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Diagnosis of degenerative myelopathy

3K views 26 replies 12 participants last post by  SunCzarina 
#1 ·
So I took my girl Cedar to the vet today for weakness in her rear end and got a diagnosis of DM. Only thing is, I'm wondering if this is truly the right diagnosis.

I got home from work last night at 6 pm. I took my dogs out to play and everything was normal. No lameness or weakness that I noticed (key word is noticed). I went inside to have dinner and when I went back outside to play with the dogs again, I noticed Cedar was a little off. She had a tiny bit of lameness in her rear legs. Hardly noticeably though. I brushed it off not thinking much of it. We went inside and she layed around for a while. When she went to get up, she struggled quite badly. The weakness she has is quite bad after she lays around for a while, but is hardly there when she's warmed up. It's better today than it was yesterday, at least slightly anyway. She can get up on her own slowly today, but last night she couldn't with help.

So I took her to the vet and got a diagnosis of DM. He downplayed and acted like it was no big deal. He mentioned he's seen young dogs get DM and live long, normal lives. I know this isn't true since this is a fatal disease (I learned that after my appointment). So that makes me wonder if he doesn't truly know what DM is and uses it as a catch phrase for everything that isn't hips or spinal cord related (which he believes he ruled out by doing a physical exam).

Her only symptom is this sudden weakness in her rear end. She is 3.5 years old and has never had any issues like this before. As I said, when she's warmed up, she can run and jump (not that I let her right now) just fine. I watched her chase after my other dog, and she's as fast as ever. But when she lays around, she stiffens right up.

So with all that in mind, and I know that nobody can say with any certainty, but does this sound like it is likely DM? Other than hips and spinal cord, what else should I consider?

If this turns out to be DM, what can I do? Lots of exercise? What about any vitamins or supplements? Can medicine or surgery slow the progression? Anything I can do at all?

My poor girl has an enlarged heart and has pannus, and now she's dealing with this, all at the age of 3 and a half. She's a very happy girl and has a good life, but she hasn't had the best luck of the draw.

I'm pretty worried right now.
 
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#5 ·
Nope, they didn't play much together at all. They mostly played fetch. I of course assumed it was just an injury, but what made me think it wasn't (and the vet thought the same) was that there's no pain. She appears weak, but nothing I did and nothing the vet did resulted in any type of whining, wincing or yelping. She doesn't appear to have any pain whatsoever. She is a big baby and if it was causing her any pain, I believe she would cry.
 
#3 ·
3 1/2 is a little young for that diagnosis.

Did he take xrays to rule out a spinal cord issue or hip problems?

How did he test her for DM? There is a blood test but it's inconclusive - the test can tell you if she has the markers for DM but it can't tell you if she's affected by it.

There's a simple test you can do at home - take her hind foot and knuckle it under so the foot is resting on the fur ontop her toes, not on her pads. If she leaves it like that, DM. If she moves it back immediately, not.
 
#4 ·
No Xrays. He didn't do any tests, just a physical examination, nothing more. He said he was able to rule out a disc issue in her back based on what he did. He also doesn't believe it's hip related due to her symptoms and how she responded to his tests.

He did do that toe test you mention, and she immediately put her foot back to normal. He did it several times with each foot and not only did she very quickly put her foot back to normal, but she was resistant to even let him put her foot like that. She definitely never drags her foot. As I said, her only symptom is this sudden weakness, and when I did some research into the diagnosis he gave me, I **** near broke down.
 
#6 ·
Well I had an orthopedic specialist tell me he could not rule out a disc issue after a clear x-ray without doing a myelogram (or an MRI)

Sudden onset does not sound like DM, neither does the young age and one of the first things people normally notice is the toe issue with them scraping their back feet.

There are any number of injuries that may present without pain. I would think crate rest, and some oral steroids would be first on the list. Tick disease can also cause this.
 
#8 ·
Nancy,

My Brandy, GSD from many years ago, diagnosed with DM before I even heard such a think existed, was 9 when he first started showing symptoms, and it came on very gradually. I do remember also that his hindquarters started to sway slightly when he walked, and the muscletone in his whole back end slowly left. This was all before the symptoms were obvious to the casual eye.
 
#9 ·
I lost my Boxer to DM she came down with it at 8.5 years. You determine DM by ruling everything else out.

A sure sign is dragging a rear foot. You can hear the toe nails clicking as they walk... early onset, But if she does the foot flip thing OK...don't know?

DM is rampant in Boxers so lots of info there:

world.com/forums/dog-health-issues-questions/168454-thatcher-has-dm-anyone-use-dwanecart-wheelchair.html

I'm Gunther over there. :)
 
#10 ·
Thanks for the info. I feel a lot better already. I can't believe a vet would just throw out a diagnosis like that. I asked for anti-inflammatories, so I'll give her those for a couple days and try to keep her rested (I have to work all weekend anyway, so she'll get plenty of rest) and I'll re-evaluate on Monday. If need be, I'll take her in for more specific testing.

Thanks to everyone that responded. This forum truly is a life saver.
 
#11 ·
Our GSD Dante suffered from DM and it ultimately led to us having to put him down when he was 8 yoa. As others have said, DM generally has a much slower onset and appears in dogs that are considerably older than 3.5 years, although I'm sure there are cases when it was diagnosed in young dogs. Scrapping of the rear feet is an early indicator. Check the middle nails on the rear paws, in the early stages of DM they scuff their feet slightly and the middle nails wear down. The knuckling test is also an indicator but many dogs may pass this test early on. However, as stated by others, a positive genetic test is the first step and only shows that DM is possible. If the genetic test comes back negative it cannot be DM. Supposing the genetic test comes back positive, you still only have the chance of DM.

