A very old stray {The Old Fella Story}
Went camping this weekend at a campground on the lake, had not been there for a few years. Once there I began to walk around looking at the different sites when I noticed a very old dog. He just lay t...
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Sorry his name is Shane. :)
Interesting info on spinal arthritis, the vet last night said his back was very arched and it seems like the disks were sticking up; she compared it to a stegosaurus but after the adjustment they were lying a bit flatter. He's still limping today but seems to be moving a bit faster. He slept so well after his treatment, no shaking legs, or anything. I had to check to make sure he was alive :) I think he just felt so comfortable. His next appointment is on the 8th, she said we'll know if she'll be able to help him within 3-4 treatments. A Newfie at 12 is on borrowed time, this I know; but other than that his blood work has all been great and organs functioning good so I want to keep him comfortable for as long as he has left. The oldest Newfie that I personally knew at the breeders where Shane came from was 13 when he passed away.
Nancy
Interesting info on spinal arthritis, the vet last night said his back was very arched and it seems like the disks were sticking up; she compared it to a stegosaurus but after the adjustment they were lying a bit flatter. He's still limping today but seems to be moving a bit faster. He slept so well after his treatment, no shaking legs, or anything. I had to check to make sure he was alive :) I think he just felt so comfortable. His next appointment is on the 8th, she said we'll know if she'll be able to help him within 3-4 treatments. A Newfie at 12 is on borrowed time, this I know; but other than that his blood work has all been great and organs functioning good so I want to keep him comfortable for as long as he has left. The oldest Newfie that I personally knew at the breeders where Shane came from was 13 when he passed away.
Nancy
dturm wrote:Dashonthedash wrote:
Nancy, it sounds like he has Degenerative Myelopathy. I checked online, and Newfoundlands definitely can get it. Dash has never had knee problems, but otherwise his condition sounds a lot like Dash. Please keep us posted on how he does with the treatments. Oh, and what is his name?
Severe spinal arthritis mimics DM (you get nerve compression at the nerve roots coming off the spinal cord), same loss of proprioception, weakness, loss of muscle mass, but it either progresses very slowly or reaches a plateau where the deficiency stays pretty constant. Hard to diagnose the difference without specialized tests or monitoring progress.
BTW just having a 12 year old Newfie shows a lifetime of great care and support by owners.
