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ForumsGerman Shepherd Dog > Our struggle with Degenerative Myelopathy (73 replies)
Our struggle with Degenerative Myelopathy by AndyG on 16 March 2012 - 02:23 |
| I wanted to share our two years' experience of struggling with Degenerative Myelopathy. In February 2010, our brilliant Golo vom Rabenbusch was diagnosed with MD. He was 12 years and two months by that time. Everything happened instantly - he collapsed during a walk and could not move his left hind leg at all. His leg was completely lifeless, no reflexes at all. Now I understand some worrying signs of DM like dragging his foot, that we were supposed to see before, but unfortunately we had known nothing about DM when it happened. The local vet inspected Golo the same day yet could not suggest anything. Since I understood that it should be related somehow with the nervous system, I asked the vet to give him a strong injection of B12 with C. When we got back home, Golo could not walk at all unless being supported. He could not even stand to pee.... we had to lift him up and press the stomach to empty his bladder. I am not a doctor but had a very strong feeling that we don't have a lot of time before it becomes irreversible. So, my wife started scratching his forehead and belly to trigger some leg movements. Then, I started a gentle Shiatsu massage along his spinal cord. I was keeping his left leg in one hand while applying tapping massage on two sides of the spinal cord, from the neck to the bottom. When moving down along the spine, I noticed a tiny area where he was still showing some leg reflexes. That area I was focusing on for 5-7 min of a single massage session. Since it was obvious that our vets are most useless in that case, I searched the Internet and found Dr Clemmons; contacted him and got the "manual" how to apply EACA and NAC. It was quite difficult to find the medication in Australia... took me another 7-8 days to get it. Before that, we had been giving him huge doses of B12 supplementing with Celery, Cranberry, and Fish Oil. Nevertheless, before we started Dr Clemmons method, Golo was feeling slightly better and could walk a few meters. This is a brief summary of what we had been doing: 1) Aminocaproic acid (EACA) and n-acetylcysteine (NAC). Golo could not take Dr Clemmons' recommended NAC dose because of strong vomiting. We had to decrease the NAC doze two times. 2) Vitamins B12, B6, E, Omega, Celery Oil. 3) Diet: rice and boiled chicken breasts. Cheese to wrap the pills up. 4) Exercises. A lot of exercises every day. During the first week, when he could hardly walk, we were taking him to the forest which he loved most. Then I was massaging his back 3-4 min and forced him to walk a few meters. Then again and again. In about a month, step-by-step, we managed to increase it to quite long distances. 5) Massage - see above. 3-5 times a day during the first month, then 1-2 times a day. 5) Keep the interest in life. Heavy EACA and NAC doses make dog apathetic. We tried to trigger his interest by going to the places he liked, socializing with other dogs etc. I think it is one of the most important elements here. 6) Telling him that he is very strong and healthy. Every dog trusts his owner unconditionally. These words act like hypnosis. In a month time, he was feeling much better and we continued our usual long walks on the beach and in the forest. We had been continuing EACA and NAC medication for a year or so, though giving him some breaks of three weeks after a three weeks of medication. Though sometimes he was dragging his foot and limping (not even all the time!!!), his life (and ours) got back to normal. Usually people advise against stairs for dogs with DM. I have to disagree. To struggle with that disaster, dogs need a lot of exercise. That's why Golo was climbing to the second floor on carpeted stairs every day. First, under our control - supporting his back, then completely alone. The bottom line of this story. Don't give up on your dog. Fight for him/her as long as you can. Yes, DM is a terrible disease yet possible to fight. Golo has passed away this week, on March 14, 2012. He lived 14 years and 3.5 months, the last two years with DM. Until his last day, Golo could walk and had been living a full life - not as a disabled dog! We are very grateful for being given these two years. I hope this may help someone. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions. |
by jdiaz1791 on 16 March 2012 - 07:45 |
| I am sure Golo is happy where he is now. Thank you for sharing, helps us breeders realized how traumatic this disease and to start testing our stock on DM..and thank you for being a great parent..Good Luck |
jdiaz1791 by Nellie on 16 March 2012 - 10:47 |
| How wonderful you were not to give up on Golo, and at a time like this it must of been hard to tell everyone your story, but thankyou for sharing. Sometimes it is all to easy to follow vets advice especialy when it is a dog of some yrs to be told to PTS. I to had a male suffer with DM yrs ago and i had my ostiopath help me to help him. It was time consuming but worth every min. He was never as bad as Golo and 18 month after diagnoses he had lung cancer at that time i decided to give him rest. Breeders must be more awear and test all breeding stock and owners out their batteling with DM, their are ways to help cope with this condition. Quality of life is important and must be rembered at all times . R.I.P Golo |
Nellie by Nancy on 16 March 2012 - 11:32 |
| It is wonderful what you did with you dog but, recently, having gone through some spinal issues with quick onset are you 100% sure your dog had DM and not a stroke in his spine? |
by beetree on 16 March 2012 - 11:53 |
