Thank you so much Jim. I would appreciate it very much if your vet has any ideas. I know it would be hard to diagnose without seeing her or her test results but I am just hoping to hear that it might not be something encouraging.

Thank you for the disc book link too...that's the hard thing with this. It's not a doxie back problem, her discs look great. I had to have surgery on my last doxie for disc disease and I thought Hallie was having bouts of pain from disc disease these last 2 years (I think I said 3 but it's been 2 this June). So I've studied that problem inside and out and I understand what is going on when they have pain, the things that can happen to them after their first episode (once they have one, it most likely means they are prone to more), I understand how to treat it (strict crate rest at least 2 weeks, drugs to have them on, etc) I understand the surgeries and the risks of those, I know how to protect them from having a problem (ramps, no jumping, etc), etc.

But with this thing, I have no idea what exactly is causing the pain, I know it's the spinal cord putting pressure on things but I don't know if certain activities, etc bring on an episode as in disc pain (my neurologist says no but I find it odd the two worst ones happend just after a match or show). He also says I don't need to confine or rest her past her own self limiting which I have a hard time with since it's so crucial to rest a doxie with disc problems, it goes against all I've ever done. But he says this is different.

I dont' know if I should travel with her, if she ever does feel like going for a walk again if I should limit that, I want to know if she'll ever rebound to where she was before, or if our lives will be totally different now. I also want to know if this will get worse (or maybe I don't want to know that one) or if she could stabilize and we can always manage the pain when it happens...I guess I'm wanting to hear the good parts of all this and not the bad.

From what I've read about syringomyelia, symptoms range from horrendous to they can go months without symptoms sometimes. Again though this neurologist is saying that is not what this is, but I don't see how he came up with that since we didn't have an MRI done. But I am hoping he is right and that it means she won't necessarily have to go down that path!

I'm not good at lets wait and see and not worry in the meantime....she is my whole world and this would just do me in. She has been a very good patient and has learned one little "boof" has me running to her side to give her anything she wants...even more so than normal.

Thanks for letting me vent, this is really a nightmare. But I'm praying it won't be as bad as I am fearing I guess no one will be able to tell me that though one way or the other.I just want to be sure I'm doing all the right things to help her do the best with this as we can.