Degenerative Myelopathy

A few months ago, my husband and I noticed something different with our 11 year-old German Shepherd, Blitzkrieg.

Blitz was having difficulty getting up, walking and was wobbly. When we would take him on walks, his back leg nails would scrape on the sidewalk. When he would lean against us, his back end would slide and he would end up sitting down.

I Googled his symptoms and found that he matched everything listed under Degenerative Myelopathy. I told my husband and he found webpages about DM. He agreed with me that it probably was what Blitz had. For the next couple of months, Blitz was still mobile. He was able to go outside, climb steps and walk.

My husband poured a concrete path last week in our backyard. That meant that the dogs couldn't go outside in the backyard to do their business. We had to put them on a leash and take them out front. Blitz was having trouble walking. He couldn't go a couple of steps without his legs giving out. If he wanted to go somewhere, he was crawling or my husband helped guide him holding his back end.

After a couple of days of helping Blitz walk around the house and in the backyard, I made an appointment with our veterinarian. My husband and I wanted the vet to confirm what we already knew. When we took Blitz to see the vet Saturday, he did confirm that Blitz had DM. The vet asked how he is acting at home. Blitz is still active. He is still eating, very alert and still wants to walk everywhere. The vet told us that there is no cure for DM, but some dogs do respond to medication. He gave Blitz two shots at the office and gave us medication for steroids. The vet told us to call him in five days to see if Blitz has responded to it. If there is no improvement, then he said he would talk options with us.

We know what those options will be. Blitz still has ton of energy and is still acting like the dog he always has been. My husband has order a harness for him. The harness is put under him and we can help him walk. He will also be ordering a wheelchair for him. The wheelchair we will be getting for Blitz has stirrups to keep his back legs from dragging. I know Blitz wants to go for a walk, so the wheelchair will help.

We are going to do everything possible for Blitzkrieg. He has been with us since 2003. Only when his quality of life diminishes, that is when we will make the final step. But until then, we will be enjoying everyday with him.