This disease is uncommon in dogs, but it is not rare. Your vet will perform tests to rule out other problems before diagnosing your dog with this condition.
While any dog can suffer from degenerative myelopathy, by far the most common dog breed to be diagnosed with DM is the German Shepherd. Other breeds that face an increased risk of this disease include: Pembroke and Cardigan Welsh Corgis. Chesapeake Bay Retrievers.
What breeds are most commonly affected? A genetic mutation, SOD-1, has been identified as a major risk factor for DM. DM is considered a disease of middle-aged to older dogs including German Shepherds, German Shepherd crosses, Siberian Huskies, and Collies.
One of the first breeds in which the disease was diagnosed was the German Shepherd, so DM has also been called German Shepherd dog degenerative myelopathy. In the early stages, DM can be misdiagnosed as hip dysplasia, discospondylitis, a spinal tumor or injury, fibrocartilaginous embolism, or myasthenia gravis.
Degenerative Myelopathy in dogs can progress quickly, especially when it reaches its final stages. Signs of late-stage DM appear to happen overnight or within a few days.
How Quickly Does Degenerative Myelopathy Progress? Unfortunately, DM tends to progress very quickly. Most dogs that have been diagnosed with degenerative myelopathy will become paraplegic within six months to a year.
In its final stages, degenerative myelopathy can spread to the brain stem. This impacts cognitive function as well as the ability to breathe and swallow normally.
MRI scans are the preferred diagnostic method for cervical myelopathy, but other methods can also be used to help rule out other conditions. Cervical myelopathy is best treated with spine decompression surgery.
Studies in people with a similar condition, Lou Gehrig's disease, have shown that an advanced MRI technique called diffusion tensor imaging is able to detect the microscopic changes in the spinal cord caused by this condition.
Background. Degenerative myelopathy (DM) in dogs is a progressive neurodegenerative condition that causes white matter spinal cord lesions. These lesions are undetectable on standard magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), limiting diagnosis and monitoring of the disease.
Often, dogs are humanely euthanized within six to twelve months after the onset of clinical signs, due to the debilitating loss of mobility caused by this disease. Without euthanasia, DM can progress for more than three years and lead to an inability to walk or even breathe normally.
The important thing to remember with degenerative myelopathy is that the condition itself is not painful to the dog, but is more “painful” for the owner to watch. If you have a dog with degenerative myelopathy it is important to remember that it's about the quality of your dog's life and not the quantity of the days.
Degenerative myelopathy (DM) is an inherited neurologic disorder of dogs characterized by gradual muscle wasting and loss of coordination typically beginning in the hind limbs.
This disease is not uncommon in some pure bred dogs with an overall prevalence rate of 0.19%. Although the German Shepherd Dog is the most commonly affected breed, DM has been reported in other breeds and most recently in the Pembroke Welsh Corgi (PWC).
Yes, dogs with Degenerative Myelopathy should stay as active as possible. Keeping a DM dog active can actually help slow down the progression of the disease. Physical therapy and regular structured exercises, including walking, can help dogs with DM maintain muscle strength and minimize their risk of muscle atrophy.
Sadly, most dogs with degenerative myelopathy eventually lose control of their legs, bladder and bowels completely, and need to be put to sleep. The average life expectancy of a dog with degenerative myelopathy is 1-2 years from diagnosis.
14 Disorders that often mimic and coexist with DM include degenerative lumbosacral syndrome, intervertebral disc disease, spinal cord neoplasia and degenerative joint diseases such as hip dysplasia or cranial cruciate ligament rupture.
Diagnosis and Tests
The most common symptoms of myelopathy are not unique to this condition. They can be mistaken for other disorders.
Our Degenerative Myelopathy DNA Testing is a fast and effective way of determining whether or not your dog has the potential to develop Degenerative Myelopathy (DM), or pass it on to any offspring.
Symptoms of Myelopathy
Pain in the lower back, neck, arm or leg. Tingling, numbness or weakness. Decreased fine motor skills, balance, and coordination. Abnormal or increased reflexes in extremities.
Spinal cysticercosis is a rare cause of myelopathy. In most cases, the scolex can be seen as a mural nodule on MRI, and these characteristic imaging features can facilitate the preoperative diagnosis. Differential diagnosis of cysticercosis should be entertained in patients with spinal space-occupying lesions.
Degenerative cervical myelopathy (DCM) and multiple sclerosis (MS) are two common conditions with distinctive pathophysiology but overlapping clinical manifestations which may include myelopathy, motor/sensory disturbances, and bowel/bladder dysfunctions.
Degenerative myelopathy is a degenerative disease, meaning it will progress over time. Symptoms can include weakness in the hind legs, loss of coordination/ataxia, and eventually paralysis of the hind limbs. Degenerative myelopathy often starts with dogs scuffing the tops of their hind paws when walking.
Myelopathy is a disorder that results from severe compression of the spinal cord. The only way to treat the compression of the spinal cord is through decompression surgery.