Degenerative myelopathy (DM) is a disease that affects the spinal cord in dogs, causing progressive muscle weakness and loss of coordination. It acts similarly to Lou Gehrig's disease, or ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis), in humans.
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.
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.
It is often said that DM can be identified by a lack of pain, but this is very misleading. DM may be painless, but most dogs with severe chronic pain will display no signs. Therefore, I have also seen cases of severe hip dysplasia, cruciate ligament rupture or arthritis get mistaken for DM.
Incontinence in Dogs with IVDD or Degenerative Myelopathy
Loss of bladder control and fecal incontinence can occur in many canine mobility conditions; IVDD and DM are no exceptions. The main difference between the two conditions is when incontinence issues begin.
Degenerative myelopathy (DM) is a disease that affects the spinal cord in dogs, causing progressive muscle weakness and loss of coordination. It acts similarly to Lou Gehrig's disease, or ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis), in humans.
More commonly, myelopathy develops over time, often due to wear and tear or degenerative spinal conditions. Myelopathy usually occurs as a result of spondylosis, a condition that causes slow degeneration of the spine. Spondylosis is a wear-and-tear condition.
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.
Cushing's Disease: Dogs with Cushing's disease have many of the same signs as a dog with diabetes. They have increased thirst and urination and an increased appetite. However, unlikely diabetes, Cushing's disease does not cause weight loss. It is common for dogs with diabetes to have concurrent Cushing's disease.
Controlling Pain
It's most commonly used for the chronic pain associated with degenerative joint disease, such as arthritis. It has also shown to be beneficial when used in combination with other pain medications—such as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatories or opioids—to help with pain associated with surgery.
Cervical Myelopathy Diagnosis
To diagnose cervical myelopathy, your doctor may: Conduct a physical examination and measure your muscle strength and reflexes. Conduct further tests, including an MRI scan, an X-ray or a CT myelogram of your neck.
Degenerative Myelopathy has a slow, insidious onset with a slow progression of weakness. It is not uncommon for the signs to progress slowly, plateau, and then start to progress again.
The clinical signs of mid-stage degenerative myelopathy include: Loss of tail movement. Jerky movement in the hind limbs when trying to walk.
Cervical myelopathy results when the spinal cord within the neck is injured or compressed. Cervical radiculopathy is similar, but rather than affecting the spinal cord, it affects the nerve roots in the cervical spine.
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.
"Many dogs with Cushing's disease develop a bloated or pot-bellied appearance." Many of these dogs develop a bloated or “pot-bellied” appearance to their abdomen because of an increase of fat within the abdominal organs and a stretching of the abdominal wall as the organs get heavier.
Hypoadrenocorticism is an uncommon disease in dogs, and it is caused by a deficiency of essential hormones that are made by the adrenal glands. Also known as Addison's disease, the clinical signs may appear as vague signs of illness that come and go.
Prognosis for Dogs with Degenerative Myelopathy
The spinal cord will continue to degenerate, the dog will have trouble standing up from laying down, and mobility will become more difficult as time goes on. Eventually, a dog with DM will become incontinent. The final stage of DM is paralysis.
In general, DM is not a painful disease. However, having a weak hind end can put stress on other areas of a dog's body — such as the neck, shoulders and front limbs — and cause pain. DM typically comes on very gradually, so you may not see the very early onset.
Sadly, the prognosis for dogs with DM is poor. Without any intervention, most dogs will become paralyzed in 6-12 months, and the disease will continue to progress. When the front limbs start showing symptoms, end of life care and humane euthanasia are strongly recommended.
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.
No. Degenerative Myelopathy is not a painful condition, but it does weaken pets. Dogs with DM will struggle, which may be painful to watch, but they aren't experiencing any pain. This loss of strength and changes in a dog's mobility does place additional stress on a dog's body.
Symptoms of degenerative myelopathy in dogs are often missed because they look similar to other conditions such as hip dysplasia, where the hip joint doesn't work properly. The most apparent sign of degenerative myelopathy is wobbly rear legs and paw dragging. The deterioration often progresses over several months.