. steroids once per day for 2 weeks. Then we will up the dosage to 2 tabs once per day for 2 weeks and then 2 tabs once every other day indefinitely. There is something about allowing her own immune system to produce steroids without completely destroying the glands that produce them. which can occur if we keep up the same dosage. We were warned that she might be worse before she gets better. We are adding vitamin supplements and B-12 shots - the vitamins are for her heart health. It is a difficult balancing act between the steroids and the positive and negative effects. We were very thankful to be able to see such a knowledgeable vet who has so much experience with this disease. As always, everywhere Sailor goes, she is loved by everyone she comes in contact with. She is a special sweet dog. We are hopeful this new regimen will work, but know we have a long road ahead of us.

After being back on her previous dosage of 1-1/2 tablets of 20 mg. prednisone twice a day, Sailor has improved, and is at least as good as she was before the reduced dosage. I had called the vet after the weekend passed to notify him of her relapse and to tell him we would like to see the vet neurologist in a nearby town. He was completely onboard with this, as the neurologist did his graduate study on SRMA and has probably seen hundreds of cases, whereas our vet has only experienced Sailor's case. He called the neurologist and now we have an appointment next week. We just would like some answers about her prognosis - and we'd like to get her weaned off the steroids. We want to know if she'll be like this in the future or if she is likely to relapse again.
Sailor went to the groomer today, and she is completely exhausted tonight. It is absolutely amazing how everyone who is in contact with Sailor instantly loves her, as she is such a loving sweetheart. She looks so nice and matt free tonight, but the groomer commented on her excess fat and lack of muscle tone. Last vet visit she was up to 51 lbs. though she gets only 2-1/2 to 3 cups of puppy chow a day (plus treats and a husband who feeds her from the table). We are just taking it day by day and happy for any success, such as Sailor playing with several of her stuffed squeaky toys this morning.
I did purchase pet insurance for Sailor last week. I know that this won't cover any costs from her SRMA (pre-existing conditions), but it seems like every week there is something new. Financially, this has been quite excessive, though we don't begrudge a single penny. My suggestion to anyone with a new puppy is to get the insurance right away. It is relatively inexpensive when the dog is young, and you never know what can happen. Obama Care may have done away with pre-existing conditions, but that doesn't apply to dogs (or cats). I will update this blog after our visit with the neurologist.

Two days after taking Sailor to the vet for the vomiting and infections, she developed a horrible sore on her rear, so it was back to the vet again. This time the vet thought she had been bitten by a spider, and because her immune system has been compromised by the SRMA, it had also gotten infected, even though she was on an antibiotic. The vet cleaned the wound and gave us some antibiotic cream to put on it twice a day. She continued to be so hungry all the time, so we began feeding her a can of unsalted green beans once a day, which had few calories and lots of fiber. Her weight was 47 lbs. at her last vet visit which was about a 4 lb. increase in a month. After a week of treatment, Sailor's conditions improved, and she was doing o.k. on the reduced steroids. Two days before her scheduled check up at the vet, she developed an eye infection in her other eye, and a sore just below the corner of her eye. I began treating it with the medicine that was left from the previous infection.

At the check-up, the vet and I decided to try and reduce her steroids further, as she was having so many problems related to her immune system, suffered more hair loss, and still resisted walking any distance. This was about two weeks after the first reduction. The vet said to call the next week to inform him how she was doing.  After only three days, her stumbling was much, much worse, and her back legs were twitching. So, this morning, I have gone back to the previous dosage  and hope she will not fully relapse. She seems better this afternoon, but still wobbly. Since it is the weekend, I'll wait until Monday to contact the vet. Very, very discouraged today, but hoping and praying for a better day tomorrow.

We are back from our sailing trip. Sailor did remarkably well on the inside passage and also on the first day outside in the Atlantic Ocean where we had seas 2-3 feet and a nice breeze from a favorable direction (10-15 knots) which kept the boat steady. On the last day on the voyage home, the forecast was identical to the day before. However, once we traversed the  4 miles out the channel, the wind quit and the seas were 4-6 feet. Sailor was fine until we tied up at the dock after 5 hours of pounding. Then she vomited, but only once. We were careful with her feeding, small portions that evening, which she tolerated well.
The next morning at 6:30, she vomited again. Then again 15 minutes later. All told, she vomited 6 times before 8:00 a.m. I already had a vet appt. at 11:00 to see about discharge from her right eye, but after calling, they were able to see us at 9:00. The anti-nausea shot was successful, but she had an eye infection and also skin infection from the areas where the steroids had caused hair loss. She just can't catch a break. Back on antibiotic and two meds for her eye.
We have started reducing the steroid dosage by 10 mg. per day and so far so good. She still stumbles, which makes my heart lurch, but usually catches herself.
I have trouble getting her to walk. She balks at walking - would rather just lie around. The vet said she has lost muscle tone, so I am determined to get some exercise in each day. Food (small treats) encourage her to move forward, but sometimes, she is just too stubborn and I refuse to tug her. Today was a pretty good day for exercise, but she is only interested in food. Any comments from those who have dealt with SRMA would be appreciated.

