Degenerative Myelopathy

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Degenerative Myelopathy

Posted : 2/6/2012 1:07:11 PM

My almost 11ish boxer Maya has just been diagnosed with degenerative myelopathy. We thought it was just her arthritis starting to get bad at the end of December and we started her on Metacam. She did not get better and started to become a lot more wobbly. Just this Friday 2/3 she went back to the vet and was diagnosed. We're starting her on prednisone this week to see if it will at least help her for a while. Just yesterday during our walk she wore one of her toenails down to the point where it was bleeding, so I guess she'll have to start wearing a boot. I'm considering getting her a dog wheelchair, but I don't know how much that will help. She seems to get getting worse before our eyes and I really hope the prednisone will give her a little more quality time. Has anyone else dealt with this before? Thanks for listening to me, I'm very upset right now :(

shadowsgin

Posted : 2/6/2012 1:45:24 PM

I dont have any advise, just hugs for you and healthy vibes for Maya.

calliecritturs

Posted : 2/6/2012 3:28:18 PM

You might have your vet write to Dr. Roger Clemmons at the University of Florida (you can call the Small Animal Hospital -- they will give you his email). He's their head neurosurgeon and he is recognized as a world-wide authority on DM.

The BEST thing you can do for her is acupuncture. http://www.tcvm.com is the Chi Institute - on the left is a "locator" -- don't just choose the closest vet to you. You want someone GOOD at acupuncture and who is not afraid to treat DM. You may also want to find Amanda's email (Bevolasvegas) -- Bevo has Wobbler's -- not unlike DM -- and she uses acupuncture on him REALLY successfully.

Acupuncture reduces inflammation -- (one of the many things it does) but it can also help keep it from spreading as fast.

I'm NOT telling you to leave your vet -- I'm telling you to **add** a vet who does TCVM (traditional Chinese veterinary medicine) -- they have herbs as well as the acupuncture which are far more effective and yet far far kinder to the body than things like Metacam (which is killer on the liver).

Additionally -- you should start her on milk thistle (particularly as long as she's taking any sort of steroid or anti-inflammatory) - it will protect the liver. Feel free to email me (I'm at work and I can't take much time here right now) -- and I'll help you process all the information.

DM is really darned close to the dog version of Multiple Schlerosis (MS) that humans get. You can do a whole lot to slow it down and keep the quality of life high.

The other thing that can help is massage -- and essential oils can be really helpful there as well (Amanda uses them a LOT on Bevo too). I can tell you where I get what I use on me and my dogs -- both locally and online. (both Amanda and I use http://www.morningstarhealth.com -- it's the least expensive place we've found online but he's VERY good and very reputable)

This IS treatable but this is honestly one of those places where alternative stuff works WAY better than just regular vet stuff alone. This isn't weirdo stuff -- this works.

Callie