CDRM and House Dust Mite Allergy - Page 1

Hi clever people out there, I have 2 probs, 1 91/2 year old male with cdrm, any suggestions to help him, he already has 1000iu vit E omega 3&6 glucosomine and metacam ! He has suddenly started going dowm hill rapidly this week, (carts are not an option with me), but will try anythingelse. 2nd prob 4 year old Quantum son lived in house for 14 months now has allergy to house dust mite, put him out I hear you say, tried that he was so miserable,(and I missed him ), so I had to relent, so....he is out all day, on homeopathic remedies, given salmon oil and have changed his food from Royal Canin to Skinners,Duck and Rice, no wheat or maize just oats and rice. There has been a definate improvement but he is not cured. If anyone can suggest anything more I can do for these boys I would be very grateful.

Hi Sue, I do not know if I can actually help you with your 2 boys, but I can let you know what we did with our CDRM problem. We have had 3 dogs succumb to this disease - our first 2 (bitch and dog) were from very old lines way back in 1983 (slightly related in lines). Sari was 5 years old when we noticed she had a wiggle (rather than going straight as she had done until then she wiggled) - our Vet at that time was able to diagnose it immediately. He tried the usual anti-inflammatories etc etc to no avail and eventually she was put on steroids. She only lived 3 more years dying at 8 years old. In her last year she deteriorated very quickly and all the steroids did was keep her mobile which was not too good as she wanted to bound about and ended up tearing ligaments in her front legs and tripping over things as she was supporting all her weight on her front. She gained loads of weight during this time due to inactivity. After having her like that we decided that we would never use steroids again as CDRM does not itself cause any pain as it is more like a slow paralysis. Our long coat dog developed it later at about 10 years and he lived 2 years without treatment of any kind. He was a content happy dog who ate well until the end and never lost his dignity. He had NO treatment at all and spent his last days in the garden sunning himself. He was put to sleep here at home where he was a happy boy. CDRM is not curable, but whatever you think is helping keep doing it. Our last boy (10 years) had CDRM, but also had auto-immune skin disease so he was treated with steroids for his skin, but of course he also developed CDRM to add to his troubles - only he suffered vertebral collapse because of the steroids - we were in a catch 22 situation with him. We were not offered any other treatments. Since his death about 4/5 years ago our Vet say there is now a Vaccine that can be produced in Holland for allergies - they take bloods and skin scrapings and send them away to have them analysed and can produce a Vaccine for the dog. I know that way back the USA had a Vaccine service, but was told by Vet it was not always successful. Over the years we have changed our flooring to wood (no carpets - as I too suffered horrendous dust mite allergy - I had a course of Vaccin in the 80s and what a difference it made to me - apparently banned now)- I use cotton covers for my settees and wash them every 2 days, use a Dyson Vaccum Cleaner (fabulous) and also use a House Fogger every so often to clear out rooms - this kills all mites and other bugs. My husband does this as I would probably be allergic to the chemicals too, but it works. I wet dust all the time - never use dry dusters etc. I use Aloe Vera high strength (6000 mg per day - available from all Health Stores or internet) for a bitch with seasonal allergies and most of the year this keeps her clear - she gets a short high dose boost of Prednisolone (steroids) if she gets bad, but so far this year only a one week course - had not choice this time - chewing feet, tearing hair out and bleeding, and distressed. We are going to have her tested and get a vaccine if she regresses this Spring coming, it is worth a try. I have been feeding chicken and rice to all my dogs for a number of years and have seen a decline in allergies. As I am careful for myself with my allergies then it probably helps the dogs also. Usually use foggers when we are going to a 2-Day so we can set them off once all the dogs are in the van and then air the house for an hour before we depart. Also, fogged the kennels over the years to and it was amazing the amount of beasties there were (unseen). Hope some of this helps you with your lads. Best wishes Aileen (Allsala GSDs)

You might want to log on to the DM Support Group Site: http://www.mzjf.com/main.htm Good advice regarding dust mites. I've used shots to desensitize an allergic GSD, but I'm not sure if they can formulate a vaccine against dust mites. Have you had him skin tested?

My 8 year old boy has CDRM, alongside what you are already giving yours,he has a homeopthic remedy which has been especially made up for him (email me privatly for details)I have also started hydrotherapy with him as well. He was diagnosed this Summer (and his brother was pts this summer with CDRM) I also give him 'joint aid' as he started to get arthritis as well - and I cant praise Joint Aid enough, its bloomin fab! I hope some of this might help. All the best

Hi Sue-- Aileen's advice about the dust mites is excellent. I might give fogging the rooms a try. I've been using a can of Raid bug spray, myself. I spray my bed linen, as well as the removable covers to the dog beds just prior to washing. The water temp needed to kill the mites is way too high---colors would run, therefore, I spray. Also, the fill I use for the dog beds is latex, (dustmites don't survive in latex). I have wood floors with area rugs, that are regularly shampooed (even when clean). First, I spray with Raid--then shampoo with Bissell multi-allergen removal formula. I'm sure there are other brands, if you can't find this one. I came up with a regimen to combat the immune deficiency. Take a look in the following, to see my strategy: www.pedigreedatabase.com/gsd/bulletins_read/45050.html#45124 Check LMH So far, this has been working for me, Sue. But, if I deviate---my young male starts scratching.

I lost my beloved Dexter to CDRM on New Years eve. I found the cart was worth its weight in gold & gave him an extra 6mths & enabled him to enjoy life again. If you can get one to use outside I highly recomend it. In doors he will eventually find he can't move so much & will learn to sit about more, by a rear end harness (see Jim Colla or tap his name in search engine, he knows of a good company) You will have to support his back end eventually to get him in the garden & this is the best way as using a sling means he may get wee on him & that causes sore skin. Vivitonin helped slow the illness down a lot, it is just being researched for the CDRM, also from homeopath Richard Allport you can get 'Immune Complex' & 'Missing Link' to use for both dogs & do T-Touch & physio on him each night. Also put him on Vit C (100mg divided into 2) give for a week & if it doesn't give him the runs then increase by 100 mg every week until he get loose, then drop back to the dose at which his poo's were ok & stick to that dose. Dexter showed his first sign of CDRM @ 7yrs, his brother got it several months later & his sister a year later, but on this regime Dexter lived the longest & was very happy throughout & maintained good quality of life. It is the most heartbreaking illness to go through with a dog & I really feel for you, there is no cure just a gradual progression. I kept a diary & chart so that I could see how the illness progressed, there are good days & bad days. You may find him worsen when the weather changes hot or cold, but he will resume to the stage he was at beforehand. Also if he gets incontinent, get a urine check as sometimes they dribble a bit & as they sit down more get infections easier. Give him some cranberry if your'e in doubt. Good luck. email me if you want any more help/advice. It's the worse illness ever & has put many people off of having another GSD.

thank you all so much I will be trying your ideas as soon as ! Sue