How long do dogs with Degenerative Myelopathy live?

Learn more about Degenerative Myelopathy:
www.veterinaryteachingacademy...
How long can a dog live once they’ve had a diagnosis with DM?
__________________________________________________________________
If you want to learn more about at-home rehabilitation management of Degenerative Myelopathy, visit www.veterinaryteachingacademy...
Recommended products can be found in our store: www.veterinaryteachingacademy...
► Become a Member of the Canine Rehab Teaching Academy!
www.veterinaryteachingacademy...
► Programs for Canine Rehab
www.caninerehabondemand.com/​
►Connect with us!
Facebook: / caninerehabondemand
Facebook Canine Rehab Teaching Academy: / caninerehabteachingaca...
Twitter: / drjohnthevetguy
Instagram: / drjohn.thevetguy
Instagram VTA: / veterinaryteachingacademy
Contact and Inquiries: [e-mail] or fill out the form here:
www.veterinaryteachingacademy...
* The information in this video is not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional veterinary advice, diagnosis or treatment. All content, including text, graphics, images, and information, contained in this video or suggested downloads is for general information purposes only and does not replace a consultation with your own veterinary or rehab professional*

[@sparkle9482]

Awesome video to help understand this Debilitating Disease!! I just recently had to MAKE the HARDEST Decision to put my BELOVED 16 year old Furbaby to rest in our home on August 18 2022 it was TRULY HEART WRENCHING!!! I could not bare to see my Precious Furbaby loosing his mobility. I planned it out and I spent EVERY second with him for 2 weeks before I put him to rest. I wanted him to leave with Dignity and not suffer anymore❤ I had to let him go as HARD as it was!!!! Magic Mommy will always LOVE YOU🙏🙏🙏🙏❤❤❤❤

[@garethwhaa7476]

My boxer dog Mylo seemed his normal self in January. I had to put him to sleep 3 months later as he could no longer walk from his front paws folding under. It was soo shocking how quickly it progressed and really traumatic to come to terms with and watch my poor baby suffer when he had such a happy active life. Forever in my heart 💛

[@DemonBrandon]

You are not alone my friend. This horrible disease is becoming more prevalent due to dogs living longer due to better nutrition and knowledge. I hope you are doing well, everything considered.

[@telbell6414]

💙

[@BeesFitness]

I’m dealing with this right now

[@samanjaberi1739]

I just went through this. It was so sudden. No symptoms and then randomly she lost use of her back legs. Within 4 days she had to be put down due to degenerative myelomalacia. She was only 4 and born with the sweetest spirit. Rip coco girl

[@bretta3]

I euthanized my 14 year old Yellow Lab today. He was diagnosed with Degenerative Myelopathy in stage 2. Surprisingly he live for another three years. I put him to sleep when he could no longer walk or stand, I kept him alive as long as possible. RIP Jake, you were a very good boy.

[@id9139]

Our beautiful Labrador was 12.5 years old at time of diagnosis. She lived for nearly 4 years (minus 3 months) from time of diagnosis and we did not Euthanise her! We loved her unconditionally and gave her a beautiful Life and were 100% commited to her recovery. We were also extremely in tune to her needs and worked with her strengths and limitations. Finding the right help was important. We chose our support team well and surrounded ourselves with people who shared our enthusiasm for her recovery - Some vets have tunnel vision and just don't get it. We liked the positive and inspiring vets. We were motivated to help her and never allowed ourselves to get discouraged. We had both conventional and holistic vets. If they had the right mind set we had them on the team. If they had a negative mindset we cut them loose because their lacked the qualities we were looking for in a helping professional. How you treat any living being with a disability is about mind set - not qualifications or sanctimonal attitude. We loved our beautiful dog for 16 years, in sickness and in health. She had a beautiful life and a beautiful transition. We have learned a lot over those years. Mainly to trust our intuition and never give up on a positive outcome. Where there's a will there's a way. That was our unique experience! ❤

[@marijanb.7775]

