Degenerative Myelopathy in Dogs

Degenerative myelopathy (DM) is a slowly progressive neurological disease of the spinal cord in dogs. Degeneration means deterioration. Myelopathy is any problem with the spinal cord. So, degenerative myelopathy means deterioration of the spinal cord. It tends to be more prevalent in larger dogs, and we often see it in certain breeds such as German shepherds, boxers, and huskies.

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#DegenerativeMyelopathy

00:00 Introduction
00:37 Causes
01:01 Clinical Signs
01:57 Diagnosis
03:14 Treatment

[frvnxes]

i had a corgi who passed away last year who had this. and i have another corgi who is getting put down soon due to DM as well. i’m 20 years old and i’ve had these dogs since i was 6 and 8. i consider them my childhood dogs. it’s incredibly hard to say goodbye. i know i gave them everything i could though.

[idaho]

I had a boxer that suffered an accident, started showing signs 4 months later, I had a chiropractor coming to my house to adjust her spine every month, put her down a year later, hardest thing ever, she was 11 years old...I cried a river.
I will always miss my Dora.

[mattt]

Our boxer dealt with this. It was very difficult to watch and deal with. Luckily some wheels were donated for her, to extend her life. She was the sweetest girl and my wife and I still miss her dearly. She'll be gone 6 years this December.

[cosinguspalpatine]

We had an American Bulldog named Ruckus. Never figured out if she fell or had an accident but she just got worse and worse and we had to put her down. Holy shit I ain’t never cried so bad over a pet.

[ProfRoofs]

Thanks for the presentation. My prayers for those facing this condition in their fur baby. I wonder if there are any studies looking at monoclonal antibodies in treatment or slowing down disease progression.

[samjj]

My beautiful German Shepherd was diagnosed with this when he was 12, we got him doggy wheels but we lost him a year later.
I've never been able to get another GS.

[sandraruhmann]

My Airedale just passed with this disease. Our young regular veterinarian did not diagnose this. But our Veterinarian who moved away nailed it over the phone. I only wish we could have done more.
Thank you for this article.

[jennmerrill]

My husky boxer is almost 4 and came from the shelter with questionable walking patterns. We took him to many vets and eventually a specialist. He was diagnosed with DM 1.5 years ago. He comes to work at a farm with me and tries his hardest to keep up with playing with the other dogs. This is so sad to watch. So slow and so debilitating 😢

[catoe]

Thank you for this. My pup was just diagnosed yesterday and I am devastated - but knowing what to expect is helping a little.

[szatkown]

Breeders are now reputably breeding german shepherds (and other breeds who are known for this disease) without the DM gene. As our neurologist advised, the only way this disease can be defeated is by NOT allowing the breeding of dogs who have the DM gene(s). There are responsible breeders out there who are breeding responsibly. Seek them out. I personally don’t know of any but they do exist and are out there.

[SuddenlyIndebt]

Thanks to this video I was finally able to figure out exactly what my dog has. Our regular vet was never able to figure out a diagnosis. I'm not sure what stage my dog is at. Last year he was still able to walk slightly but would walk almost drunkenly and fall over. This year he's completely lost mobility in his backlegs and having difficulties pooping/pushing. We got him a wheelchair and that has actually been helping him walk with the strength of his front legs but lately it seems like he doesn't want to be in that wheelchair for long anymore. His head hunches down when we walk him with the wheelchair and his backlegs are permanently crossed. Sometimes he spends every waking moment yelping and barking uncontrollably and we aren't able to figure out if it's from pain or anything else. I don't know what else I can for my 11 year old furry friend. I don't even know if I'm supposed to put him down or if I should let him stay with us longer. Do you happen to have any advice for this?

[lollypop]

My beloved Boxer, Ali, was diagnosed with DM in November 2022. It is a very sad condition, no cure, no medicine to stop the progression. Aminocaprocic acid and Vitamin E may slow the DM down. These medications have not worked for my Ali. Taking it day by day.

[riflemanma]

I’m not sure if my rotty mix has this. Several months ago, she had surgery to remove a malignant melanoma from her *front* leg, and the day we picked her up from the vet, she had extreme hind leg weakness that she’d never shown before. It got much better as she recovered from the surgery, but she never fully recovered her hind leg strength. She started knuckling one paw when squatting to pee (and occasionally when walking too fast would scrape that foot) and having trouble standing up on tile floors, eventually falling into a sitting position until someone could pick her up and criss crossing her legs until she got her bearings again. I always suspected either a spinal injury during her surgery (when she was being moved to/from the operating table) or possibly a spread of the cancer to the spine, but then I read about DM and wondered it if just presented itself coincidentally with her surgery. She suddenly went downhill last week, only being able to walk with heavy assistance. Now she won’t even help me sit her up or stand her up and refuses food. She went from just having trouble on tile floors to bedridden in just one week. Maybe it’s multiple things converging at once.

[GhostbustersFan]

My nephew has a former champion greyhound that is 12 years of age. He started showing weakness in his legs about three years ago, but the last four months it has gotten worst. He drags his hind paws when he goes for walks and he has trouble breathing. He also has had instances where he'll stand up and just start peeing which occurs mostly when I try to take him out for his morning walk. He has an appointment on the 18 of May and I feel the diagnosis will be Degenerative Myelopathy.

[kevinjackson]

My Dog had this disease she lived about 16 months. I wish it was a cure i really miss her😢

[sylvesterstallonegalaxy]

My pet parson jack Russell is suffering thru it. We have rubber booties for traction but very hard for him to climb the stairs, looses balance when pooing and wobbles to urinate on posts. He is a fighter but we dread to see the progression. He is going to be 12 in Oct 2023. 😊

[TmHudsonArt]

I think one of my elderly Border collies has this or something that causes the same symptoms. Knuckling (Mostly on one leg than the other), rear end weakness...can appear like she's a bit drunk. She is also incontinent now too. She is 15 years and 10 months mind so she has lived longer than a lot of dogs out there. She still enjoys some things in life but she struggles more and more. I know her time is coming close....:(

[CharlottesCouture]

Thank you so much for this video. Going through it right now with my boxer. Back legs don’t work at all. Bought a wheelchair on Amazon and rigged it up to be perfect.

[jamieb]

My 16 year old Poppy has this and can barely get up. Last days now

[lilianazayas]

Question, dogs that have DM early stages where their back legs are weakening, this can affect them being able to pee/poop? How can dog owners help with them being able to do their necessities? 😢