Coco Walk 1/4/2023 - Degenerative Myelopathy
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 17 ธ.ค. 2024
- Please play at 1/2 or 1/4 speed.
This video was taken and uploaded for her vet to review. The following notes I added for anyone who may find this video and to add some closure for myself.
Coco started showing symptoms of degenerative myelopathy in mid-2020. We didn't realize it was DM until mid-2022.
Her very early symptoms were increased wear on her outer rear nails and inability to get comfortable on furniture or beds. She would paw at blankets or dog beds to build a hill then lay on that. This was unusual based off the first six years we had her. She also started losing weight and muscle mass despite no changes in diet and exercise.
She lost eight pounds during 2020 and 2021. When fecal and urinary incontinence started in November 2021, we started taking her to an animal chiropractor. We also witnessed several incidents where she was unable to support herself with her rear legs, which we mistook for her scooting her butt on the grass/carpet. One years worth of chiropractic treatments stabilized her symptoms and weight.
Daily walks also helped her keep the nerves going until the final crash, which was days after this video. Her condition at the time of the video was complete fecal incontinence and severely reduced appetite/thirst. She had complete lack of feeling in her rear legs from the knee down. She was bleeding from two nails and a paw after this short walk. I couldn't get any reaction from her when touching or pinching her rear paws and lower legs. She lost 2.5 pounds (5% of her body weight) in her last three weeks. She wouldn't have been able to do this walk without falling over her last day. Nerve damage, dehydration and lack of calories (despite trying to get her to eat and drink) finally became too much.