GSDFan Posted January 23, 2008 Report Share Posted January 23, 2008 Joyce has been "full of beans" today, almost like she was saying nasty vet, don't listen to him & hence I've only half wanted to think about this but will read more thoroughly, come back with any comments & questions & let you all know how she goes. You'll find that Joyce is often full of beans She'll probably have lots of really good days, lots of normalish days and a few bad days. Treasure and enjoy the good ones and don't dwell on the bad ones. I think CDRM bothers us far more than it bothers the dogs. CDRM is in some ways a 'good' disease because they aren't in any pain, in other ways it is dreadful because you have a dog which at the front end is bright and shiny, happy and very much 'still all there' but is being let down by the back end. Something else I meant to mention in my other rather long post was vaccinations. If I were you I would discuss these with your Vet, my belief is that a dog with immune system problems should NOT be given any more vaccinations. I'm hoping we'll read much more about Joyce and her good days - a few photo's wouldn't go amiss either Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phoenix Posted January 23, 2008 Report Share Posted January 23, 2008 i've only just caught this thread, sending positive healing thoughts for joyce Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian Posted January 23, 2008 Author Report Share Posted January 23, 2008 (edited) Even before this news I'd had a "subtle hint" from one of the volunteers at Rosedene for some more photos & I have promised to take some - just as soon as I go & get another camera battery - but in the meantime there is a link to lots of photos taken over the past year in post 32 above Thanks Jo, Taylor, Pheonix & again Gsdfan Edited January 23, 2008 by Ian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greyhound pal Posted January 23, 2008 Report Share Posted January 23, 2008 Nothing positive to contribute and hadn't heard of CDRM until now but it sounds awful. Loads of positive healing thoughts heading your way though Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kats n greys Posted January 23, 2008 Report Share Posted January 23, 2008 Thinking of Joyce. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian Posted January 23, 2008 Author Report Share Posted January 23, 2008 (edited) Thankyou greyhound pal & kats n greys Edited January 23, 2008 by Ian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Houndwoman Posted January 23, 2008 Report Share Posted January 23, 2008 for you all. We have had many GSD's in our family over the last 40 years or so. So many I have lost count. We have had two with CDRM and that has been with our last two. Oscar went to the Bridge in 1992 and Sheba in 2000. Of all the others I do not remember any signs of CDRM so I don't know whether it's a modern day problem with the breed. Oscar was 11 when he died and Sheba was 13 so I suppose they did live to a good age. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian Posted April 30, 2008 Author Report Share Posted April 30, 2008 Well, with Kazz losing Max and then Jackie losing Lasso it hadn't seemed appropriate for me to post about my relatively healthy girl & we've just battled on. Joyce began hydrotherapy recently & has had four sessions so far. The first she seemed to respond well to - she was off as soon as she stepped of the ramp and when she got out her tail, which hadn't wagged for a while, immediately once again began doing so. Her next few I was more undecided upon. Another Shepherd, though lost to a kidney / liver infection as we started had managed to go from not being able to walk at all without a cart to being able to potter around the garden within a few months. With Joyce still on her legs I was pinning all of my hopes on this working for her. She couldn't go Friday or yesterday due to her diarreah but I assumed this to just be a temporary set back. We relatively recently had a bout of diareah, which we managed to get past & I was convinced this was in part dietary related not the CDRM. She seemed to put on weight when in the hope extra protein might help her retain muscle I'd tried switching her diet from "human chicken" to tripe, with beef & chicken on other days from the pet wholesaler. She was very loose at that time & when the vet said he didn't think protein would help at her age I'd asked if he thought switching back to proper chicken would be better for her. He basically suggested it might if she'd always been regular on that. In fact I became convinced that as I'd suggested we were missing something as the panting & restlessness stopped within days & her bloated look (he just thought she'd got fat) had gone within 10, her entire shape having changed back to normal & her toileting issues disappearing again. I'd also tried adding vitamin E to her meals as this, though unproven, is supposed to possibly help. Desperate times, desperate measures perhaps? Anyway, it became a bit of an exclusion thing to try & work out what had caused this though I'd leaned towards too much fat. For the past few weeks she's been eating "human chicken" & pasta without a problem. Last week, in between meals I gave her some pork fat - nothing she hasn't had plenty of times before, including little pieces in the last couple of weeks - but perhaps more in one go this day. She's had diarreah again since. I've tried starving her for a day, medication etc but whilst she seemed to firm up a little as soon as I started her chicken & pasta again it returned. When she has made a mess it never seems to have bothered her so although life hasn't been pleasant at times - Joyce has always had her own