On Degenerative Myelopathy(2) - The unstoppable Killer?

The onset of degenerative myelopathy is almost imperceptible. A small delay in getting up, labored stair climbing, trouble balancing, reduced stamina and ability to jump, slight unsteadiness on the hind quarters and so on. Many, if not all, of these symptoms are also associated with other illnesses that affect the musculoskeletal system of dogs.

The diagnosis of degenerative myelopathy is therefore difficult to make. It is the result of a process of elimination rather than that of positive identification. Eventually, only a MRI will reveal the truth. This is a very expensive proposition.

It takes a veterinarian with extensive experience with this insidious disease to sort through the possibilities and successfully determine the presence of myelopathy.

Probably the best expert in the United States is an Associate Professor of Neurology & Neurosurgery, Small Animal Clinical Sciences, at the University of Florida. His name is Dr. Roger Clemmons. He studied the disease for many years, has researched and published extensively about it. He is now attempting to find a genetic DNA fingerprint of the illness that would allow to determine whether an individual animal is at risk for developing the illness.

In the course of his research he has researched and tested allopathic and alternative medicine, exercise regimens, diet and home cooking for the dog. Though many of these measures have the potential of slowing down the process of degeneration, they do not effectively treat the disease but only slow it down.

Dr. Clemmons has a website with excellent information on degenerative myelopathy, the symptoms, treatment courses, dietary advice and medicine that you can give your dog. This is by far the best and most knowledgeable source of information on spinal cord problems in dogs. Dr. Clemmons' myelopathy website tells you all you need to know about the disease. You find a treasure trove of information right here.

The onset of degenerative myelopathy can be anytime between four and 10 or more years. If untreated, the life expectancy of your dog will be around one year, in rare cases maybe a little longer. You can pretty much count on six to nine months from the time the dog starts dragging his hind legs.

With treatment the animals life expectancy increases to two or more years. Occasionally the illness goes into remission for a long period of time or permanently. But do not count on it.

Degenerative myelopathy is the Multiple Sclerosis of dogs. You can slow down the drumbeat of it's inexorable progress but not completely eliminate it. Not yet.

Much advanced research is done on spinal cord diseases and injuries in humans and on auto-immune diseases. The most promising approach, and the most publicized because of celebrity involvement, is obviously the use of stem cells to repair a damaged spinal cord and axons. Because of a controversy over the origin and the use of stem cells, there is still much debate over ethical implications. Therefore, the research process is not progressing as fast as it could without that debate and arbitrary limitations on the source of stem cells.

The UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine is now bringing stem cell research to our canine friends. In July 2007, Dr. Richard Vulliet from UC Davis received a generous grant from the AKC Canine Health Foundation to research the use of stem cells for the treatment of degenerative myelopathy.

Research on mice indicates that beneficial effects can be achieved by injecting stem cells from an animal's own bone marrow into the affected areas. In mice these adult stem cells appear to transform themselves into new nerve cells. But will this also work in dogs?

Dr. Vulliet's research attempts to answer this question. He will prepare adult stem cells and then inject them into animals with degenerative myelopathy or dilated cardiamyopathy. If the clinical trials prove this therapy to be safe and stem cells to transform into new nerve cells, then he intends to take further steps to explore the effectiveness of this new course of action.

Should you have a dog with myelopathy or encephalopathy the research will most likely come to late to save your companion. But it might well save the lives of many good dog in the future.

You can find the press release of AKC on the Net. UC Davis posted a brief article on the subject on the same date.

AKC also has a short video in which Dr. Vullient describes the disease and his reasons for research in this area of veterinary medicine.

The same AKC site also has a very good and instructive video on how to deal with a dog with degenerative myelopathy.

As guardian and friend of Windsor I find it very difficult to see him whither away and to observe his steady march towards his final days. He is way beyond physical therapy, acupuncture and good food. At times he has bowel control problems, his front legs are beginning to weaken, he is voluntarily resting on his bed more and for longer periods of time. Hey, he is at least 13 years old. And that is old for a Boxer.

His fighting spirit is unbroken. He is full of life and vitality. He still loves and enjoys the company of people.

And he still adores women. Nothing in the world but death can stop him from greeting each and every single one of them enthusiastically. As long as I see his eyes light up and his ears perk, as long as he still prances up to a woman and does a Boxer dance in his wheelchair, I will gladly put up with the extra work.

Windsor King MacArthur is well worth it, every moment of his life and to his last breath.

I believe - no, I know - you have not heard the last from Windsor King MacArthur.