Degenerative myelopathy - Page 3

Am so sorry to  hear this sad news;  if and when you might want some suggestions to possibly help him with his mobility, let me know.  There are some strengthening exercises and massage therapy exercises that helped my almost 15 year old girl with her mobility when I could clearly see her struggling, she did not have DM just the signs of ravaging her body for 14  of her almost 15 years of age.  Very hard to watch them struggle and go down hill and I really found it is possible to help them keep some of the strength that they do have by gentle massage, and physical therapy.  I just made the time to do that for her and she seemed to love it;  started coming to me every afternoon like "isn't it time for you to do SOMETHING for me" was precious time I had with her;  just she and I.  Loved it.  Gets a little repetitious, however well worth it.  And one of the strengthing exercises was as simple as walking up and down a driveway cut, slow and steady several times per day.  Nan

Did they do am EMG? A CSF? A tick panel? A free T4 and a T3? Test for myesthenias graves? Those tests look for different things than an MRI, and are used in trying to determine if a dog has DM. Please see this page for proper testing for DM... I am the Founder of the Degenerative Myelopathy Support Group. http://mzjf.com/test.html

 

My neurologist poo-pood Dr Clemmons program to slow the progression of the disease. I had 2 dm dogs and in both cases, there was a remission, using the DM Treatment protocol. 80% of the dogs in our group had remission while on the program. When I read about it, I was as skeptical as skeptical could be. I thought waving a cantelope over my dogs head, sprinkling fairy dust and chanting would have the same result, but I figured it certainly couldnt hurt. Boy, was I shocked when my dog outlived and outwalked his 3 month prognosis by 16 months, in the forst dog, and my second one walked for another 7 years!

 

Here is an article I wrote which was published about our battle with DM. Two Hearts: Our Battle with Degenerative Myelopathy, Part 1...

http://mzjf.com/2-hearts-1.htm

Two Hearts: Our Battle with Degenerative Myelopathy...The Final Chapter...

http://mzjf.com/2-hearts-2.htm

 

Beware, before reading.. it has brought grown men to their knees in tears....However, it is a very good education in how to deal with and care for a DM dog...

 

 

ask your vet if either swimming or some form of hydrotherapy could be beneficial.  in the future if you decide to get another gsd, i would look for litters that have been tested for the presence of DM genes.  there are kennels that advertise that their litters or parentage are "DM Clear"  even though they are far and few but they do exist.  and  i would still confirm this by asking to see a copy of the test results or look it up on the OFA website to see if results are recorded there.  i lost a beautiful sable male at eight years old to DM.  he went from running and chasing the ball in my yard to bedridden and incontinent in a matter of six months...it was the worst gsd memory of my life...i do not ever want to go thru that again.  i wish you the best of luck.

Lori

I would question any kennel assuring anyone that their dogs are DM clear. That, to me, shows a real lack of clear understanding of the disease and testing. 

8 years old is about the right age for CE, which is misdiagnosed as DM so much it makes me physically ill, since CE can be helped. 

I gave you a thumbs up for your post, but I will exclude the 'physically ill' part...that's going too far. Lol.
Had a conversation with a person on the phone who thought DM DNA testing is solid. I asked them, 'what if you buy a puppy that test's 'clear' or 'normal', and the dog grows up, you breed it, and then it develops DM in old age. What now?'
She actually replied, ' then the breeder owes me another puppy ! '
That's how misinformed, mislead, brainwashed, what ever you want to call it, that the hyp concerning the dna testing has brought the general public.

I would pull a quick DNA swab of it comes back neg for DM go from there call DR Keller at OFA they will help you xo

Excellent advice, Panzertoo.

IMO if GSD breeders still don't understand the DM DNA test results or the OFA breeder's recommendations, they must either be living in a cave without internet, or dumber than a box of rocks....or both.

I'll choose "C," all of the above. If they are that dumb or ignorant, they ought not be breeding in the first place, imho.

Breeders should hold themselves to a higher standard of knowledge pertaining to health topics pertinent to the breed. 

      LKB's post shows the problem of declaring dogs as "clear". The average puppy buyer will only buy from parents that are clears, being driven from advice given on Internet forums to buy from breeders who test their dogs for DM. Very few people will do the research necessary to understand this topic, including breeders. The hype of the test has given it an aura of infallibility.

       I liked that the neurologist didn't bother with the test, it has the potential to send you in the wrong direction. Exhaust all the other testing. I would do the test only if I planned to have the dog necropsied.