Welcome to the blog that is all about Bailey! I don't know if anyone will even read this blog besides me, but I decided this would be a good way to record lots of Bailey memories. I have no idea what is in store for us since Bailey was diagnosed with degenerative myelopathy a week ago today, but I know that I will cherish each moment I have with my little boy from now on!
Degenerative myelopathy (DM) is an autoimmune disorder in which the immune system attacks the central nervous system, starting with the spinal cord. If left untreated, the disease will eventually leave the dog paralyzed in the hind legs and can lead to incontinence. There is no cure, and not all dogs respond to treatment. We have not decided yet what Bailey's treatment plan will include, but I plan to fight to retain Bailey's mobility for the rest of his life. We have already started an exercise program, and they say this is the most important thing for a DM dog.
The first thing I noticed that was unusual was Bailey stumbling when he had to get out of someone's way, like his brain could not tell his feet fast enough what to do. That was at least a year ago. Now when he walks, he often drags the nails on his back left foot. He also knuckles that foot, or turns it over so that the top of his toes are on the ground rather than the pads. He also has trouble turning corners sometimes, with his back legs sliding out from under him if he rounds them fast enough.
I took him to a university vet school last Wednesday where he saw a neurologist who diagnosed it as DM. They did an initial neurologic exam and recommended having an MRI. At that point, they were thinking he might have a bulging disc or a tumor. They did the MRI, x-rays, and a spinal tap, all of which were perfectly normal. Ruling everything else out left them with a presumptive diagnosis of DM. Since then I have been researching DM as much as possible, and hopefully we can find a treatment plan that will work for Bailey.
I am sure DM will come up again in this blog, but I plan to use it mostly to record moments with my baby.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment