Thatcher has DM. Anyone use Dwanecart wheelchair?

[Rbastedo]

Our doorways are not big enough for the cart due to obstacles like dining room furniture. So far Thatcher can still get outside down 4 steps in the back and wander around the backyard, this seems to be a part of his day he enjoys, I always praise him with every step up or down the stairs and he seems to gain energy from that.

furrykidmom, you can have hope - if you get your boy a cart and get him used to it then I strongly suggest taking your other dogs out for a walk with him, that really makes a difference with Thatcher, takes his mind right off the contraption and helps him focus on the walk, the other dog, the bushes and light poles and the people and animals out there. Without taking our other dog he just stands there like he's all dressed up with nothing to do.

 

[furrykidmom]

Generally they are used for walking the dogs, exercise. Not really parctical for a large dog inside unless you live in a really large house. The little dogs have an advantage in that they can use carts indoors.

Don't let the other dogs knock him over, I know it's hard but they'll have to learn they can't bang on him anymore, If he's falling get off the furniture he might hurt himself futher so you either need to keep off or make him wait till you can help him to get off.

The sooner you can him use to the wheel chair the better, If you find one you like throw it up here and ask for input,,,I got the Walking Wheels myself and found it to be a PITA.

He still does not understand that something is wrong. Since there is not any pain involved I dont think he ever will. He is just confused when he loses his balance. The other dogs knocking him over is not their fault. It is not done during play so much as when they hear a bag open or a bowl and they all come running. Or he hears something outside and bounds off the couch. For the most part he is able to catch himself. He is just still so fast we cannot anticipate his moves. And we are not ready to start treating him like he is different. I want to encourage him to be independent as long as he is able too. I want him to keep his muscle mass. We are unable to take him for walks anymore because he drags his right foot so bad that he has worn the nails off. I bought caps for them but opted not to put them on because he is knuckling so bad that I think it is actually time for boots. We are in the process of looking for the right ones for him.

Many times when he gets knocked over it is my fault. We went to bed the other night in the dark because my husband was already asleep and had to work in the morning so I did not want to disturb him by turning on lights. I forgot that the baby gate was up and he tripped over it or got bumped by the puppy on the way in.

Or I am throwing the ball for the other two and he wants to play too so he comes over and gets in the way when they come back with the toy. I cant exclude him. I refuse to crate him while they play. He would be so traumatized. Like it is punishment. He is very social and he already feels left out. You can see the confusion on his face and it is just so sad it breaks our hearts. Some days one or both of us just start to cry. He is only 8 years old.

We have him on the Antiox-Q from the university of florida. They warned us that this has only been proven to help German Shepherds but we figured if it slows it down at all it was worth it. Are we seeing a difference? Who knows. It is such an insidious disease and every dog progresses at a different rate. We are afraid to stop it now.

His problem seems to be worse when he is just standing. If he is running you would not know there is a problem. But if he is standing on a solid surface his right rear leg starts to slide out from underneath him. We have rugs/carpets in high traffic areas but if he chooses to avoid them there is not much we can do.

We do intend to get our puppy tested at some point. I want to know.

 

[Gunther]

Oh eight years! That's when it hit my Struddell also. Sorry I was'nt teying to lecture you just trying to lecture just help.

Everybodies life is going to be diffrent now and yep accidents and getting knocked down will happen and no certaibly don't keep him from playing with the others

And yeah they can move fast. If he has a favorite chair that he likes to get in and he's hitting the floor getting off, you could put a big dog pillow on the floor in front of the chair. It'll be a two edged sword getting off te bed might make/cause him to stubble but on the other hand he won't fall as far or hit as hard.

Check the Walking Wheels site I saw "splints" on there that might be helpful? And yeah on Stru it was the left rear foot that started to give out first.

Sounds like it's time for a wheel chair, he'll be able to walk with the other dogs again and the sooner he gets use to it the better he'll be in the long run.

 

[Rbastedo]

That's the same way were are dealing with it, we are there to pick him up when he falls. Booties are helpful if he can still go on walks, Thatcher would scrape his toes and they would bleed without them. Going on the walk is probably the best thing for Thatcher mentally, I can tell he feels just like normal when he's walking in his cart, his old confident stride is back. He was momentarily confused about how to pee on a bush but then just did it, we didn't care he was peeing on his bootie, we could wash that up later.
I agree it's best to treat them normally, just like everybody else - however I do find myself blocking our younger Boxer in the house so she doesn't run into him and so that he can get his share of any treats.
One thing we have cut off is the stairs, there's about 14 stairs up to our bedroom and I just don't want him to ever go bouncing down so he is not allowed, and he seems fine with that.
We have a loveseat that's "his spot". As long as he can get up and down I'm fine with it, the area there is carpeted.
It's good to have this place to share our stories about our dogs, we all learn so much this way. Thanks for sharing.

