Max's Degenerative Myelopathy History The history and progress of Max's journey with DM.
Max's story:	Max was born in 1995 and from the start was an incredibly active and adventurous dog. His favorite activities included swimming, running, climbing, and just about anything that meant moving around and being active. In 2003, at age 8, he started slowing down and had a hard time getting up in the morning. He soon became unable to jump into the car or onto the bed. We first treated him for arthritis and got significant improvements, but gradually he got worse again, to the point where arthritis medication no longer had any effect. In April of 2005, Max went to a vet who specializes in leg and hip problems and we were immediately told that it was something neurological, and not arthritis. An exam and X-ray helped the vet diagnose Max with Degenerative Myelopahy. As Max's condition started to worsen and we learned more about DM, we realized that swimming was the best exercise he could get. We started calling around and found KESMARC, an equine sports medicine facility with a horse pool. We were happy to learn that they also provide therapy for dogs, and we met with them right away and began making plans for Max's treatment, which is chronicled below. Max's journey with DM lasted about three years. On April 15, 2006, his problems and frustrations became so hard for him that we decided it was time to let him go. He now rests under a pine tree up on our land, which was one of his favorite places to play. We are very lucky to have had Max in our lives, and very grateful to the vets and therapists who helped us to give him a longer life than is typical with this disease. We miss him greatly.
Overview of DM:	DM appears with relative frequency only in German Shepherd dogs, and was first identified in 1973. It is caused by an autoimmune disease attacking the nervous system of patients, leading to progressive neural tissue damage. It is similar in many respects to Multiple Sclerosis in human beings. The patient's own immune system attacks his central nervous system. This leads to a loss of myelin (insulation around nerve fibers) and axons (nerve fibers). The cause of this disease is not known, and conventional medicine has little to offer.
Useful links:	Dr. R.M. Clemmons' DM protocol Jack Flash's Homepage and DM Support Group KESMARC - Kentucky Equine Sports Medicine & Rehabilitation Center
Diagnosis history:	Date Veterinarian Diagnosis Apr, 2003 Mike Started showing mild weakness in hips and signs of arthritis. Began effective treatment with Etogesic (mild arthritis medication). 2004 Mike Increasing weakness in hips/legs. Suspected displaysia, but X-ray showed only arthritis Feb, 2005 Mike Condition worsening. Begain stronger arthritis medications such as Deramaxx and Rimadyl, with no positive effects. Apr 21, 2005 Jack Legs very weak, trouble walking on smooth surfaces. Determined problem to be neurological, with resulting diagnosis of Degenerative Myelopahy. Aug 10, 2005 Monica Significant trouble walking. Concurred with diagnosis of Degenerative Myelopahy. Began physical therapy.
Weight history:	Date Weight Apr 21, 2005 85 lbs Aug 11, 2005 87 lbs
Diet history:	Start Date End Date Food 2000 Aug 12, 2005 2 cups Kibbles & Bits mixed with 1/3 can Mighty Dog, twice a day Aug 12, 2005 Aug 14, 2005 We started with Dr. Clemmons' DM diet, using quantities deemed suitable for an 80-lb dog (Version 2) Aug 15, 2005 Aug 17, 2005 After a couple of meals, Max was only eating half of his food, so we switched to Version 3, which represents half of Version 2 Aug 18, 2005 Aug 23, 2005 Switched to Bulk Recipe #1 and started measuring servings by volume. Started with one cup, twice a day. Started mixing a spoonful of Mighty Dog into the food to make Max more eager to eat it Aug 24, 2005 Sep 8, 2005 Switched to 1½ cups of food, twice a day. Mighty Dog no longer needed. Sep 9, 2005 Nov 23, 2005 Switched to 2 cups of food, twice a day. Nov 24, 2005 Dec 5, 2005 Stopped all powdered supplements based on liver problems described in "Supplement history" entry for Nov 23. Dec 6, 2005 April 15, 2006 With the recent deterioration of Max's condition, we no longer feel we can reap any long-term benefits from the specialized diet. Since his happiness is more important to us and he has always preferred "real" dog food to the homemade variety, we switched him back to his original diet of Kibbles and Bits and Mighty Dog.
Food recipe:	This recipe uses quantities and proportions established in Dr. Clemmons' recommended diet. Each version below represents the amount of food given over the course of a single day. Each daily serving will be split into two -- half will be served in the morning and half in the evening. Ingredient Version 1 (50-lb dog) Version 2 (80-lb dog) (approx. 4 cups) Version 3 (half of Version 2) (approx. 2 cups) boneless pork center loin chop (boiled, baked, or fried in olive oil) 2 oz 3 oz 1.5 oz tofu 4 oz 6 oz 3 oz long grain brown rice (raw, cooked in twice as much water) 3/4 cup 1 cup 2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil 2 tsp 1 tbsp 1.5 tsp molasses ¼ cup 6 tbsp 3 tbsp whole carrots, boiled then cut up 2 3 1.5 spinach, cooked 1 cup 1 ½ cup ¾ cup green bell pepper, chopped and steamed 4 tbsp 6 tbsp 3 tbsp broccoli spears, boiled then cut up 4 6 3 Sprinkle the following on the food just before serving (quantities are per day): 1 tsp dry ground ginger ½ tsp dry mustard 1 tsp bone meal (buy here) 1 tbsp flax seeds, ground ½ tsp turmeric 2 raw garlic cloves, crushed This adds up to 2 tbsp of dry ingredients plus 2 gloves garlic per day, which equals 1 tbsp of dry ingredients plus 1 clove garlic per serving.
