Tag archives: difficulty standing

One of the happiest days of my life was bringing home a German shepherd puppy to join our family. Like many parents, my wife and I wanted our only son Brandon, who was 5 or 6 years old at the time, to grow up around dogs and help us teach him some responsibility. We visited a family with a litter of 7 week old puppies to let Brandon pick the one that was going to be his buddy while he grew up. Brandon decided on the quietest pup in the litter to become our new dog, Griffey. Our journey with Griffey (Griff for short) began with Brandon and his new companion in the back of our convertible in route to the home we were excited to share with our new family member. My wife and I were hopeful that Griff would give Brandon a best friend for 10 to 13 years. Unfortunately, that wasn’t exactly how things worked out.

Signs of Trouble

We spent many years loving Griff and giving him the best years of his life. Brandon and Griff were inseparable as they aged. They played together, they napped together, and they got into trouble together. At about 8 ...

If there is anything that I have learned in Paw Print Genetics’ quest to prevent canine inherited diseases, it is that degenerative myelopathy (DM) is one of the most misunderstood diseases in the dog breeding community. This late-onset, progressive neurological disease is notorious for cutting affected dog’s lives short and preventing them from living out their golden years. Unfortunately, sometimes there are misunderstandings in regard to what causes DM, what DM genetic test results mean, and whether or not DM occurs in certain breeds or bloodlines. I will attempt to address the confusing aspects of DM in order to empower people to eliminate this devastating disease from their blood lines.

How Do DM Affected Dogs Present? How is it Inherited?

Dogs affected with DM typically begin showing signs of painless, hind limb weakness and loss of balance around 7 to 10 years of age. These dogs often have difficulty rising after lying down, will drag their hind feet while walking, and abnormally cross their legs while standing. As the disease progresses, affected dogs’ front limbs also become progressively weaker until the dog becomes unable to walk. Affected dogs also may develop urinary and fecal incontinence as the disease progresses. Most ...