My male dog might have DM - Page 3

Frisko

That is great news !  wishing you all the best :)  Please keep us posted

Lisa

Frisko,
Can you please tell me what DM stands for so I can do a little research on it.  We have a 7 year old girl that as a puppy had trouble lifting one of her rear legs, thus dragging it.  Some time she would hurt herself in the process of running.  We had a Neurological vet recomended to us.  After lifting her front feet and placing them paws up, resting on first joint she showed us that she was not readjusting the one affected.  She would just sit there with the paw upside down on the ground.  He said we could do a MRI and it might reveal the problem but he said that he could make a good guess at what it was.  He indicated it was a Neurological problem with the messages not getting from her brain down to her foot, telling it to lift properly.  He said it could get worse or better, he could not predict.  Since she was an exceptionally high drive dog this was sad to hear.  At her young age we opted not to go the mri route and just excersize and glucosomine.  She drastically improved and after several months he tested her and said she was good to go.  She has lived a good life, just not able to do SAR etc. for fear of complications.  She is now 7 and about a two years ago it came back but she seemed to handle it OK and was not hurting herself.  She just looks a little funny walking and can not run full bore any more.  But she is very happy and loves to patrol the property and do the job she has given herself.  We have asumed she is having the same thing she had as a puppy and apart from huge expenses with no guarantee we just let her do what she loves doing.  I just do not run her hard or play fetch with her any more other than very short throws.

So does this sound like DM to you?  I did not intend on hijacking this thread, my apologies, but it sounds like some of you have far more knowledge on this than I do if in fact it is the same thing.  I have never considered this life threatening, she shows no signs of pain or other symptoms that would cause me concern.

Thanks for any info and hope all works out for best with your dogs.  By the way, hers is genetic it appears.

Degenerative Myelopathy http://neuro.vetmed.ufl.edu/neuro/DM_Web/DMofGS.htm  DM usually sets in between the ages of 5 and 14 years and the disease slowly progresses and although some dogs go into periods of "remission"  or the progression slows down,  they do not "get better".  I am doubtful that is what your girl has.

Frisko, Please keep us posted. If the chiropractic adjustments don't seem to work, it would probably be a good idea to have your dog tested for DM so you know whether or not that is what your dog has. I sure hope the adjustments work and this is just a temporary issue.


Lisa, I'm so happy you now have a new wonderful companion, but so sorry for your loss and what you and Missy went through.  Yes, Shelby is the dog in my avatar- the sweetest dog ever and it breaks my heart to think of what she will have to go through. I know you know.... 
Char

Today was our first appointment with Frisko at the chiro. It went extremely well. Frisko was not scared at all and did not mind the chiro. The chiro could feel tension in his lower back spine. He used the activator and another instrument called something wand. Can't remember the exact name but the chiro will send us a link just in case we decide to purchase one. We can always use it on us also. I don't know if it's just a coincidence but after the treatment, Frisko was able to get on the porch which has 4 steps. This is one thing he couldn't do anymore. Our next appt is next Monday. I'm so happy, I'm crying but there are tears of joy.

Frisko, That is wonderful news! Maybe your chiro could give you some tips on massage and stretching for your dog- both help to relieve tension and will help to keep the body better aligned.    

I am so glad that your chiropractor has decided to help, and the first visit sounds very successful! Arco responded very quickly to his adjustments as well! It has been almost two years now and Arco has done amazing! He does still drag his nails on his back legs and seems to be a little worse now than it had been but still doing great and goes for 1 mile walks every day! I also learned massage and stretching from a k-9 massage therapist which has helped as well! Good luck and keep us posted!!

Frisko ,

Great news !   I'm still hoping it's not DM !!  maybe some sort of pinched nerve ?


Lisa -

We're thinking of having an x-ray done on Frisko just to make sure that it's not something else.

Starrchar: It's a great idea to ask the chiro some tips about massage and stretching. We will ask him on our next visit.  I do massage both back legs before and after a walk.

We're keeping our finger crossed!!!

Good idea for an x-ray, and maybe an MRI.  As a person who suffered from sciatica and had surgery, my lingering nerve issues where not solved by chiropractor treatments and the muscle strength only returned when the bulging disc pressure was removed from the nerve. My dog who showed all the signs of DM however, did not have DM and I did have all the tests done, but there was no answer for us in the end.