Degenerative Myelopathy

[Poetic_thing]

Kirra was recently dx with DM, I know there is no cure, apparently not painful but I have started to give her supplements to see if this can be slowed down. Currently she is getting the following:
- Vitamin C 1000mg/meal
- Vitamin E 2000mg/day
- Evening Primrose Oil 500mg/day
- B-Complex x 2 / day
- Wild Salmon & fish Oil - every meal
- Coconut Oil - every meal
- L-Theanine 250mg/day
- Empower+ (4 per day)

Raw fed since 6 months, currently 9 years old. Is there anything anyone can add, that I should be doing? We do some physio daily as well as walks (weather permitting). This morning & last night was -29 with a windchill of -37 so no walk. I have her wearing her booties in house as she slips far too much on the laminate & ceramic tile - which helps her out greatly. Thanks for reading and look forward to hearing from you

Roxanne

 

[Jan]

I am sorry to hear about Kirra. DM is a nasty disease. It sounds like you are doing everything that you can for her.

It has been pretty cold here too, but not as cold as Saskatchewan. We are supposed to have wind chills of -37 tonight. Brrrrrrrr. Spring can't come soon enough.

 

[Poetic_thing]

Thanks Jan for your response. I keep hoping and looking for something more for her. I agree on the spring thing :D The weather here is supposed to warm up for Greycup Sunday - GO RIDERS!!!!!

 

[SherylM]

So sorry to hear about Kirra's diagnosis. My Jack had DM and he pretty much was on the same stuff except for coconut oil and L-theanine (this is going back 5 years). He was also on L-glutamine which is supposed to help maintain muscle mass. I pretty much gave him what he could tolerate from Dr. Clemmons protocol. As for in the house we bought a bunch of cheap runners and laid them throughout the house so he was not slipping and sliding on the floors and he didn't have to wear his boots all the time. We made sure to include him in everything, even when he was completely down. Mental stimulation is very important when her physical body is failing her. We were also graciously gifted a cart which was fantastic for exericise and also when he became too unsteady to stand and eat we used raised feeders and put him in his cart to have his meals. Yahoo has a couple really great support groups as well, as long as you don't get caught in too much of the grief that some members suffer, the group is extremely helpful. And I don't mean that in a bad way, just that you have to be able to separate yourself from it because it can be over whelming at times.

DM is not an immediately life sentence. Most dogs are pts from other ailments before DM takes them. DM is a journey you will take with Kirra, it will be like no other you have or will ever experience. It is sad, frustrating, lonely at times but it's also fulfilling, and loving and gracious. The very best advice someone gave me about DM was to "never, ever let your dog know that you are sad, frustrated or start crying in front of him. He will know it's because of him and he does not need that pressure. He knows his body is failing and he doesn't need to think he's failing you too."

Once again, so sorry to hear about Kirra.

 

[packblt]

So sorry to hear about Kirra. Hopefully the supplements and phys therapy will help to slow the progress.

Sending hugs and keep us posted.

 

[Poetic_thing]

Thank you so much for your reply SherylM. The only thing Kirra has dealt with is that in January and then in May she had a slight seizure. We are not sure why, but she recovered within minutes and was her old self immediately. I'm definitely going to do the L-glutamine. I have put down mats for her, looking for a couple carpet runners for the hallways. She does really well at my parents, they have lino all over, but the ceramic tile we have is hard for her. My husband and I play with her every evening with her ball, she is in heaven when she has a ball Rock keeps her busy too and we haven't yet noticed any sort of depression or mood change. I will for sure check out the Yahoo groups and take a lot with a grain of salt. I went through CRF with a previous boxer and that was a tough 18 months. We are hoping to take this as it comes and just enjoy her everyday and make her every day the best it can be. Yes I realize the emotion part and never letting them see it, I did the same thing with Dakota as she had more than enough to deal with besides me and my emotions. I really appreciate your feedback, it is very helpful and wonderful to know that there is help / advice out there.

Sincerely,
Roxanne