Thank you for making an effort to grow to be a proper human being. It is nice to see that not all people are the same. I see some signs in my 13 year old girl but i am not sure if it is just her years or if we are set for this rollercoaster. She has strength but her hips sway left and right when moving slowly. It is very subtle at this point and i hope, now that winter is over, i can go out with her for more physical activity and the symptom will go away. We will have access to the vet in 45 days so i still hope for good news but even if she has this disease euthanasia is the last thing on my mind. I took care for my grandpa who had a stroke and lost half his body motor control. I will be damned if i do not try to do the same for my best friend. Have a good day folks

[@DemonBrandon]

My dog just lost the use of his hind legs. Thank you so much for the positive inspiration that all is not completely hopeless.👍

[@marijanb.7775]

@@DemonBrandon Your buddy is in the head, not the legs. If you give him enough attention and work around his disabilities he will look forward to the next day. It is the same with people! We all have limited time in our lives but the time we do have should be spent on our loved ones, especially if they have been dealt a bad set of cards and they need us to make their lives bearable. Chin up and don't despair, there are plenty of folks around us who have impairment and you see some of them with a shining smile. They made peace with the fact that they have limitations and they learned to live with it and how to get the most out of their situation. Trouble with dogs is that they are completely reliant on us, they can't just go in a corner and read a book so it is on us to make it worthwhile. I hope my words made a difference, Best of luck to you and your family

[@maryhardee5877]

My beautiful best buddy Aussie will be 8 in July. Recently diagnosed with DM. I noticed things changing early and got him to vet. After several weeks of passive diagnosis i questioned why no exams or blood work. I suggested DM but really didn’t think i knew what i was talking about since I’m no vet. Well, guess what, blood work came back and he was affected. Let breeder know same day. Now, my major dilemma is how to cope and handle situation. My husband and I are devastated and my dog just looks at me like”what the hell”. I can’t stand seeing him upset going to vet. Ordered him some booties and keep him active but he seems to tire so easily. This alpha male amazon boy who kept the home front safe and guarded everyone is just confused. . Sorry I’m rambling but who understands when you love a dog. Smart dogs are like a 3 year old right? I respect everyone’s view on how they manage their dogs . My dog doesn’t get losing his strength. He just seems unhappy and loves when i talk to him and praise him and rub and scratch and cuddle him. I just am so miserable right now.

[@G3NK5T42]

So how did your pass without euthanasia? Doesn't DM progress to the point where the dog suffocates?

[@wendysherbert3257]

We are going through this with our beloved girl…thank you for explaining - we are in stage three.

[@paulinawojewoda6084]

This materiał was very useful for us. Thank you very much. I had Border Collie adopted from puppy mill with this desease. She get sick when she was 1 year and 4 months old but she she lived 5 more years and lived to be 6 years old. Fighting and struggling for everyday. Thank you for your films. ❤That was very useful and Iit helped to understand her struggle and the problems of particular stages of the disease especially with breathing.

[@Rachel-ho9kx]

I had my beloved Dottie Zoe laid to rest. What I thought was arthritis or dysplasia was not. Though she did not have a formal diagnosis these were her symptoms Id say within three months she went from occasionally needing help on and off furniture to me carrying her around most places. It was so heart breaking. And yes the drunk sailor walk. I made the decision when she was restless at night and appearing to be uncomfortable. She still ate but had a narrow lower half. She was the sweetest dog to ever be jn my life. Its sad that unless you have a ton of money you cant cure anything. Because it was not a problem helping her., and managing her limitations. Broken hearted.

[@user-ro2ci6yv5h]

We did laser and hydrotherapy and stem cell treatments and my girl lived about 2 yrs from dx time It was an unbelievable journey I never could have imagined what was coming it’s just a horrible horrible disease

[@terrymarshall6664]

My GSD, Blade, is just over 2 years now. I do home physio that my K9 physio team gave me, and he works on the underwater treadmill weekly. I detected it in stage 1. His tail is now flaccid, his front toenails are wearing like the hind nails, I cannot detect reflexes at all in his hind legs, but this beautiful powerful dog keeps going! He came off a high base and was very fit - he did endurance work, bite work, and obedience (he really doesn't like tracking). I think all of this set him up for success in this, his last battle. He still walks, runs after a fashion, jumps into my truck (I get the middle finger from him when I set his ramp up). He is very wasted and has some urinary incontinence for several months already. I add fibre to his food (psyllium husk) which seems to keep fecal control intact so far. He remains happy, protective, goofy, and just a super dog! Physio is absolutely a winner here. I have very little spare time (being a virologist in pandemic times), but it has been worth every spare second that I put into him. The key for Blade is moderation. Work, but not too much, as this sets him back. And the amount I do with him has to be constantly adjusted as the disease runs its course. Blade is a rescue out of appalling conditions, but has done very well. He was diagnosed just before he turned 7, and will be 9 years old in February. I am so proud of this dog! His work ethic is incredible.

