DM Death Statistics in the GSD among the PDB members - Page 14

---> There are presently clinical trials taking place for a potential ALS drug. They have tested it on mice and now are using dogs with DM as models. My dog is one of the test subjects.

Starrchar, I remember you mentioning that a while ago! How is your dog doing in that trial? Have you seen an improvement? That would be wonderful, if so... How long has your dog been on it, now? I remember you were waiting to start it, last time I saw you post about it. You may have posted about it again, but towards the end with Missie T, I didnt have much reading time :( I hope you are seeing some good results! It would be so nice to read about even ONE dog beating DM! This disease needs to be stomped so deeply into the ground that it can never rise up again!

I am worried about Casey James. He is only 2 1/2 yrs old but being so neurotic about DM, I am fixated on his stance. He stands, too often for my liking, with his back legs slightly crossed, not under his body, but by his hocks. It could be because he is so focused on things- he focuses like no dog I ever had before, so perhaps its because he is tunnel visioned on whatever catches his attention, but it makes me frantic :(  I noticed on the GSDBBR that his great great grandfather sired a dog that died from DM. I am shaking in my boots.One more go round with DM would kill me, and if it didnt, I would *off* myself before living through it again. I cannot ever deal with that pain again- NEVER! If someone cut my heart right out of my body with a knife, while I was walking down the street, it would be less painful.

  Marjorie
http://www.gsdbbr.org The German Shepherd Dog Breed Betterment Registry
BE PROACTIVE!
http://mzjf.com --> The Degenerative Myelopathy Support Group http://www.mzjf.info/hgate Heaven's Gate lf :(Another go round with DM would killme, and if it didnt, I would probably off myse 

Wow, Darylehret, you said:

When the studies can be convincingly shown to have the potential to aid in human medical research, the doors for funding become wider.

You are so correct in your posts. I am duly impressed. That you bothered, as well.

And I've been sorely disappointed in you, as of late.  I might be a real right bastard, but I'm really a RIGHT bastard, more than you would guess.

LOL!  Happens to me all the time, I just can't please everyone, so might as well please myself! Hey, give me credit for giving you credit, geeze! It took a lot  of effort on my part! 

I was like, "whoa, I gotta sit down," but I realized I already was.

You are funny! LOLOLOL

Hi Marjorie,

Thank you for asking. Yes, I know the loss of MissieT was beyond devastating and I am so sorry. As you know all too well, only time will help. I sure hope your Casey James is ok. I can't imagine going through losing a dog to DM twice, let alone three times.  It is hearthwrenching, to put it mildly.

By the time the clinical trial started (2 months ago) Shelby was almost completely down. At first she seemed stronger and slightly improved, but it didn't seem to last. This is also what seemed to happen with the  stem cell therapy.  It is such a hard thing to assess the progress or deterioration of your own dog, but I can definitely say I've not seen anything significant or long lasting with this clinical trial drug. Today Shelby is having a good day and actually walked some, but who knows what tomorrow wil bring. Then, is it the drug, or is she just having a good day? What is interesting is that in this clinical trial the Boxers are showing a significant response. My vet says that Boxers typically deteriorate very quickly, usually gone within 6-8 months and this drug seems to have stabilized the ones that are in the trial. I am begining to wonder if possibly each breed has a slightly different form of DM. When I spoke to Dr. Vulliet at Regenavet labs in Davis, CA about stem cell treatment he said the German Shepherds seemed to have a good response rate, yet the Corgis did not. There is so much they don't yet know or understand... 

Starrchar,

I am so sorry there wasnt some good improvement with the drug or the stem cell therapy:( Dr Vuillet had contacted me about getting participants in my area, but Missie T was going through one of her bad periods. She was just about down and by the time I was able to get back to him, he had found someone in my area to find participants. ( It was before she went on Dr Clemmons experimental treatment.) I did ask him about Missie T receiving the stem cell treatment, but he said he wasnt having much success in dogs that were almost down or in late stage DM. Dr Clemmons had also tried stem cell treatments about a year or so before Dr Vuillet, and he  found the effects werent lasting. The dogs did show some improvement, but as soon as the stem cell therapy was halted, they went down again. I believe he did find, upon necropsy, that new pathways were beginning to form, but the connections werent there :(

Interesting that the Boxers are responding to the ALS drug. As you know, I do believe DM is quite different in Boxers than in GSDS. The results of Boxer diagnostic tests are more in line with ALS, and I am glad to hear they are having success with it in Boxers :) I cant help but wonder what would have happened with Dr C's trials with his experimental treatment  if the money didnt run out. I assume it would have to be a life long treatment, as once it was withdrawn, Missie T lost what she had gained.

You are so right- there is so much they dont understand about this disease. We need some serious research, appilcable to our breed or else this serial killer of a disease will keep on taking its victims. That is something I cannot live with.

My heart will be in my throat with CJ, as he exhibits no pain. He doesnt do it when he gaits- his gait is breathtaking. He only does it when he is standing stock still majorly focused on something, with intense concentration. However, it still makes me extremely uncomfortable. His prelims from the OFA for his hips were good, so its not his hips. I have put him on Dr C's healthy dog program, which I believe mitigated Missie T's DM, as she was on it from the time she was 6 months old. Most young dogs go down fast, in DM. The disease progresses much more rapidly in younger dogs, probably because their immune system is stronger, and GSDM, being an autoimmune disease, is affected by an immune system in full gear. (One should never give a dog with GSDM anything to stimulate the immune system. In GSDM, the immune system needs to be not stimulated to stop the disease from progressing faster.) However, young dogs have stronger immune systems than older ones, which is why I think the disease progresses faster in the younger ones. My neice has Lupus, also an autoimmune condition, and they give her chemo to crash her immune system whenever she gets a bad period.

Sending prayers for Shelby to have some more good days!!! Give her a big hug for me, please. Try to live in the today- easy to say, I know, butharder to put it into practice. However, if you focus too much on the tomorrows, not only will the tomorrows be bleak, but the todays, as well... Hang in there!

Marjorie
http://www.gsdbbr.org The German Shepherd Dog Breed Betterment Registry
BE PROACTIVE!
http://mzjf.com --> The Degenerative Myelopathy Support Group http://www.mzjf.info/hgate Heaven's Gate  

For those you you who questioned Dr Clemmons GSDM research, how money is collected and where it goes,  please see the thread started by AbbyNormal in relation to DM research

http://www.pedigreedatabase.com/german_shepherd_dog/forum.read?mnr=636665

I didnt see any reponses from anyone here acknowledging this new thread, while there certainly was some serious questioning done in THIS thread.

Also, please note, for those of you truly concerned about DM research, there is now an easier way to donate to Dr Clemmons GSDM research! Go to abbynormal's thread linked to, above.


    Marjorie
http://www.gsdbbr.org The German Shepherd Dog Breed Betterment Registry
BE PROACTIVE!
http://mzjf.com --> The Degenerative Myelopathy Support Group http://www.mzjf.info/hgate Heaven's Gate  

Marjorie, I didn't see any reason to comment in this thread on the link Abby provided--I just used the link to make a donation.  I agree that this IS easier than the previous arrangement, which required a check be sent, because it's always easier to be able to do something instantly with a credit card and the Internet, than to have to dig out the checkbook, write out the check, address the envelope, put a stamp on it and get it into the mailbox...so it is a big step forward.