Dog Health 101 - Degenerative Myelopathy

Most pet lovers would opt for pets that they can touch and play around with. Many of them choose dogs because they are known to be mans best friends. And who wouldnt love dogs? They are fun, kind and playful in nature and they can live for quite a long time. However, like humans, dogs also face plenty of illnesses when they grow old. Their bones and eyesight get weak, they get tired easily, not to mention they also have specific sicknesses that hit their lives and their hearts if not given the right amount of nutrition, vitamins and shots as puppies. One of these illnesses is degenerative myelopathy.

Canine degenerative myelopathy is an illness that develops in the spinal cords of older dogs. This disease commonly sets in between 6 to 13 years of the dogs life. It starts with the loss of ataxia on the back limbs. Dog breeds that are most prone to this sickness are Boxers, German Shepherds, Rhodesian Ridgebacks, Chesapeake Bay Retrievers, Welsh Corgis, and 30 other breeds. The end result of the disease is paralysis. When this illness has fully blown, there will be no communication between the nerves of the dogs brain and its lower body. The worst part about this sickness is that its non-reversible and you can not cure it.

Degenerative myelopathy is commonly mistaken with arthritis because their symptoms are very alike. The dog would drag its paw or both of them when it moves. The constant dragging will damage their nails and wear them down. As the illness progress, the dog may show some symptoms like incontinence, lack of balance, and difficulty in walking. This illness can spread to the dogs front legs and will soon stop the dog from moving. Many dog owners who have experienced having a pet with this sickness where forced to put them to sleep to end their misery. Its a very painful thing to go through.

Luckily, even if the dog has been diagnosed with this illness, it can still live a normal K9 life. Exercise is a big help in keeping their hind legs active and it even increases their survival time. Some veterinarians would also recommend hydro therapy, which is basically swimming. The best thing dog owners can also do is to prevent the illness. Giving their dogs the right diet as puppies will give them avoids many health problems in the future.