[107barney]

I think you should go forward and do the MRI and spinal tap if you can afford it.

I recently had an MRI done on my 13.5 year old dog who was having some sort of neurological problem. I made the decision after being fully educated about brain tumors, namely that most are treatable. I was fully prepared, in my 13.5 year old dog, to go forward to remove a brain tumor if he had one that was surgical removable. His age did not bother me or his neurologist when we made these decisions together. I was planning to draw the line if he had an inoperable tumor (i.e. pituitary) because I was not going to do radiation. Fortunately for our dog, he did not have any abnormalities on MRI or cerebrospinal fluid. His neuro symptoms mostly have resolved and were thought to be due to an idiopathic drug reaction.

There were two neurologists on my dog's case and all the theories they had were ruled out by the test results. I never did quite get an answer which was frustrating in light of the cost and time we spent and the stress we had. But, all in all, knowing what he didn't have really helped me.

I wish you the best.