GSD "Puppy DM" ??

This sounds a lot like Jackson...a young GSD that I took in when he was a
year old...skinny...hard to get and keep weight on...backbone is very
prominent...walks on the balls of his feet...is a bit better now, but not
great...usually falls down as I attempt to comb the hair on his hind
quarters...very weak in the back end...scuffs his back feet as he walks.

He also has Subvalvular Aeortic Stenosis (hereditary), was cryptorchid (also
hereditary). He's generally of very poor quality breeding and his breeder
wanted to breed him! His vet said he needs more calcium, but he's already
getting lots of that since he moved here.

I apologize for not offering any help with DM, but it might be poor
breeding. Jackson's disposition is worth all his health issues...he's a
doll! He loves everyone. He'll live with us as long as he continues to be
happy and enjoy life. Love her as long as you can! GSDs are worth it!

Please feel free to email me privately if you want information on how I've
helped my young guy to improve.

> Our new puppy (only 4 months old) has leg problems which appears to me
(from
> what I've read) to be GSD DM (Degenerative Myelopathy). But everything
I've
> read said the onset is 5 years or older for DM???
>
> 1. Her legs tremble when she is squatting to urinate (like she has a hard
> time supporting her weight) and sometimes even when just standing, her
legs
> will tremble - other times she's fine.
>
> 2. While walking her front paws will suddenly fold under her causing her
to
> stumble or fall on her chin - sometimes the whole leg will fold under -
> especially on uneven ground.
>
> 3. It sounds like her rear paws are 'dragging' or 'scraping the nails'
when
> she walks on concrete, and her front paws seems to be easily 'sprained' on
> any uneven surfaces (especially her right front paw).
>
> 4. Our vet observed that she is not standing on her paws (on the toes)
> properly, but stands rather on the balls of her feet (on the heel -
> especially the back legs).
>
> If she was older, my vet said he'd say DM for sure, but at her age he's
> reluctant to say it's DM. We're going to get tests done, but I was
> wondering if there is something similar to DM that puppies get?
>
> If it *IS* DM (regardless of her age) -- what's the prognoses? Is there
any
> hope when she's doing this badly, this young?
 >> Stay informed about: GSD ""Puppy DM"" ?? 

Hi, sorry to hear about your pups problems. I also have a four month old pup with rear leg problems. It started to get worse as his legs started getting longer. He is a border collie and when we got him home from the family we bought him from we realised he was deaf and after a first check up with our vet he also has a problem with one eye). The guy we bought him from offered us another dog however we had completely fallen for him and couldn't possibly take him back. It appears that he bred his two merle border collies together, which as we have found out is a big no no as it can create a double merle (mainly white) with some health problems.

Does your pup have any pain with his legs?

We have taken the pup to the vets to have his legs checked and he thinks it may be a problem with his nervous system as he doesn't seem to have a lot of feeling in his rear legs. After a spinal xray an abnormality at the base of his spine was found but with no clear indication as to what it was and the vet sent it off to specialist who confirmed it was most probably a congenital deformality. The only way forward would be an MRI and the vet said it would be a lot of money with no good conclusion and had the attitude that I would be better off 'throwing money at a healthy dog' and basically suggesting I have him put to sleep. I obviously understand people have different opinions but he is a happy pup with some problems but as long as he is in no pain (which the vets think he isn't) and has a quality of life (we are measuring him up for some dog wheels from a fantastic guy in the UK to help him get around more easily) then for however long we have the pleasure of him being part of our lives then at least we can say he had a good one.

What has your vet suggested, are they going to do any tests? Best wishes Marnie
 >> Stay informed about: GSD ""Puppy DM"" ?? 

Sorry, didn't realise this was an old post, should have read the date first.
 >> Stay informed about: GSD ""Puppy DM"" ??