| Doesn't sound like DM to me either. They do not get better. At all. |
beetree by AndyG on 16 March 2012 - 12:28 |
| It was DM, 100% with all usual symptoms like walking on his toes ("knuckling"), excessive nail wearing etc. We also did X-Rays of the spinal cord and a lot of neuro tests that rulled out other options. DM is a slow insidious disease not an acute one. Now I can see that Golo started developing it a long time ago, perhaps 3-4 years before Feb 2010. Unfortunately, we could not interpret these signs. For people that say that "they don't get better" I would recommend to speak with Dr Clemmons and read his case studies. Actually, we didn't manage to cure DM completely, which I think is impossible. What we did was (a) recovered him from the crisis to some acceptable and stable conditions and (b) managed to keep him like that for two years. Yes, he had been limping and knuckling from time to time, however his condition didn't get worse. Also, I don't think that applying only Dr Clemmons' method would be enough. It was a combination of all mentioned ingredients. |
by beetree on 16 March 2012 - 12:50 |
| I'll pass on that. They don't get better and I think it is a disservice to give a sense of false hope, and not to mention the huge expense for a questionable quality of life. I'm glad your situation was different, or at least you feel that it was. |
by Nancy on 16 March 2012 - 13:03 |
| I have heard many good things about the Clemmons protocol but I, too, think that unless you have a necropsy report you cannot make the claim that for sure what you had was DM. As far as I know that is the only way to get a TRUE diagnosis and many things have similar symptoms. My own dog has spinal symptoms and the veterinary specialists that I did work with explained: X-rays give you information but cannot rule out FCE or Disc Compression injuries or spinal tumors; you need a myelogram and/or CAT scans, MRIs for crystal clear diagnosis -- Tick diseases can also cause the same neurologic symptoms. The toe dragging / knucking is a sign there is something causing nerve transmission issues. DM- there is a genetic test for DM - my own dog tested carrier (which is not supposed to get the disease), but that test has some controversy about it as they have two dogs tested as carriers who necropsied with the disease...either way......it is STILL a possibility but more remote due to the relatively sudden onset and the genetic test combined. --- In our case, we opted out of putting the dog through myelograms as he has shown slow steady improvement. Vet felt is was NOT a stroke because of the symmetrical presentation and the typical "collapse" that occurs with a spinal stroke did not happen with us....symptoms came on over the course of about a week. He feel that we probably have a disc compression injury which can resolve but the excercise and rebuilding muscle...well.... What you propose could further injure a dog with an injury as opposed to DM. That is the main reason I am responding. |
by AndyG on 16 March 2012 - 13:11 |
| beetree, what is wrong with you? Have you had your own experience with DM? Why deny clinical evidence on many dogs that managed to reduced the progression of DM? Regarding the "questionable quality of life". For the last two years Golo had been walking with us a few hours a day, enjoyed other dogs and showed a great interest in everything. Where is the "questionable quality of life"? For us it was worth all the efforts, no doubt. Yes, euthanasia is the simplest and cheapest solution for many. I have just shared our real experience that may be useful for many people before making the last decision. |
by beetree on 16 March 2012 - 13:15 |
| Yes, I have. You have no idea. http://www.pedigreedatabase.com/german_shepherd_dog/forum.read?mnr=164657 |
by AndyG on 16 March 2012 - 13:30 |
Nancy, as I mentioned, we did a lot of different neurological tests that all pointed to DM. One of the main differences between DM and Disk Compression injuries is that DM is a very slow process yet Golo showed typical signs of DM 3-4 years before.
Tick paralysis is also an acute and fast progressing disease. If it had been the case, we could not get any improvements by applying Dr Clemmons' methods and massages.
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by Nancy on 16 March 2012 - 13:49 |
| Tick disease can cause the neurologic issues in the chronic phase. Sometimes the acute phase swings by unnoticed. So what diagnostic tests did you use because I was told very differently here about how to get a definitive diagnosis. {and I left my first vet, then the specialist with a list of possible options very quickly} It is confusing because you reported you did not see signs before and that your dog collapsed suddenly. |
by AndyG on 16 March 2012 - 14:25 |
| Nancy, in my original post I mentioned that "Now I understand some worrying signs of DM like dragging his foot, that we were supposed to see before, but unfortunately we had known nothing about DM when it happened." Golo had been showing DM signs long time before he collapsed (3-4 years earlier), but we just could not see them. I only realized it after reading a lot about DM and its symptoms.
My first vet also prepared a list of possible diagnoses including all you mentioned. Then we consulted another vet specializing in neurology. He did EMG and different reflex tests. We decided not to go through Myelogram though. Both vets agreed that it is DM yet could not suggest any solutions... they have never heard of Dr Clemmons.
I totally agree with you that you need to rule out possible disk injuries before applying our method.
BTW, we also tried electro-acupuncture, but it was not very effective. That's why I didn't mention it.
