Loving Wobbly Mrs. Wiggles with Degenerative Myelopathy
Degenerative myelopathy (DM) is a disease that affects the spinal cord in dogs, causing progressive muscle weakness and loss of coordination. It acts similarly to Lou Gehrig's disease, or ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis), in humans.
DM predominates in German Shepherds, Boxers, and Welsh Corgis, yet we have witnessed it in Beagles. The cause is unknown, but genetic factors are suspected. There is a non-inflammatory degeneration of the axons in the white matter of the spinal cord, causing nerve impulses from the brain to fail to reach the hind limbs correctly. Eventually, spinal impulse deterioration advances beyond the back legs to bladder/bowel and front leg paralysis.
Early Signs
Since DM occurs in the spinal cord, it often presents as rear limb weakness, incoordination, wobbling, scuffing, or crisscrossing. In Mrs. Wiggles' case, it was all the above.
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