 

[Gunther]

Found another link that looks useful guys.

Symptoms of Degenerative Myleopathy / IVG Hospitals

Thanks for the update on Thatcher!

 

[Gunther]

More info guys.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ezYqUJTbAL0

 

[furrykidmom]

Oh eight years! That's when it hit my Struddell also. Sorry I was'nt teying to lecture you just trying to lecture just help.

Everybodies life is going to be diffrent now and yep accidents and getting knocked down will happen and no certaibly don't keep him from playing with the others

And yeah they can move fast. If he has a favorite chair that he likes to get in and he's hitting the floor getting off, you could put a big dog pillow on the floor in front of the chair. It'll be a two edged sword getting off te bed might make/cause him to stubble but on the other hand he won't fall as far or hit as hard.

Check the Walking Wheels site I saw "splints" on there that might be helpful? And yeah on Stru it was the left rear foot that started to give out first.

Sounds like it's time for a wheel chair, he'll be able to walk with the other dogs again and the sooner he gets use to it the better he'll be in the long run.

Im sorry if you interpretted my response that way. I am not offended. I appreciate any help. I was just giving an update as to what stage we were in.

We went to the park after my last post. I posted photos of him and the puppy chasing one another on Facebook. People were PM me asking if he was better. He can still run like it is nobody's business. I notice the bunny hop in some of his running. Some people picked up on this and others did not. He just has a really hard time standing in one spot and he does not want to lay down. My husband drives me nuts because he is always telling him to lay down because it pains him to watch him slowly slide. He ends up in what looks like a low stack position. He never slides all the way down or falls over but it is just painful for us to see. I keep reminding my husband that he is not feeling it. He lacks sensation and therefore pain. Just leave him alone. If he wants to lay down he will. I want him to stand if he can and wants to. I want him to maintain some muscle memory.

We are working on agreeing on boots or a splint for him at this point. I want the Therapaws Dorsi flex assist device. It will prevent knuckling and still give him joint movement to walk and run. My husband disagrees and wants boots witha rubber bottom that comes up over the toes to protect when he drags. I am afraid that he will continue to knuckle because there is nothing to support the position. And with the rubber on top of the toes it may catch and make his balance worse and potentially cause muscle, nerve or tendon damage because of the tension now on the drag.

Any thoughts, ideas, experiences anyone??

 

[Rbastedo]

When Thatcher started wounding the tops of his toes I looked at our local pet supply and found the booties with the rubber all around.
We went through one pair quickly, the sidewalk is brutal to soft surfaces.
On the second pair I sprayed them with bedliner (black to match the booties).
After seeing the kind of things bedliner can stand up to on Mythbusters I thought I'd give that a try.
This second pair have held up a lot better, they are much tougher with the bedliner.

Thatcher is coming into the advanced stage in his rear quarters, falling and not able to get up a lot more. It's funny how when he goes out into the back yard (if he makes it down the back stairs ok) he just wanders all over the fenced half acre almost like normal. Of course there's the swagger to his hips but he manages really well. Maybe it's just a path he's always taken and the muscle memory is kicking in.

I have no experience with anything other than the booties and the cart so I can't advise, this is just what I've done.

 

[Gunther]

The bed liner is an excellent tip! I also noticed that the hard surfaces would tear up the leather boots! Actually that might work out better all the way around (bed liner stuff). The rubber soles ones were more of a problem for Struddell to walk in then the leather ones but the leather ones without the bed liners would tear up faster. Bed liner would give more traction in doors wooden floors and such!

Furrykidmom, I would be more inclined to try the Dorsi flex assist device. It might not work but then agin it might let him walk somewhat normally? The boots just help to protect the toes, we won't know until someone tries them, what the best approach is?

 

[Mega's Mom]

I just spoke with a woman at the place that sells the Hindlimb Dorsi Flex Assist (not sure if you can post the name of the store here). She said for earlier stages of DM (which is what Cornelius has), she wouldn't recommend because it's a heavier boot and the dog would tend not to use it as he doesn't have feeling in that leg anyway. She said it's more for dogs that are always dragging and knuckling (sp?). PS: The price runs from anywhere from $150 - 300 a boot. It's a lot but if it works, I'm going to try it when the time comes.

Cornelius is fine when walking outside but tends to drag and slide when he's on my hardwood floors. She suggested either Mutt Lucks, or anti-skid socks or even a light wrapping of Vetrap. I'm going to try the Vetrap and let you guys know how it goes.