chair, slept on my bed if she wanted to etc & I've refused, no matter what, to start pushing her out when she needed me most. There's therefore plastic all over the place & she's been in and out of the bath a lot more than normal over the last month or so. Around 6am yesterday & so today we were going to be "ahead of the game" only this time Joyce has struggled to get up. You'll find that Joyce is often full of beans She'll probably have lots of really good days, lots of normalish days and a few bad days. Treasure and enjoy the good ones and don't dwell on the bad ones. I think CDRM bothers us far more than it bothers the dogs. CDRM is in some ways a 'good' disease because they aren't in any pain, in other ways it is dreadful because you have a dog which at the front end is bright and shiny, happy and very much 'still all there' but is being let down by the back end. It does seem to have stressed & distressed me more than it has distressed Joyce at times to be honest & although I know what you meant here I think it's more dreadful good because The hardest thing with diseases and conditions that can't be cured is the feeling of complete and utter helplessness. It is absolutley gut wrenching isn't it?Caroline She's needed a little help if she got herself sat on her bum with her legs splayed in front on occasions but once up has been okay. Although only yesterday as I bathed her I thought her legs were looking "floppier" than normal she was "doing okay" and she was walking when we went to bed last night We never seemed to see "stage 2" until this year but I recognised some of your "stage 3" signs. When she first arrived here, for example Joyce would sometimes suddenly fall over when walking but we got past her that and for the next year she had run around happily chasing balls etc. More recently when you wrote this I was thinking 3-4? But 3 came before 2. 5 Only after she'd been running around & needed a rest to get herself home again. I guess my real question(s) right now to those who have been there is Does this sound like it's just a bad day / typical of the condition & that I can expect to see her get up again in a little while. Is she perhaps feeling a little weakened due to diarreah, or, are her legs now about to give up completely do you think. Is it usually that "sudden"? She didn't get past the patio without "sitting" / falling down & I wasn't dressed so in she came. I managed to get her up, just by vigourously rubbing her legs but it didn't last / she still couldn't go back outside on her own. There has been no diarreah this morning. Ironically right now I wish there was and she's just laid quietly In herself Joyce's eyes seemed to suggest that she knows things aren't good / maybe a little worry but not totally having given up hope - or is this just me transposing what I'm feeling? - and though I want to see if I can get her up right now, whilst I've sat here she's gone to sleep so I also want to let her rest whilst she's quiet and comfortable We had a bad day with Max yesterday. He was terrible on his back legs. (All over the place) I think Jackie has summed up what we are going through with Foecal incontinence you can deal with it though. Sorry to have rambled, but I know when we first started getting symptoms from Max of CDRM a couple of years ago It was a minefield of conflicting information and I didn't know what to do etc. I do feel in the last couple of years though there is a lot more information Kazz xx I've been sat here about an hour now and am probably rambling so am going to close at that other than to say if you can spare Joyce some "please get up again sweetheart" thoughts we'd appreciate it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phoebejo Posted April 30, 2008 Report Share Posted April 30, 2008 Have a bit of a kip Joyce then please get up and stop worrying your dad Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JulesB Posted April 30, 2008 Report Share Posted April 30, 2008 I hope she's just having a bit of a lie in this morning. Sending her masses of good thoughts from here Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
halfpenny Posted April 30, 2008 Report Share Posted April 30, 2008 Good thoughts....Reiki in bucket loeads. love & Hugs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mommy Bear Posted April 30, 2008 Report Share Posted April 30, 2008 Lots of positive thoughts for Joyce and for you Ian. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian Posted April 30, 2008 Author Report Share Posted April 30, 2008 Thankyou all I decided to try feeding her something different to chicken this morning but which she also usually enjoys - pasta & plichards - she won't even try it this morning but the sight of her dish being waved towards her was at least enough to get her to slide down her chair (something she's been doing a few weeks now - puts down her front legs & slides to stand rather than jumps down as she used to) and get up & come and have a look - all unaided There's obviously a battle ahead but at the moment we are at least still in there & fighting Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
celeste Posted April 30, 2008 Report Share Posted April 30, 2008 I've completly missed this whole thread Brilliant thats she's up Sending Reiki I don't know if you've seen this site Spanna my GSD Louie had suspected CDRM but he never got bad enough to confirm this, I used Dr Clemmons suggestions on suppliments and Louie did very well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lizzie Posted April 30, 2008 Report Share Posted April 30, 2008 Sending good thoughts for Joyce. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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