squerly
Supported Ben Carson
Middle of November my beautiful GSD “Shep” suddenly lost all practical the use of his rear legs. The local vet said it could be a tumor, Degenerative Myelopathy (DM), Herniated Disk or possibly damage to his existing hip dysplasia caused by a fall. Shep's mind was fine and he seemed perfectly normal, but pressure on his spine was causing a disconnect between his brain and rear legs, making it difficult for him to know where or what his rear legs were doing.
Tumors near the spine are generally considered fatal given their proximity. DM is also considered fatal as there is currently no cure and it starts paralyzing the animal from the rear and works its way forward. for all intents and purposes, DM can be tested for, but the tumor can only be seen with the aid of an MRI. Unfortunately, our vet doesn't have an MRI machine. So we drove to Greenville for an MRI but when we got there their machine was not large enough to accommodate Shep. The vet drew some blood for the DM test and suggested we wait for the results before going elsewhere for the MRI as they generally run between $1,500 - $2,500. If the DM test was positive there was no sense in spending money on an MRI. He suggested we keep Shep in tight confinement and hopefully it would be a damaged disk that would repair itself in 6-8 weeks.
So we took our dog home and quarantined him in a downstairs bedroom. Our floors are mostly wood so we had to cover them with throw rugs so he could stand without his legs sliding out from under him. We couldn’t just leave him alone down there alone so we put a mattress on the floor and moved downstairs with him.
It’s been rough. We were sick to our stomachs for the first month. We canceled Christmas and basically stayed holed up with Shep. I would stay with him for a few hours and then Trish would swap out with me. DM is a progressive disease that continuously gets worse, not better. But as the weeks dragged by we saw continuous signs of improvement, and although we were afraid to get our hopes up we allowed ourselves the much needed optimism that he didn’t have DM. It took 30 days for the DM tests to come back and thank God, he tested negative for the disease. His vet feels we can probably rule out a tumor as well, given that tumors seldom improvement and Shep has been steadily progressing in a positive manner. With 2 of the worst options out of the picture we are looking at a Herniated Disk or damage to his existing hip dysplasia issues. Both should get better with time, given he doesn’t fall and further inflame the problem.
So we are now into our 8th week and Shep has gotten well enough that we moved back upstairs a few days ago. We are still sleeping on the floor but at least we are back upstairs. Shep can now walk on the wood floors without slipping and falling. The damage seems to be mostly to his left side and although he can’t be left unattended when we take him outside, he does seem to be improving.
God has his plans and there is little I can do to change them. But a prayer or two probably won't hurt, should anyone have a couple they can spare.
Tumors near the spine are generally considered fatal given their proximity. DM is also considered fatal as there is currently no cure and it starts paralyzing the animal from the rear and works its way forward. for all intents and purposes, DM can be tested for, but the tumor can only be seen with the aid of an MRI. Unfortunately, our vet doesn't have an MRI machine. So we drove to Greenville for an MRI but when we got there their machine was not large enough to accommodate Shep. The vet drew some blood for the DM test and suggested we wait for the results before going elsewhere for the MRI as they generally run between $1,500 - $2,500. If the DM test was positive there was no sense in spending money on an MRI. He suggested we keep Shep in tight confinement and hopefully it would be a damaged disk that would repair itself in 6-8 weeks.
So we took our dog home and quarantined him in a downstairs bedroom. Our floors are mostly wood so we had to cover them with throw rugs so he could stand without his legs sliding out from under him. We couldn’t just leave him alone down there alone so we put a mattress on the floor and moved downstairs with him.
It’s been rough. We were sick to our stomachs for the first month. We canceled Christmas and basically stayed holed up with Shep. I would stay with him for a few hours and then Trish would swap out with me. DM is a progressive disease that continuously gets worse, not better. But as the weeks dragged by we saw continuous signs of improvement, and although we were afraid to get our hopes up we allowed ourselves the much needed optimism that he didn’t have DM. It took 30 days for the DM tests to come back and thank God, he tested negative for the disease. His vet feels we can probably rule out a tumor as well, given that tumors seldom improvement and Shep has been steadily progressing in a positive manner. With 2 of the worst options out of the picture we are looking at a Herniated Disk or damage to his existing hip dysplasia issues. Both should get better with time, given he doesn’t fall and further inflame the problem.
So we are now into our 8th week and Shep has gotten well enough that we moved back upstairs a few days ago. We are still sleeping on the floor but at least we are back upstairs. Shep can now walk on the wood floors without slipping and falling. The damage seems to be mostly to his left side and although he can’t be left unattended when we take him outside, he does seem to be improving.
God has his plans and there is little I can do to change them. But a prayer or two probably won't hurt, should anyone have a couple they can spare.