DM is a recessive trait so even when both parents are carriers 1 in 4 of the pups will likely get the disease. There is no definitive test for DM, a good vet will methodically go through everything that could cause similar symptoms, and only after these are all ruled out make a determination that it's DM.

There is no way your vet can determine if there is a bulging disk that is impinging on the spinal cord through a physical exam. In fact, he is very unlikely to be able to tell on an X-ray because it is soft tissue. The only way to rule out any type of disk issue is through an MRI that will allow them to visualize the soft tissue.

IMHO, a vet that throws out a diagnosis of DM without significant consideration wouldn't be one I saw again. It's your call, but DM is not an insignificant matter and anyone who has had a pet suffer from it will tell you as much. If you suspect your vet used that diagnosis as a general catch all because he didn't know what was wrong, go somewhere else.
 
#12 ·
I've got her on anti-inflammatories right now and am hoping that helps, but things aren't really getting better yet. I am taking her in for xrays on Tuesday and if nothing shows there I will probably take her for an MRI.

My question is, if this was DM, would exercise seem to make the symptoms go away? When she rests, she goes completely lame. She struggles to even get up after lying down (the morning is the worst). But when she is outside getting exercise, it's like nothing is wrong. She runs like normal and shows no signs of weakness. Would that be the case if it is DM?

I also noticed something yesterday. Her right rear leg moves funny. It's hard to explain, but there's a very subtle, awkward movement when she walks or trots. It's almost like her right leg buckles under her weight, but before completely buckling, it comes back to the normal position. It just doesn't look quite right.
 
#14 ·
Thanks. Doesn't seem to fit as she never had any pain, even at first, but who knows. Anything is possible at this time and unfortunately there's no quick and easy test to indicate what this is. I can't believe that hip issues would actually relieve my stress. Anything but DM.

Hopefully the xrays tell us something on Tuesday
 
#16 ·
Grim had (we think) a disc extrusion injury and ran perfectly fine but when he walked his back legs crossed over each other and he was wobbly. We did restrict that, however, knowing something was wrong. He never experienced any apparent pain.

I say we think because the ortho vet said we would have to have a myelogram first then an MRI (The myelogram to pinpoint the location of the anamoly and the MRI to detail it)...And this was going to involve putting an older dog under anesthesia and possibly surgery. He was almost 9. I would definitely have considered were he a younger dog. This was, of course AFTER the x-rays, AFTER the DM test, AFTER the tick panel. And it was a probable diagnosis.

We went with it and went to a veterinary acupuncturist who worked wonders with acupuncture and the cold laser. He was getting cleared to restart working (at a restricted level; the vet felt those injuries are always likely to re-injure)..when he was stricken down with hemangiosarcoma.
 
#18 ·
DM is a degenerative disease which causes progressive neurological deficits.

Onset is generally subtle, and most people don't notice until it the dog is having more difficulty. The foot test is a neurological test used in both dogs and horses to see responsiveness to nerve awareness.

I would go to someone else....it may be something like a partial ACL or bruising of soft tissue that is causing difficulty after rest....certainly if it persists or gets worse, x-rays are in order...also the DM test is relatively inexpensive, quick and is only a cheek swab. If she is not 'at risk' - it is still possible, but unlikely, to be DM

Good luck!

Lee
 
#20 ·
We had not heard of DM when Linus (who we now think may have had it; the only diagnosis for sure is after death) started dragging his hind legs as he got older. It was subtle and he eventually (over a 2 year period) lost bowel and bladder control and could not stand on his own.

It started with a scraping sound as we went for a walk and his rear toes were wearing funny and he was scraping the hair off the top of them.........I think it started around 13 years of age and slowly progressed until by 15, we were having to support him with a towel. It was time to let him go but he died naturally. This was a good while back. Linus was born in 1985
 
#22 ·
I spoke to a technician at one of the larger vets in my area. They have 5 different doctors that work there, including one senior head doctor. They seem much more informed than my current vet. The head vet wasn't in today, but he's going to call me on Monday and I'm basically going to interview him to make sure he knows at least as much as I do in regards to DM. As long as I'm satisfied with what I hear, I'm going to take Cedar there for them to look at her.

In the meantime I've ordered the test from offa.org.
 
#23 ·
I go to a group that has multiple vets and is up on the latest stuff. Sometimes we clash heads on things (like food, neutering, some shots) but I feel they are very competent ........Glad you are considering a 2nd opinion.
 
#24 ·
GOOD decision. As somebody else said, DM is a diagnosis of exclusion. Just curious, who diagnosed the cardiac and eye disease? Same vet?

Wishing you really good luck with the different vets, your great love for your girl comes thru in your words.
 
#25 ·
GOOD decision. As somebody else said, DM is a diagnosis of exclusion. Just curious, who diagnosed the cardiac and eye disease? Same vet?

Wishing you really good luck with the different vets, your great love for your girl comes thru in your words.
A different vet diagnosed the cardiac issue. An irregular heartbeat was heard when doing a physical exam before getting her fixed, so they didn't do the surgery and instead referred me to a cardiologist, who then made the further diagnosis that it's a benign issue (although I'll always be nervous that one day she'll just drop dead from it). I saw the CT scan and echo scan myself, her heart isn't the shape of a typical heart.

Pannus was diagnosed by my current vet, but again, I saw a specialist who also confirmed it. She definitely has pannus
 
#26 ·
Also you might consider a tick test to rule out tick diseases. My dog Boris was diagnosed with DM, but long story short, he had a very bad infection of Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, treatable with doxycycline. There could be other more simple causes also. Maybe she would benefit from a joint supplement like Dasuquin.
 
#27 ·
This doesn't sound like DM to me, it sounds like an injury. I hope you had good luck with the new vets office!
 
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