Bulk recipes:	The recipes below represent my adaptation of Dr. Clemmons' recommended diet and are used for making bulk quantities of food. The entire recipe can be broken up into however much per serving is needed. Bulk Recipe #1 Makes 21 cups of food ¾ lb boneless pork center loin chop, cooked and diced 28 oz (2 containers) firm tofu, diced 2 cups raw long-grained brown rice, cooked in 4 cups water ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil 1½ cups molasses 4 cups carrots, boiled and diced (approx 1½ lbs) 1 lb frozen spinach pieces, thawed 2 green bell peppers, steamed and diced 2 lbs frozen broccoli, boiled and diced Dry Mix Bulk Recipe Makes enough for 18 days (2 tbsp per day, 1 tbsp per meal) 6 tbsp dry ground ginger 3 tbsp dry mustard 6 tbsp bone meal 1 cup plus 2 tbsp ground flax seeds 3 tbsp turmeric Don't forget one clove of fresh garlic per meal!
Supplements:	Supplement Dosage Frequency Where to buy Stress formula Vitamin B-Complex with 100 mg of most B components once a day Wild Oats Hi-Potency B-Stress x 90 (Wild Oats - $7.51) Vitamin Shoppe B-Complex x 100 (Amazon - $10.52) Vitamin E 2000 IU once a day Wild Oats Vitamin E 1000 IU x 60 (Wild Oats $11.99) Swanson Vitamin E 1000 IU x 250 (Amazon $16.79) Selenium 200 micrograms once a day Solaray Selenium 200 mcg x 90 (Wild Oats $7.69) Albion Complexed Selenium 200 mcg x 180 (Amazon $2.99) Ginkgo bilboa 1 capsule twice a day Solaray Ginkgo Bilboa Extract 60 mg x 60 (Wild Oats $11.89) Swanson Ginkgo Bilboa Extract 60 mg x 240 (Amazon $6.99) Vitamin C 1000 mg twice a day Wild Oats Vitamin C 1000 mg x 100 (Wild Oats $5.83) Swanson Vitamin C 1000 mg x 100 (Amazon $2.29) Bromelain 400-500 mg twice a day Vitamin Shoppe Bromelain 500 mg x 300 (Amazon $16.78)
Supplement history:	Start Date End Date Supplements Notes Aug 12, 2005 Aug 25, 2005 Morning:    Hi-Potency B-Stress - 1 capsule    Vitamin E - 1000 IU x 2    Selenium - 200 mcg    Ginkgo Bilboa - 60 mg Afternoon:    Ginkgo Bilboa - 60 mg    Vitamin C - 1000 mg The Vitamin B-complex also contains 750 mg Vitamin C, which helps meet the overall Vitamin C goal for the day. Aug 26, 2005 Nov 8, 2005 Morning:    Hi-Potency B-Stress - 1 capsule    Vitamin E - 1000 IU x 2    Selenium - 200 mcg    Ginkgo Bilboa - 60 mg    Bromelain - 500 mg Afternoon:    Ginkgo Bilboa - 60 mg    Vitamin C - 1000 mg    Bromelain - 500 mg Added Bromelain Nov 8, 2005 Nov 23, 2005 Morning:    Hi-Potency B-Stress - 1 capsule    Vitamin E - 1000 IU x 2    Selenium - 200 mcg    Ginkgo Bilboa - 60 mg    Bromelain - 500 mg    "Shen Calmer" - see notes Afternoon:    Ginkgo Bilboa - 60 mg    Vitamin C - 1000 mg    Bromelain - 500 mg    "Shen Calmer" - see notes Added "Shen Calmer", a Chinese herb supplement intended to help with restlessness, anxiety, and restless sleep. We built up dosage as follows:     Nov 8 - Nov 9: 1 capsule, twice a day     Nov 10 - Nov 12: 2 capsules, twice a day     Nov 13 - Nov 23: 3 capsule, twice a day Nov 23, 2005 Dec 4, 2005 Morning:    Hi-Potency B-Stress - 1 capsule    Antibiotics - 1 pill Afternoon:    Vitamin C - 1000 mg    Antibiotics - 1 pill    Zentonil 400 - 1 pill On Nov 21, Max would not eat his dinner. He would not eat either breakfast or dinner on Nov 22, and barely touched his breakfast on Nov 23. We took him to the vet on Nov 23, suspecting constipation, but were told instead that he had an inflamed liver and very high levels of ALKP (423 U/L) and ALT (426 U/L). Since he had been taking all other vitamins for 3 months with no adverse affects, we suspect the Shen Calmer is to blame, so we stopped giving it to him. We discussed the other supplements with the vet and he suggested stopping all herbal supplements and all fat-soluable vitamins (E). He said we could continue the water-soluable vitamins (B and C). He also started Max on a round of antibiotics (just to be safe) and gave him a month's worth of Zentonil 400, to help ease his liver. Dec 5, 2005 January, 2006 Morning:    Hi-Potency B-Stress - 1 capsule    Vitamin C - 1000 mg The antibiotics ran out a couple days ago. Max's appetite is back in full swing, so we feel his liver is back to normal. He has not yet had follow-up bloodwork done. Max has started losing control of his bowels and has had several accidents in the house in the last week. We've stopped the Zentonil, in case that was leading to this new development. Its purpose was to calm his liver, which appears to be okay now, so it is no longer needed.
Therapy history:	View therapy history