The Pedigree Database: German Shepherd dog

I have a friend who has a female that will be 14 in May. She was recently diagnosed with Degenerative Mylopathy. She does not go on this list but asked me to see if anyone has had any success treating it with food, supplements etc. You can email me privately if you like.

Thanks for any info that I can pass along to her

http://neuro.vetmed.ufl.edu/neuro/DM_Web/DMofGS.htm

here is the info

hope this helps

cheers

I have found something that has helped my nearly 12 year old bitch.  It is called Bi-Com therapy developed in Germany for children with allergies.  They brought it to the US, but our government required too much expensive testing on a product that they knew worked.  So it was sold to veternarians and holistic healers.  Works best if you catch the condition early and have patience.  It treats the animal from the inside out which means that it may treat things that seem unrelated to the condition you want to treat but which need to be treated.  It is kind of like a progression of steps that treat underlying problems on the way to treating the DM.  I think there are somewhere near 30 machines in the US.  I know of three people (counting myself) that have used the treatment for DM.  It has worked very well for two of us but not for the third person.  Of course, it won't cure the problem but it has made life much better for my bitch.  She could not walk on slippery floors or handle steps when we started.  After only a few treatments she could do both fairly well.  You do have to keep going but can extend the time between treatments as you go along.

I have more information but it is buried somewhere in my piles of "stuff".  They do have a website that can tell you where the nearest machine is to you.  When I find my info I will post the site - in the meantime you might try just "bi-com therapy" and see what you get.  This machine is unbelievable - it works on numerous conditions.  I also use it for fistulas (spelling ???) on the same dog, and it is keeping them under control. 

My email address is not correct - will try to change it so you can email privately if you wish.

Judy

Me again - it says my email has been changed.

Judy

Even using part of Dr. Clemmons protocol can be very useful in putting a postmark in the progression of the disease. The prescription drugs work best on dogs with the late onset slow progression form - sounds like this dog would fall into that group if she was just diagnosed at age 14. Well worth the try.

Early onset( before age of 7 or 8) seems to have a much more rapid progression.

Tell your friend good luck and our hearts go out to her.  The hard part with DM generally is when the dreaded time does finally come because you and/or the dog can no longer physically manage the disease, the dog is still very 'present' in the mind and it makes the saying good bye that much tougher. But here's hoping that's a good way off for her and her dog.

I know about Bi Com being from Fruity Santa Fe NM.   It is very expensive here and therefore cost prohibitive for me to TEST it with.   I respect the lady who treats dogs here with it but not her pricing, as this totally kicks anyone out of their budget who doesn't have a small fortune.  

www.bicomresonance.com  for more info

So I went another route which was to me more price effective.    One is Zyflamend liquid caps, 2x a day am/pm  I know this stuff works for many ailments as I use it as a sufferer of Ulcerative Collitis which is a nightmare.  This stuff has kept me alive for the past 3 years where nothing else worked.  So I figured give it to the old dogs and see what happens .  With Falco vom Klebinger Schloss last September I saw the best immediate results.  He was about to 'go down' and I put him on it.   it gave him another 3 quality months to live.  

I now have seen it  progressing in Dian and he is in 'bad' shape.   I have Dian on Zyflamend since last september when it hit Falco but no signs in Dian then, and now have added Transfer Factor4 too,  and auto-immune treatment, as well as doggonepain for his arthritis.  

Another possible treatment is GOLD BEAD PERMANENT ACUPUNCTURE IMPLANTS:   http://www.wholepetvet.com/goldbead.php

Though I'm unsure if it helped Zuni, as I had him treated for his arthritis in just about anywhere, I asked the vet to cover DM as well, should he have it looming.   the great thing is that it is a low cost NON invasive procedure compared to all the other not so tested things out there.   GB implants have been around since the 70s after all.   Something your regular vet won't tell you about, of course.... 

OK here is my analgy and then ck out my links for health resources http://kerschberger.com/resources/pet-health-resources.htm

We are doing this to our dogs.  Feeding wrong & generational vaccination protocols. 

We need to stop doing this to change this.   Not fixing this with the band aid policies we have come so accustomed to.

If this dog is 14 and now just diagnosed I#m not so sure this is the correct diagnose....  It usually comes on a lot earlier.  And vets are not that up on the DM.  

Thank you all for your input. I will forward these emails to her and hopefully the information will help. I too thought it was rather old for a dog to get DM. The vet gave her this diagnosis because her tail was not moving much. To me it sounds like it might be a spine issue, trauma or something like that.  But she is fortunate to have her dog this long no matter what.

I know someone that was very succesful with accupuncture.  The GSD was diagnosed around 9 or 10 and had a good quality of life until about 12.  This was performed by Dr. Wen of Hampton Veterinary in Speonk, NY.  He is a holisitic vet.

Jim

Beaugsd:  I too would be very wary of a vet diagnosing a 14 year old dog as having DM based soley on the tail.  Like you say, a lot of things including trauma could explain the issue with the tail.  Is there anything else going on with the dog?

There is a condition called cold tail where the dogs tail is virtually limp or has a very low wag.  I believe it is pretty common in labs and ONE of the things they say as a cause is taking a working dog, most likely out of shape and letting/having it go into cold water.  Also might want to x ray the lower spine and look for disc/vertebral problems like spondylosis, this could cause the tail carriage issue and also knuckling.

Darcy

 It is NOT uncommon for a very old dog to develop DM. Since it is a disease that affects the myelin sheath, it just depends on how long it takes for this to show up. Yes, there are other possibilities but it certainly is not impossible for DM to exist in an older dog. I have a dog here now, being boarded, who was a rescue dog I adopted out many years ago. He is almost 13. Last time he was here was about 8 months or so ago. When I last saw him he was just beginning to drag his feet and I suggested a vet consult and the possibility of DM. He was seen by a vet and diagnosed with that condition. His condition is much, much worse now than then and I fear his time is very limited. He exhibits all the classic signs. To make matters worse, he is a dog with EPI, but at least we can easily keep him lean!

Cauda equina, a neurological injury etc., could also be a cause. Suggest to your friend that the best things to do are sensible treatments. Giving the dog supplements not approved or recognized for dogs only makes things worse and may well detract from any small victory gained by trying to slow the progression of the disease with legitimate treatment and therapy. I have several DM dogs who have used swimming for exercise and it has certainly not hurt, although it would also be difficult to say whether it helped any.