helpful links
Customizable Record KEEPER
Book: "Another New Normal" Coping and caring for a dog with a degenerative condition
Book: "Another New Normal" Coping and caring for a dog with a degenerative condition
Personalized notebook that helps you keep track of all of your pups needs
(i.e vet visits, rehab, nutrition, etc.)
Book: "Another New Normal" Coping and caring for a dog with a degenerative condition
Book: "Another New Normal" Coping and caring for a dog with a degenerative condition
Book: "Another New Normal" Coping and caring for a dog with a degenerative condition
Author: Miriam Valere
Available on Amazon
Book: "Corgis on Wheels" Understanding and Caring for the Special Needs of Corgis ...
Book: "Another New Normal" Coping and caring for a dog with a degenerative condition
Book: "Corgis on Wheels" Understanding and Caring for the Special Needs of Corgis ...
Author: Bobbie Mayer
Available thru Corgi-aid
Genetic Testing
Supplies for Handicapped Pups
Book: "Corgis on Wheels" Understanding and Caring for the Special Needs of Corgis ...
Know your genes!
Genetic testing for 2 reasons...
Does your pup carry the gene(s)?
Prevention: It's important to do Testing prior to breeding to prevent these diseases (DM, EIC, vWD1, etc.) from continuing and for the ultimate overall health of the unborn pups!
Support Groups
Supplies for Handicapped Pups
Supplies for Handicapped Pups
You're not alone in this!
We have several support groups that can help answer questions as you take the journey and be a "safe place" to vent & share both your and your pup's frustrations. Unfortunately this disease has affected so many across the globe, we have members with experience 24/7 as well as several generous veterinarians.
It does involve the whole family
Supplies for Handicapped Pups
Supplies for Handicapped Pups
Supplies for Handicapped Pups
Harnesses / Slings
Wheelchairs / Carts
Boots & Foot care
(just to name a few)
It takes a lot of supplies and tools to help care for a handicapped pup but thankfully we have several innovative companies that help make it easier.
Caring for a dog with degenerative Myelopathy
Frequently Asked Questions about DM
Quality vs. Quantity is always a topic of discussion.
We encourage people to "listen to your pup"
Some pups take this journey better than others so it is really important for people to assess their own pup's likes and dislikes. For example, some pups love water and do well in hydrotherapy while others are not fans of water and therefore would appreciate if you explored another option for them.
We've also developed good guide specific to handicapped pups to help you evaluate your pup's Quality of Life in our "FILES" section. It's available for you to print out and take with you to your vet appointment.
#Shadeoutdm Support group for owners
#ShadeOutDM member support group on facebook
So you've just gotten the news from your veterinarian...
they "diagnosed" that your pup may have DM...
We are here to let you know that while this is not a path we've chosen, we too have gotten this dreaded news & know how you are feeling (HUGS). We are here to help you! There is HOPE and your pup can still live their best life with you! Like with people that have been diagnosed with ALS & other neurological illnesses, it's all about how we chose to respond.
First of all, this is likely a "pathofunctional diagnosis" in that they have ruled out the other likely possibilities that this disease can be known to mimic. Currently, the only way to confirm that it is in fact DM is by doing a necropsy postmortem. This is a very detailed process that not all veterinarians have the proper tools & equipment to do this procedure as well as very costly but nonetheless, it won't help your pup while they're living; so, for now we have to rely on the professional assessment of our loving veterinarians & neurologists to deliver their clinical findings thru the "rule out process". Some veterinarians have experienced DM first hand while others may not have even heard of this disease being that there wasn't a genetic test available until 2008.
ShadeOutDM support group on facebook is here to help you thru your journey (There is NO charge for this membership!)
We do have several veterinarians that generously donate their time to monitor discussions as well as several owners that have taken the DM journey with multiple pups too.