PhotoTales1

Holly was born 12/15/1996. She LOVED to
run and was the fastest of all of our dogs. We often wondered if she knew that something was wrong and that eventually she wouldn't be able to run. In retrospect, as a puppy, occasionally she was a little clumsy going down the steps. Right before her second birthday, she started to have problems when changing surfaces, especially going onto slick surfaces. We took her to our regular vet who suggested we have her seen by a neurologist. The neurologist did not think it was Scotty cramp, but decided to try her on Valium anyway. Her condition did not improve. He suggested having an MRI done. He stated that there was a good possibility that we might never find out what was wrong.

In June of 1999 we decided to have her spayed. It took her approximately three days to recover from the anesthesia. Due to the problem with the anesthesia we decided against having an MRI done. Within two weeks of having her spayed, she lost approximately fifty percent of her coat. I feel that the anesthesia aggravated her pre-existing problem (CA) and now I would be reluctant to anesthetize her again unless absolutely necessary.

After reading the article in the Bagpiper, I contacted Debbie Smith. I knew when I read the
that this was what was wrong with Holly. I contacted Dr. Bell & Dr. deLahunta and in April 2001, Holly was diagnosed with CA. It was a relief to know what was wrong after wondering for 2 1/2 years.

At 5 years of age Holly still got around fairly well. If she thought about her movements, she would use her nose when moving around. She is now almost 8 years old, and basically crawls along on the floor. If she is excited about food and doesn't think, she does better. There are times when she will get up on her legs and run with the other dogs to bark at somebody walking by. Her front legs are more affected than her rear legs.

Despite the fact that Holly has CA, she is a typical Scotty. She can be very stubborn sometimes, barks at strangers, LOVES FOOD, and when we travel, she enjoys exploring the places that we visit.

Barbara & Mike Botak

Katie is 9 months old today. She had short
episode of inability to move when she was
5 weeks of age and had a second episode at
10 weeks of age. She has exhibited a hopping
gait affecting her back legs since she was 10
weeks of age. She has had no other difficulties.
She has been diagnosed with CA after undergoing
a neurological evaluation. She is a small pup and was thought to have been premature. She is the instigator
of all of the games with her brother Gus. She is an energetic and bossy little Scottie who squwaks like
a chicken when she is wrestling with him.