Regarding Tick disease. We live in Australia and the possible tick paralysis (I holocyclus) was ruled out immediately, since its symptoms are completely different here. It is extremely acute with respiratory failures. If not treated immediately, it usually leads to death in a few days. |
by Nans gsd on 16 March 2012 - 20:32 |
| Thank you Andy for your informative post; I am so sorry for your loss and WOW 14+ years is a long time for a DM dog; you are so lucky that these last few years, thanks to your being able to get the correct information for him, were healthful years and still years of quality of life. Boy that says a lot for your studying about this horrific disease and doing what is best for your boy. RIP dear Golo my friend; Nan |
by Nans gsd on 16 March 2012 - 20:40 |
| People, just so you all know, DM hits every dog differently. Yes the symptoms might be similar but the initial onset is different as day and night for each dog. Short, long, devastating, mild symptoms and some can deal with their disease for a long time, some don't have that option at all. Can be short, but deadly and may have been coming on for a long time, symptoms could have been too suttle to notice until too late, especially in young dogs. ALL dogs are different, all breeds have different levels of symptoms. Great days to everyone, Nan |
by Abby Normal on 16 March 2012 - 21:57 |
| I must be honest, my first thought was that this was unlikely to be DM. Nobody wants to argue especially when one has lost a beloved dog, and you did wonderfully well to help your dog whatever the cause may have been. However I do agree that it is misleading to suggest that DM can be 'reversed' for any length of time, and may give false hope. Nan, the presentation and progression of DM in the GSD are not usually all that variable, in fact they are normally very predictable and improvement, as beetree said, just doesn't happen. Sometimes you can achieve a plateau for a period of time, but not a dramatic improvement as the OP reports, which does suggest a condition other than DM. Could have been a fibrocartilaginous embolism? The fact is we will never know what your dog had. I am glad that you had success with your dogs condition, whatever it was. |
Abby Normal by AndyG on 16 March 2012 - 23:31 |
| It is amazing how people toss the statements to protect their ill assumptions and possible wrongdoing. Abby Normal, where did I state that DM may be 'reversed' for any length of time? Also, what about contacting Dr Clemmons and asking him for his case studies, what I did? If you had done it, you would have changed your opinion. These guys have been studying DM for the last 30 years or so. There are a lot of dogs that were able to slow down DM for many years. I totally understand all people who lost their loved ones due to DM. It is easier to admit that it was not possible to do anything rather than trying to think beyond the common concepts that could be wrong. This is usually what happens. DM in the GSD is a long disease. In most cases people don't notice or don't understand its signs before it becomes obvious, like in our case. Then it usually goes in peaks and valleys with some temporary improvments. If you happen to be in a "strong DM peak" the situation becomes critical, because you may not have enough time to get back to the "valley". If a dog cannot move, go to the toilet normally etc, it will affect other organs (e.g. kidney). So, this is a critical time, because, if the dog's condition cannot be fixed urgently, you have no options left. On the other hand, if you are able to help you dog to get back to a temporary "valley", you gain some time yet can delay the cause of DM, should you use a right treatment. This is exactly what we had managed to achieve: Golo recovered back (about 80%) to his pre-crisis conditions before Feb 2010. Then we managed to keep him that way for another two years, though he never recovered completely. When we suddenly got into the devastating DM peak in Feb 2010, we just didn't know what to do. I could not find any sensible information except Dr Clemmons methodic. However, as I stated several times, using only Dr Clemmons suggested medication is not enough. You need to do other things, but because you simply have no ideas what to do, you have to start experimenting or give up. We decided not to give up. The summary of the key things that helped us is in my original post. I know that many people were and many people will be in our situation. My goal is not to convince people who lost their loved ones that they were doing wrong. I feel that my obligation is to give people, who will be in the same position as ours, some additional information to digest and then decide. |
by beetree on 16 March 2012 - 23:50 |
| You know what bothers me? How you missed the toe dragging. Doesn't fit with such a meticulous type, that is how you come across to me. And you said the dog was collapsed when you finally noticed anything. Then you go on to say how you were going up and down stairs. None of that fits, to me. |
by Nans gsd on 16 March 2012 - 23:55 |
| Yes Andy and we all thank you for that info. Nan |
by AndyG on 17 March 2012 - 00:11 |
| You know what bothers me? How you missed the toe dragging. Doesn't fit with such a meticulous type, that is how you come across to me. And you said the dog was collapsed when you finally noticed anything. Then you go on to say how you were going up and down stairs. None of that fits, to me. Yes, Golo had been dragging his foot for, at least, several years before Feb 2010. Not very pronounced "knuckling", though it also happened a few times, but excessive toenail wearing. Sometimes when walking in the forest he could not not step on his hind leg, but we were thinking that he was stepping on some edged stone yet his foot is supersensitive. Usually we massaged his leg and he was ok in 20-30 min. Also, in Feb 2010, when the vet saw his toenails, his first reaction was DM. Well, another question is why the vet didn't notice anything before Feb 2010 as we were visitng him every 6-9 months for vacinations teeth cleaning etc. But this question is not to me... |
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