This is our miniature Labradoodle Sailor.  In this photo she was about 7 months old. She was a happy, energetic, and very loving puppy. She started her life as black as midnight, but after her first trip to the groomer, we learned she would be a "silver." She is still in the transition stage. This blog is about Sailor's battle with SRMA or Steroid Responsive Meningitis Arteritis which began shortly after this photo was taken and continues as she is approaching 10 months of age.

Sailor was spayed in early February on a Monday, and also had an episioplasty (to help prevent UTI's) and had two "extra" canine teeth removed at the same time. She tolerated the procedures well and came home with the dreaded plastic collar. For the first couple of days she was quiet and adjusted to the collar pretty well. By the third day, she was back to her boisterous self and slammed into doorways, walls, and furniture with abandon. By the weekend she had become lethargic, had vomited once, and did not want much to eat. On Sunday, we made an emergency visit to the vet who thought she had a stomach upset and gave her a shot to help that. We had removed her collar and left it off until Tuesday at which time she started going after her stitches. The collar went back on. On Wednesday, she was back at the vet to have the stitches removed, which went fine. When the vet brought her out and we were talking, she yelped every once in awhile when she would raise her head to be petted. Seems she must have a sore neck, said the vet, so we decided to keep her on pain pills for a few more days. By Friday, she was again refusing food and only sleeping with her head resting on her dog bed. Whenever she changed positions, she would let out a little yelp of pain. Saturday morning we were back at the vet. Manipulating her neck would result in pain, but only in one particular direction. The vet fed her some canned dog food (normally she ate dry puppy chow) which she gobbled up as though starving, even though she wouldn't touch her dry food. The vet put her on different pain medication, one specifically for nerve pain, and also on an anti-inflammatory. She said to keep her calm and quiet through the weekend and call her on Monday. This vet was the second one who had seen Sailor during this illness - different from the vet that performed her surgery and had seen her for the emergency visit. However, they certainly were both aware of all visits that Sailor had made after surgery and her condition.

By Monday Sailor was some better - would eat some canned food and her pain didn't seem as severe, but she still would not put her head down and some neck positions brought the yelp back. After talking with the vet, we decided to continue her on the meds and give her a few more days. Our daily walks, which usually consisted of long brisk mile and a half treks, became short 1/4 mile strolls, with Sailor occasionally stumbling. That was odd, I thought.  Coming back home on Wednesday, Sailor suddenly veered sideways, and I had to hold her up by her halter (we had ditched the collar) and help her back in the house. By Wednesday night her condition had deteriorated. When I took her out to relieve herself, she was in obvious pain, but she made it out and back inside. Taking off the halter sent her over the edge - she cried out and began shaking and turning in circles. I held her and comforted her the best I could, but it was obvious she was a very sick puppy. I stayed up with her and lay down next to her on the floor with her head resting on her dog bed. She slept some, but it was a long night marked with several bouts of pain and restlessness.

In the morning, we tried to get her up to go outside, and she could not stand - she was literally trying to crawl to go outside to relieve herself, but couldn't make it and urinated on the rug. We took her immediately to the vet - where the vet tech helped us carry her inside. She could not walk or stand. The vet who had performed her surgery was there. He gave her some type of shot to counteract the anti-inflammatory and then gave her a steroid. She had no fever, but obviously there was some kind of spinal problem. X-rays from the previous vet visit showed no disc problems. He wanted to keep Sailor there, and we agreed. Late that afternoon he called and said he didn't know what was causing Sailor's symptoms, but that she was seriously ill and deteriorating. He had called a veterinarian neurologist for a consult, but had not heard back from him. The prognosis was not good, and we really felt we were going to lose our beloved Sailor. Our vet wasn't too hopeful, and we spent a very gloomy evening visualizing our lives without our sweet puppy.

At around 7:30 I received another call from our vet. He had spoken with the neurologist who had, upon hearing Sailor's symptoms and condition, immediately diagnosed her with SRMA. Our vet had made the right call in administering steroids, and we now had some hope that Sailor might survive, though her condition remained critical. The next morning we paid her a visit. She lay on her side with an IV of fluids and meds, and was not very responsive though we did get a slight tail wag. On Saturday morning we once again went to see her and her condition remained the same. On Saturday afternoon, the vet tech who was tending to her when the clinic was closed called and said Sailor had attempted to get up and she had been able to take her out with support to relieve herself. At last, a positive reaction to the steroid treatment. On Sunday morning, a third vet in the practice who had come in to check her, called and said she was able to stand with help and go outside and was eating a little - mostly treats. She was optimistic that Sailor would be able to come home on Monday. The vet tech also called that afternoon and said the first thing she heard when she opened the clinic door was Sailor's tail thumping against her crate. What good news!

