CDRM or Degenerative Myelopathy in Working Line GSD? - Page 3

Yes, Jyl- thats another name for it... Its called Cauda Equina in dogs.

Hi Everybody, here is an update: My dog's blood tests were today described as boring by my favourite Vet Lizzie, the results came back all in the normal ranges. In answer to the previous suggestion: Cauda Equina causes a lot of pain in dogs and my Bud does not show any signs of pain - and he can be extremely vocal and bolshy if he doesn't like something or thinks it might hurt! Apart from the wobbling walk, occasional loss of balance, inability to jump properly and the "pacing" instead of trotting, he is just as happy and excitable now as he always has been. (I'm the one who's depressed!) His backline does look a little bit different - perhaps muscle loss, I'm not sure. He still wags his tail a great deal - he is an active, reactive, high drive dog who really enjoys life. Next Tuesday he will be x-rayed and possibly scanned by ultra-sound. His UK hip score is 6:4 and I still have those x-rays, and some investigative ones taken when he was just under 3 and suffering with his sacro-iliac injury, so we can compare those with the ones they will take next week. I will update you again afterwards.

It is present in working line Sheps, although I had heard something about DM not being present in pure DDR dogs, I don't know if that's true or not. 

Peripheral neuropathy, possibly? Joss was weak in the rear and it turned out he had a tumor on his adrenal gland, which caused a peripheral neuropathy.  Ultra sound is a good idea :)

Hi Everybody, my dog Bud was examined 6 days ago, x-rays show a lot of problems now around the scaro-iliac joint which he initially damaged over 5 years ago. This will be causing nerve pain and also there is arthritus higher up in his vertebrae. I took his previous x-rays from 5 years ago to compare. The very kind and helpful Vet gave us both Gabapentin and Loxicom for pain control. But the main problem does seem to be CDRM, and the Vet had read a few papers about it, knowing she was due to examine him. She thinks that true CDRM can progress quite rapidly. Bud was very sore after the x-rays because he was manoeuvred into positions he wouldn't normally adopt, so the x-rays could get the desired viewpoint. He has stabilised a bit over the last 3 days, and I feel it is just a case of working out how much exercise he can do to keep mentally happy without hurting himself. Thanks for your replies.

I personally have been on Gabapentin for nerve pain.  Works wonders but there is a management side to it.  It made me very sleepy so be aware of that and the dosing is by trial and error.  There is a build up to the correct dosing level.  I never made it that far as the lower level worked wonders and at any higher level, the side effects were to substantial.

I would recommend asking your vet about the max dose of the Gabapentin and seeing about holding at below max levels if you see dramatic improvement.

I know of at least 2 working line dogs that are DM carriers. so If they are carriers, then there are also affected working lines. IMHO.

Had one puppy buyer looking for a puppy with DM tested parents. He said his 2 yr old dog had been PTS and the vet told him it was DM. I don't know what all tests they actually did, but was told dog was diagnosed with DM.  Dog was not painful, started dragging rear feet, loss of coordination, which progressed to chest etc. He said it started at about 1 1/2 yrs and by 2 was mostly paralyzed. So the normal may be in middle age-older animals, but sounds like it is  hitting younger dogs as well.

I hope you don't have this and hoping your dog has a treatable condition.

Best wishes to you.

i Think normal used to be older dogs;  currently much younger dogs are showing signs;  used to be people were not as observant as they are now and signs are just showing up more prevelent than they used to be.  My boy started showing signs at 3;  at 6 I took him in for eval as I felt he should have been at the top of him game and was not, was showing signs of slowing down struggeling with gate/speed of gate and just plain struggeling.  I am like no F++ + ing way;  this dog is only 6 years old;  what????  Just before his 8th birthday I lost him;  you can call it whatever you want but he could not even get out of his own way, struggeling to get up, and the day he died could not get up;  all this was escalating from 3 years old,  I had the eye to tell something was happening but did not have the knowledge as we do now rergarding DM and actually other problems they might have.

SO NO;  this is a dog disease, not necessarily an old dog disease;  and not working line/showline/or whatever line;  it is a GermanSheperd disease....You can test very easily;  thru DDC;  as leoretta posted a short while back;  www.vetdnacenter.com;  $58.00 for each dog for DM only;  I jsut did two dogs and they came back normal thank god one being my 14 month old Grocco vom Valicante/Anna vom Calcnro(SP??) son.  The other being my Samoyed  8 year old male that has shown signs since babyhood...??

Contact them and they send you test kits free the test itself is saliva only for $58.00.  Very cheap, very simple. 

CDRM and DM sure do seem like they have the same symptoms, at least in the beginning. Can see why it could be seen as either one.

Nans GSD, I am inclined to agree with you. I think it does hit younger dogs and because we are more observant  than we use to be, we are just picking up on it more.

I was wondering if the Vetdnacenter actually tests for the German shepherd DM or just DM like OFA does? When I spoke with DR. Keller at OFA he seemed to think that DM is DM, same in all breeds.

OP; Sorry to hear your vet thinks it is CDRM. Hoping that the pain meds will help you both have a better quality of life.

Weezy.

CDRM and DM are the same disease. Its called CDRM in the UK and European countries.