u/Nice-Worry1007

My 14-year-old Dalmatian is about 8 weeks away from turning 15, and our family veterinarian believes he has degenerative myelopathy. We chose not to pursue a formal neurology workup because of his age and the stress the testing would place on him. The symptoms he has all seems to fit.

Around February/March this year, we started noticing subtle changes. He became a little clumsier, had trouble with stairs, and occasionally struggled to get onto the couch. At first, it seemed like normal aging.

Over the following months, things progressed. He developed knuckling in his back left paw, had increasing difficulty getting up from the floor or his bed on his own, his back legs would often cross, and his gait has been unsteady. He's fallen down the stairs, loses balance and falls down on his backside, and can no longer reliably get onto the couch without assistance.

In April, he began having fecal incontinence. Initially, it was occasional accidents right at the door to go outside, but it has progressed to the point where he no longer seems able to tell us when he needs to go. We just don't think he can feel when he needs to go. We are now regularly cleaning up accidents in the house.

He used to hate when anyone would touch his paws, and it has been that way since he was a puppy. Now, I can touch his back paws and he doesn't bat an eye.

He has been on pregabalin since late April.

What concerns me most is how quickly things seem to be changing. Over the last 4 days, he has mostly wanted to sleep. He just doesn't seem to want to get up and stand. Today, he showed very little interest in food and is struggling significantly more with walking and standing.

For those who have had dogs with suspected or confirmed degenerative myelopathy, does this progression sound familiar? How quickly did things change toward the later stages? When did you finally say enough was enough, and decide to let go?

I'm also wondering whether it makes sense to schedule another vet appointment at this point, mainly to assess his current condition and discuss quality-of-life considerations. I'm trying to understand whether this sounds like a typical progression of DM or whether there could be something else contributing to his decline.

Any experiences or advice would be appreciated.?

My 14-year-old Dalmatian is about 8 weeks away from turning 15, and our family veterinarian believes he has degenerative myelopathy. We chose not to pursue a formal neurology workup because of his age and the stress the testing would place on him. The symptoms he has all seems to fit.

Around February/March this year, we started noticing subtle changes. He became a little clumsier, had trouble with stairs, and occasionally struggled to get onto the couch. At first, it seemed like normal aging.

Over the following months, things progressed. He developed knuckling in his back left paw, had increasing difficulty getting up from the floor or his bed on his own, his back legs would often cross, and his gait has been unsteady. He's fallen down the stairs, loses balance and falls down on his backside, and can no longer reliably get onto the couch without assistance.

In April, he began having fecal incontinence. Initially, it was occasional accidents right at the door to go outside, but it has progressed to the point where he no longer seems able to tell us when he needs to go. We just don't think he can feel when he needs to go. We are now regularly cleaning up accidents in the house.

He used to hate when anyone would touch his paws, and it has been that way since he was a puppy. Now, I can touch his back paws and he doesn't bat an eye.

He has been on pregabalin since late April.

What concerns me most is how quickly things seem to be changing. Over the last 4 days, he has mostly wanted to sleep. He just doesn't seem to want to get up and stand. Today, he showed very little interest in food and is struggling significantly more with walking and standing.

For those who have had dogs with suspected or confirmed degenerative myelopathy, does this progression sound familiar? How quickly did things change toward the later stages? When did you finally say enough was enough, and decide to let go?

I'm also wondering whether it makes sense to schedule another vet appointment at this point, mainly to assess his current condition and discuss quality-of-life considerations. I'm trying to understand whether this sounds like a typical progression of DM or whether there could be something else contributing to his decline.

Any experiences or advice would be appreciated.

EDIT- today has been a good day. He perked up quite a bit, his appetite returned, his walking and standing improved, and he has been fairly active (moving around the house, sniffing the back yard, etc). I had him at the vet today and naturally he had to show off and make me look dumb. Photo in the comments. Our vet was impressed with how he looked given the situation. I appreciate everyone’s experiences and advice! He’s not ready to say goodbye just yet so we’re going to enjoy every moment of what he gives us.