One of the saddest days
for someone who is blessed with a wonderful german shepherd as a
companion
and friend is when their mature buddy is diagnosed with degenerative
myelopathy.
This disease is predominantly found in german shepherds and appears to
have a hereditary component. Occasionally the disease has also been
diagnosed in Belgium shepherds and Old English Sheepdogs. It is so sad
because
it is a progressive disease where they slowly, but steadily lose
control
of their hindlegs until they are completely paralyzed. They lose
control
of their bowels and urine and have to eventually be put to sleep, even
though their head, front end and mental attitude is fine. Until
recently there has been no successful treatment for this disease. It
has been considered somewhat similar to multiple sclerosis in people.
In other words, it appears to be a problem in the immune system, where
the immune system recognizes parts of the nervous system as foreign and
attacks the spinal cord leading to progressive deterioration of the
spinal cord and paralysis. Unfortunately, I have seen too many
wonderful german shepherds slowly, but steadily deteriorate with this
dreadful disease. In my holistic practice, I have more success than
with conventional medicine, using a combination of acupuncture,
nutritional supplements and homeopathic remedies which appears to slow
down the progression of the disease and increase strength in the hind
end, but it is only successful in maybe 30% of the dogs and is still
only temporary. The good news is that an innovative, progressive,
renowned neurologist at the University of Florida veterinary school,
Dr. Roger Clemmons, has developed an integrative approach to this
disease that appears to be helping many more dogs!
Before we go into the exact supplements, one must make sure that this
is the correct diagnosis. It is not uncommon for a dog to be referred
to me with a diagnosis of degenerative myelopathy and it actually is
another neurologic disease that is more successfully treated.
Arthritis, spondylosis, disk disease, spinal cord tumors as well as
vascular accidents may initially appear to present with somewhat
similar signs. If you are suspicious that your dog may have
degenerative myelopathy, have a consult with a veterinary neurologist
or internist. There are some tests including x-rays, drug trials, cat
scans and others that can be used to rule out other diseases.
If all other diseases have been ruled out and it appears that your dog
does seem to have this, we now have a comprehensive approach to this
disease including diet, nutritional supplements, herbs and acupuncture
that appear to help these dogs significantly. For a comprehensive
detailed discussion of this approach you can contact Dr. Roger Clemmons
web page at http://neuro.vetmed.ufl.edu/.
He is a true pioneer in this field and we owe a great debt of
gratitude to his innovative spirit.
So let us take a look at my approach and his approach and see how
they fit together. The base foundation for all my approaches is a good,
well balanced homemade natural diet in order to minimize exposure to
potential artificial chemicals, preservatives and oxidants that may
possibly be harmful to your dog. My basic diet can be found in my book
"Love, Miracles and Animal Healing", by Simon & Schuster. Other
good diets can be found in Helen McKinnon's selfpublished book on
cooking for your dog, "It's for your Dog Cookbook" and Dr. Pitcairns
classic, "Natural Health for Your Dog &
Cat" by Rodale Press. Dr. Clemmons also has his specific diet on his
web
page. His goal with his diet is to provide excellent quality of
ingredients along with the protein source coming from soybean curd
(tofu). However, some
dogs may have an allergy to soy or it may cause gas and bloating. If
your
dog has these problems, tofu should be avoided. He also recommends
using extra
virgin olive oil has a source of essential fatty acids. This is an
excellent
source. However, some research suggests that evening primrose oil,
black
currant and borage oil may even be a more appropriate source of
essential fatty acids in immunocompromised animals. These are more
expensive and more difficult to find sometimes. Dr. Clemmons suggests
two cloves of raw garlic freshly crushed. Garlic has many wonderful
properties including being an excellent antibacteria and
antiinflammatory. Over 1200 scientific research articles have been
published on the medical benefits of garlic! Many of those
old wives tales had a great deal of truth in them! However, one must
also
be careful that garlic may cause digestive upset including gas and
heartburn
in some dogs. They may also have sudden cravings for italian food!
(just
kidding!).
Dr. Clemmons has extrapolated many of his other suggestions for
degenerative myelopathy (DM) from Dr. Andy Weil's recommended program
for human patients with multiple sclerosis, a human disease that
appears similar in its pathologic model to degenerative myelopathy. Dr.
Weil, the world renowned naturally oriented physician has these
suggestions on his web page which is also, like this column, on time
warners pathfinder internet magazine. You can find
his natural suggestions for people wtih multiple sclerosis on Dr. Weils
web
page: http://cgi.pathfinder.com.
or search for Dr. Andy Weil.
I have always suggested regular consistent aerobic exercise for DM dogs
in order to keep their muscles strong and increase oxygen to all organs
and muscles. Dr. Clemmons likes walking and swimming as his preferred
exercise programs. Where swimming may help maintain mluscle strength,
swimming helps maintain muscle tone. If your dog exercises regularly,
maintain the program ideally at 20 minutes twice a day and a longer
walk once or twice a week. If they are not used to this, begin with
five to ten minute walks and
gradually build up. Do not overdue exercise, if your dog is exhausted
and begins to get weaker and goes down. This is not productive. Try
swimming
them daily or three times a week if they cannot walk that long.
Vitamin supplementation is essential for DM dogs. A multiple B vitamin
supplement should be beneficial for maintenance of nerve health. For
normal dogs I suggest 50 mg.'s of a good quality multi-B supplement.
For DM dogs, Dr. Clemmons suggests a higher dose of 100 mg.'s.which is
a good idea. He also suggests one tablespoon of nutritional yeast in
powder or flake form as a good source of B-complex vitamins, trace
minerals and some protein. This is a great idea unless your dog is
allergic to yeast or has a tendency towards candidiasis, an overgrowth
of yeast that can manifest as disease in the gastrointestinal tract,
ears and skin . Antioxidants such as Vitamin E, Vitamin C and selenium
are essential in the treatment of this disease. Vitamin E has potent
antiinflammatory and antioxidant properties. In DM there appears to be
a problem with absorption of Vitamin E. Dr. Clemmons recommends to give
400 I.U.'s of Vitamin E to all shepherds under 2 years of age, 800
I.U.'s for all over two years and 2000 I.U.'s for dogs with DM. Vitamin
C helps potentiate Vitamin E. Dr. Clemmons reccomends 1000 mg.'s of
Vitamin C twice a day for dogs with DM, unless that causes diarrhea. If
so, cut back
to a dose that does not cause diarrhea. I prefer certain types of
vitamin C over others, magnesium ascorbate, sodium ascorbate and ester
C, an esterified version of C may be absorbed better from the
gastrointestinal tract and may be less irritating. Selenium, a trace
mineral, also helps potentiate Vitamin E. I suggest 100 micrograms of
selenium once per day for DM.
Other nutritional supplements recommended include 1000 mg. of fish oil
in capsules or 2 sardines per day. Lecithin at a dose of 1-2 tsps is
also good for nerves. Herbs that may be beneficial include Ginkgo
biloba (1 capsule two times per day), ginseng for male dogs (one
capsule once or
twice a day) and grape fruit seed extract (1 capusle per day). For
additional suggestions, check Dr. Clemmons web page. This offers
wonderful new options to keep our dogs healthier and happier!
