Degenerative Myelopathy

[GSDowner]

Dear Everyone

Happy New Year

My German Shepherd is now 12 and 4 months.

In September 2013 he was diagnosed with the above condition.

I am happy to say that he is still mobile and enjoys his extra slow walks.

His symptoms are: he drags his hind legs and lately collapsed twice during our walk.

(but fortunately stood up after several minutes).

My fear is that if it happens again I would not be able (of course)

to carry home 40 kg. I saw on Youtube a device which is like a leash

attached to the dog's bottom. It's a bit like half carrying him

I just am not sure whether I would manage with his weight.

I would be grateful for Your views.

[Jumabaar]

I much prefer using a Help em up harness http://helpemup.com

I have managed dogs over 40kg with it- not fun but comfortable for us both. The one you linked to does not seem to disperse the weight as much as the help em up.

Its great that he is still mobile!! It is the key to keeping them going.

[LisaCC]

I agree with a back end harness like Jumabaar suggested. I think Ruffwear makes one too.

I also suggest getting him some grippy boots to wear of his back feet. It will stop any damage from the scrapping and also help with traction. You can get some specifically for DM which have straps that attach to a harness and stop the feet from actually scrapping but I don't have experience in those ones.

Do you have some exercises to do with him from your vet? I found some very useful with my boy, unfortunately (fortunately?) he passed from other reasons before his DM progressed and stopped him being mobile.

Excercises we did included some hind end awareness, cavaletti and hill walking.

[VizslaMomma]

Do you have some exercises to do with him from your vet? I found some very useful with my boy, unfortunately (fortunately?) he passed from other reasons before his DM progressed and stopped him being mobile.

Excercises we did included some hind end awareness, cavaletti and hill walking.

Did you ever do hydrotheraphy with him?

[LisaCC]

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Do you have some exercises to do with him from your vet? I found some very useful with my boy, unfortunately (fortunately?) he passed from other reasons before his DM progressed and stopped him being mobile.

Excercises we did included some hind end awareness, cavaletti and hill walking.

Did you ever do hydrotheraphy with him?

Not available to us where I live unfortunately.

But he swum evey day in a dam right until the end

Edited December 29, 2014 by LisaCC

[VizslaMomma]

Not available to us where I live unfortunately.

But he swum evey day in a dam right until the end

Ah, thanks. I asked because an older Vizsla owned by a friend in the USA has this diagnosed. He was already having hydrotheraphy for exercise needs. His Vets are impressed with his mobility.

[GSDowner]

Thanks for your answers :)

My vet said that unfortunately nothing can be done in terms of treatment.

and that boots would fall off. I will, however try to get them.

There are visible wounds on his hind paws (I use antiseptic) and I am always trying

to walk him on a grassy surface.

My boy hates water so hydrotherapy is out. I give him Krill oil which must help a bit as he is still walking after the original diagnosis 15 months ago; and since walking helps his leg muscles perhaps some other exercises should help too.

[Jumabaar]

There are lots of land based exercises for maintenance- nothing can fix the problem but keeping them comfortable and mobile for longer is certainly possible.

Its a shame that he hates water because wading means less weight that you need to support but I also don't blame him (my own dogs would agree with his sentiment)!!

Boots are a hard one- they stop the abrasions but the decrease the ability to get information from the environment which can make walking even more difficult. They also change where his foot ends, so be prepared for some amusing moments! You can try popping some hyperfix tape on the top of his paws when he is going for his walks and going for the boots with the least amount of 'stuff' possible to minimise their impact on him. I know one of my clients has found plastic booties that look like tiny balloons has worked well- but not sure where she managed to find them!

Not sure what area you live in but there may be someone in your area who does rehab/palliative care that might be able to give you a specific exercise plan.

[GSDowner]

Thank You everybody sooo much; I have some ideas now

[sas]

My 13 year old Dane had this and over the course of 6 months it really accelerated. We tried a special harness but it didn't work very well for her, may have been the design.

Laser and massage as well as exercises can offer short term help. Long term there isn't much. sadly

[Panto]

Hi,

We have been living with this for over 12 months now - my girl is no longer mobile but we still manage and she is still a happy dog. I think she is literally the same age as your GSD - she was born Sep '02.

Jumabaar's suggestions are all fab, she has been incredibly helpful in our journey already.

Honestly, the easiest tool is a towel! Under the abdomen - remember the front legs still work and they will be happy to still use them.

There are a lot of things we have learnt along the way to keep her happy and healthy (in colsultation with professionals of course!). Feel free to PM if you have any specific questions.

[White Shepherd mom]

I am sorry to hear about your dog's diagnosis but pleased that he is still mobile after all this time. My dog Casper had DM for almost 4 years and was mobile (but incontinent) right till the end.

Although your boy doesn't like water, I would still take him to a therapist. They will assess your boy and give you the right exercises for him. They may also have a harness that they recommend and may have one that you can try. Casper wan't a huge fan of water but he still did hydrotherapy every second week.

I used the "help em up" harness on Casper. Thankfully I was able to borrow one from his therapist and could tell that I had to get him the special "boy" harness. Apparently most males can use the standard harness (as used by females) but if their penis is further back you need the special harness for boys.

I did get boots for him and they would slip off and make him drag his feet even more. So we made our own plan. Before each walk, I would wrap his feet with vetwrap (just twice around) and then put 3 layers of cloth tape (heavy duty tape from Bunnings) over his toes (not on his fur). I would keep the vetwrap in place with a small strip of sports tape (from the pharmacy)

There is no cure or treatment for DM but there are things you can do to keep your dog mobile for as long as possible. Exercise is your number one weapon. As much and as often as your dog can tolerate. Casper's therapist used to tell me off for exercising him as much as I did but it was nothing he couldn't handle and he lived longer than she expected. Also, keep him lean and take him for frequent vet visits to make sure he doesn't need treatment for arthritis or other mobility issues.

[mochi]

I've got some spare balloon boots if anyone is interested. Mine are the Pawz brand and are size medium (package says it can fit beagles, cockers, vizslas, dachshund, Tibetan terrier). And they fit my old corgi.

[westiemum]

My 15 year old Westie Mac (who's currently snuggling so much he's pushing me off the bed!! ) has a generalised neuropathy with pronounced hind end weakness which is probably associated with his laryngeal paralysis. He has acupuncture which really seems to help and he's on Gabapentin at night, an old drug but a good one which assists with neurological pain. He's also on Loxicom in the morning. And although it seems like a lot, getting his pain management right has made a huge difference to his mobility and quality of life. Might be worth a discussion with your Vet to see if either might help.

Edited January 12, 2015 by westiemum