Wednesday, February 13, 2013
Arachnoid Cyst
Benjamin's CT Scan last week revealed some interesting results. The CT Scan showed that Benjamin's spine and discs are in great shape, however, he has an intradural arachnoid cyst. I had never heard of an arachnoid cyst and the specialist informed me that it is actually a pretty rare condition. In the 13 years that our specialist has been practicing, she has seen this condition in less than 10 cases.
It's my understanding that arachnoid cysts are also hereditary. There is a good chance that Benny has had this condition since he was a puppy. It was probably so small at that time that it did not cause him any discomfort. Now that the cyst has grown in size, it is putting pressure on his spine and causing him a lot of pain.
Surgically removing the cyst is a possibility, but not our best option. The specialist informed us that arachnoid cysts are very slow growers. However, removing it surgically causes its growth rate to drastically increase. So, in the short term, surgery is a great option, but it is not the best in the long term.
Right now, Benny is on a course of steroids to help with the inflammation caused by the cyst. Hopefully, that will help him feel better and increase his mobility. However, staying on steroids is not a viable option either. So we need to figure out the smallest dose that keeps his inflammation to a minimum and most likely cycle him on and off that. This treatment with require a lot of trial and error to get the right dosage.
Right now, the first round of steroids has Benny feeling better. He is walking much better and is back to lifting his leg when he pees which is a great sign! Benny not lifting his leg to pee was definitely something that raised a red flag for us. The only thing that would be more out of the ordinary for him is not eating. And now that he has been on steroids for a few days his appetite is stronger than ever!
The other piece of news that has me very concerned is that a chest x-ray revealed that Benjamin has a collapsed trachea. When I spoke to the specialist she described it as more of a "narrowing", but when I read collapsed trachea on his diagnosis sheet I almost hit the floor. I learned all I need to know about collapsed tracheas from Sol and I can't imagine going through that again.
Right now we are adopting a wait and see approach to see how Benny responds to the steroids. I will keep you updated as we know more.
Minnie, Mack and Mario
02/13/2013
Lots of hugs and puggie juju for Benny! He has the best care and know he is in good hands!
Drools and licks,
Minnie, Mack and Mario