[@terrymarshall6664]

I have had the privilege of being his human since he was 9 months old - his age at rescue. It took a lot of work to socialize, get him confident and happy, and to get him healthy. He has repaid me a million times over.

[@madpuri]

Hi Terry, it is heartbreaking to read Blade’s story. I also have two shepherds and girl has hip dysplasia and boy is showing weakness in hind legs but without pain so I’m quite upset if he has DM. Before I go speak to a vet about this I would like to know from someone who has a dog with DM how they first figured out the disease, was it crisscrossing of hind legs or dog not showing willingness to get up to higher ground or furniture for example? My dog Troy is reluctant to get up to sofa which he used to jump onto few months ago. Now he seem to put a lot of effort from all four legs when needing to get up to it. Any feedback is appreciated and hope blade live as long as possible as a happy dog.

[@terrymarshall6664]

@madpuri HI there. Blade was a dog I trained for IPO work, so I was very tuned in and I picked it up very early. It was the change in the sound his feet made on the floor when he walked. He was very athletic and walked silently. So when I heard his feet clicking, I knew something was up. His tail always had a high carriage, and this showed a subtle change. He always had a perfectly placed sit, but his hind quarters began to slide almost imperceptibly back from his front legs and I could see increased work needed for him to hold a perfect sit. He is a high drive very active dog and has never been reluctant to try jumping. He simply can no longer execute these movements correctly.

[@madpuri]

​@@terrymarshall6664 you are spot on with that tail pointing downwards or not having the lift/flick at the end of the tail. My vet said the same and usually dogs with DM would show that as one of the first signs. Vet said my dog Troy most likely don't have DM but more like hip or elbow dysplasia. again so sorry to know you and Blade had to go through this decease. hope breeders will do better.

[@terrymarshall6664]

@@madpuri thank you. I hope your pups feel better soon with your care and the treatment your vet gives them. It's tough when our dogs get sick and age, but that's when we look after them just as they look after us. GSDS are the best!

[@ducksamok1716]

How do you know when to let go? What if they still have an appetite, alertness but bedridden?

[@jenmanning7821]

My boxer is in stage 4. She can’t walk at all and we got a wheelchair for her for when she eats. She doesn’t love the it but it’s been a big help. She scoots her way around the house and is in very good spirits. It’s so hard because her mind and joy are there, she just cant walk. Recently we noticed she’s having trouble in her front right leg. When she can no longer sit up or scoot I know I’ll have to put her down. I dread the day. She’s my girl.

[@weaverdreams]

I just figured out My 13 yr old Pomeranian has had this for about 2-3 yrs but her front paws would not always stand up straight. But that got better and I walked her a lot and she go up and down the steps OK. Until this year she developed very wobbly weak, hind legs and that’s what made me start looking online to see what could be the problem. Now I think she’s had stage to all year and it rapidly moved to stage three and four. Now she’s in continent. I’m gonna have to get her a little doggy wheelchair so she can get around. I didn’t know what was wrong with her because she would suddenly just plop to the floor and not be able to move and then I would hear her whimpering, but I don’t think she’s really in pain although I could be wrong. The thing to watch out for though is urinary infections because they lose control of their bladder. I’m not sure what to do because it looks like she still got labored breathing. Whenever I put my dogs to sleep in the past, I never could get over it. But when they just die in my arms, I feel peaceful with them. This is breaking my heart, and I almost don’t wanna work or leave the house.

[@Krisp138]

O really? My dogs been alive with it and paralyzed for 18 months now and no signs of him dieing whatsoever and he was stage 4 at the time.thats b.s. its called dog wheelchair. Hes probably been a stage 3 for a long time and not sure he will advance but hes still here.

[@slingbladejeff]

SO SAD.