On late Monday afternoon, we arrived at the clinic to take our puppy home. She was able to walk, though very unsteadily, and was so happy to see us. The tech went over all of the medications that Sailor would need and suggested a spreadsheet like the one they used. Sailor was on three different antibiotics (in case the meningitis was possibly bacterial), steroids, pain pills, and two anti-inflammatory (one which was a slurry administered with a syringe). This was a total of 16 pills/meds per day, and I definitely needed that spreadsheet. Pill time (twice a day) was an ordeal, but I didn't care as long as Sailor was with us and getting better. Sailor had weighed in at 49 lbs. before her surgery, but she must have lost 10 pounds or more over the previous two weeks - the term "skin and bones" described her perfectly.  One of the side effects of steroids is increased appetite and thirst. We were giving Sailor as much water as she wanted, which was a lot. The end result was that she had several "accidents" because we did not take her out often enough. The vet told us she could get by on lots less water, so we started restricting that, which solved that problem. The second problem was food. Evidently, she had some problems with her jaw and chewing.  We elevated her food and water bowls because she did not want to bend her head down. She refused the puppy chow she had been eating (Purina One), so we began feeding her Beneful wet food, which she inhaled. She also was enamored of our cat's food, which was very small dry nuggets, but the vet said that would give her diarrhea, so we bought some Royal Canin very small nuggets which she was able to eat - expensive, but not considering our previous outlays.  After two weeks on all the meds, she completed the antibiotic treatments, and we were able to discontinue the pain pills and slurry for her stomach. She is now down to 6 total pills per day - 2 steroids and 1 anti-inflammatory twice a day.

Progress is agonizingly slow, but there is progress. If Sailor trots when she walks (usually early morning) that is cause for celebration. Pre-SRMA, Sailor would run circles around me at top speed when I would let her off leash or run laps around the ottoman in our den when we returned from our morning walk. Sailor doesn't run anymore. But, when she sees her friends (she's more fond of people than other dogs), she can move pretty quickly to get some loving pats. When she goes to the vet's for check-ups, she will try to dash up the steps, only to stumble and fall, but she gets right back up to see everyone and to bark at the receptionist until she gets multiple treats. That's progress, as she did not bark at all for two weeks after her ordeal. My heart skips a beat every time she stumbles (especially when the terrain is uneven or thick) but she recovers. She was a great ball catcher, retriever, never tiring of the game, but now she will mouth the ball and occasionally slowly go after one slowly rolled away from her. It is wonderful if she shows interest in her squeaky toys. She is now back on her regular puppy chow, no longer has to have her food bowls elevated, and is back up to 45 lbs. She is a long way from the dog she once was, but we are hopeful of a full recovery. Something that has never changed is her sweetness and her intelligence.

I have done so many searches on the internet for SRMA, and while I find a good bit of information about the disease itself, there isn't much about what happens from the diagnosis to the recovery except to say that each dog's journey is different. My purpose in writing this blog is to take you along on Sailor's journey - the ups and downs - to, hopefully, complete remission. Sailor just went back to her groomer after 3 months, and she noted that Sailor definitely has some stability issues. We are about to begin stepping down the steroid dosage from 80 mg. per day to 60 mg. If there are no adverse effects, we may decrease the dosage in another month. This may go on for 10-20 months - we just don't know. While the literature says this is a well-documented disease, not one of the three vets in the practice we use (which has a combined history of 55 years of practice) had ever seen a case of this - Sailor was the first. Thankfully, the neurologist who diagnosed Sailor, and by doing so saved her life, did his doctorate on this disease. Of course, now our three vets have become well versed in the symptoms and treatment of SRMA. We don't know (nor probably ever will know) what caused this to happen. Was it the extensive surgery? the plastic collar? environment? immune system? a cruel twist of nature? But, the fact is that it did happen and now we will deal with it and are grateful for the treatment she has received from the vets who love her.

Next week, Sailor will accompany us on a week-long sailing trip. She is a boat dog and is aptly named. She will love the undivided attention she receives on the boat, but we will see if the motion on the water will affect her progress. Stay tuned for future updates on her progress. If you have a dog who is experiencing SRMA, you have my sympathy, and I 'll be more than happy to share any knowledge I have about dealing with it. As far as the disease itself, your veterinarian is your best resource.