My wife and I have a 10 yr old Corgi that we got as a puppy about a week after our wedding. A few months back I posted asking for advice because we started noticing issues with his back legs (I cant find that post anymore, I guess it got scrubbed)

From reading online, and talking with the breeder we got him from and discussing with some other knowledgeable dog friends we have come to the conclusions that he is most likely suffering from DM, Degenerative myelopathy. Over the last two weeks we have noticed continued deterioration in function of his hind legs. much more difficulty standing up after laying and unable to change directions very much without falling down. Also in the last 2-3 days we have started to notice him having much more gas and were wondering if it has started to moved up to his rear end/hips.

Because of these latest developments we are in much more heavy hearted discussions on when it is time to say enough. This is the third dog in my life and will be the first that I have been "responsible" for at the end. My childhood pup passed away while I was away at scout camp and the pup we had through my teens passed away while I was at college. This will be a first involvement in euthanasia and just not really sure where to go in the process. When to make the call, etc. I do think I picked out a spot where I will bury him because I dont believe in the vet discarding him or doing cremation for a dog.

I'd get another opinion from a different vet. We had a dog when I was a kid who had similar issues. She was able to regain the function in her back legs by being restricted from moving for a time period (she had to stay in a carrier). I can't remember exact details - I was in middle school. But, I do remember that happening. Just my $.02.

Our female boxer had it. I had no issues helping her around and just trying to judge her happiness with life while doing so. We essentially set incontinence as our final sign. As seen on multiple threads on this board, it's never an easy decision and it really is a tough one to make.

I will say, we took her to the vet when the time came because it was really all I knew at the time (5 yrs ago). We just recently put our male down (14 yo) and I came across a company called lap of love. It's a hospice vet that will come to your house. Really wished I'd had known about them with our female because they were great and he didn't have to endure the nervousness/anxiety of going to the vet. I'd highly recommend if they are available in your area. They also have some material/videos that may help you with your decision.

[url] https://www.lapoflove.com/homepage-mobile.aspx[/url]

Sorry to hear about your dog. This is a difficult decision that comes with a lot of heartache but ultimately you are doing the best thing for your dog.

my first dog had an issue like this but that was from an injury. Our vet is an old school guy and his description was "arthritis of the back" he tried a steroid shot and said if it was anything else his hip sway would decrease and leg drag would improve (until the shot wore off) none of those happened so we opted not to do daily pills.

We are still more than happy to help him around and keep him trucking as long as we can. and like you said incontinence is basically where we have set the line, part of my questioning was just the new symptom of the extreme gas passing if anyone else might have noticed that not too long before the incontinence.

My biggest blessing is that he isn't in pain, you can tell it confuses him but it doesn't hurt. Especially since he tore up his back foot a few weeks ago going up and down a wooden stair on a deck. It was bleeding a lot and he never even paid attention to it because he basically couldn't feel it.

DM is common in Corgi's and the symptoms certainly fit. However there are also many other spinal problems that can cause similar signs. There is a DM genetic test, Joan Coates who is the expert in this area developed it. She is at Mizzou. There are veterinary neurologists that consult and work these types of cases up all the time. If you are interested in confirming the diagnosis, I'd suggest asking for a referral to a neurologist for a spinal work-up. Not sure where you are located but we have a large group at A&M. We take referrals from all over the state/country. Good luck, hang in there.

I mean id be interested in time to know for sure that's what it is, id also like to be able to pass the info back to the breeder...but as far as short term it isnt overly going to impact anything.

And I hate to be callous with the question....but what does that test/workup cost?

Can't help with the gas passing side of it. We had boxers and that is their norm. I would've been more concerned if they weren't.

At minimum your veterinarian can set up a DM test with U of Mizzou. That cost should be minimal. Cost on a neuro work-up depends on what you're asking about. Cost for a consultation/exam only with nothing else could be a 200-400. If testing is recommended that can go up in to the hundreds or even a few thousand for things like MRI, spinal tap, and other diagnostics.

Vets....how do yall usually advise pet owners when to make the call. I am at a total loss. I feel so bad for my pup, they say that he cant feel any issues but I constantly see problems.

A few weeks ago we went to the lakehouse and he ended up tearing open the top of his foot from dragging it going up the steps on the back deck. We taped it up and bandaged it with a sock but he didn't walk well at all with that and by the end of the trip he wouldn't even attempt the stairs. He has also stopped going upstairs at our house.

When he sits at home he cant keep his butt under him and then he struggles to stop it from slipping because of the low function of his legs. He has mainly resorted to laying at all times when not trying to be mobile.

His feet are constantly crossed when he stands which then usually leads to him tripping when he starts walking...which he then struggles to right himself on our tile floor because of the lowered function.

I just feel so bad for him even though I know mid section up he is still a good pup.

Not a vet but this might be helpful. It is from the lap of love website that I linked in an earlier post. They are a hospice vet and have so good information on their website.

[url] [/url]

Thank you. I watched most of this earlier today. Some very good points for consideration.

Unfortunately I'm not sure the deep thought is going to be necessary much longer. We came home from work and he had pooped and peed upstairs in front of one of the bedrooms. He has never had difficult making it very long stretches and holding it.

Then not long after I put his food out for him to eat. He didn't even pay attention to it at first. I picked it up and messed with it, put it back down right in front of him and he maybe at 1/4 of his food.

He has never skipped a meal in his life

Put the pup to sleep, the dog has been a good and loyal friend now do what you know must be done. Keep his collar and have the animal properly dispose of by the vet. There are creatures in heaven so he will be waiting for you.


Get another dog but knock up your wife so u can have a kid to grow up with the new pup.

I had a GSD and I went through this battle for over 18 months. If it is DM I wish that on no one as it is incredibly challenging.

1) get the DM test. Runs about $150 but it gives you a "more likely than not" the results come back as he has carrier carrier, carrier recessive, recessive recessive. Unfortunately when I had my guy we had the carrier carrier.

2) find a vet that does dog acupuncture. That helped extend my guys comfort and ability much further.

3) watch for bleeding nails, if your guy is dragging his paws go to Amazon and get dog boots. I went through a ton of them but there is a brand that uses the rubber from Vibrams and those held up the best.

4) For me, I wrote his top 3 things that would make him
Happy. From there when he was unable to do two of them I knew it was time.

I am not a hunter, I am a hugeeeeee dog person. I've never experienced seeing a dog put to sleep and it was the worst experience of my life. The entire event is peaceful and calm and your dog will not suffer, but the void left in your heart will forever be there. Make sure everyday until you make that decision you dedicate it to your pup and when it's time you know you gave him the best life possible. It's difficult owning a pet because the odds are that you will outlive them, you owe it to your guy to make the call and not let the disease progress.

Went through this with our boxer. We got a solid 6 months from the diagnose to having to put her down. We did underwater treadmill twice a week, tons of supplements, and got a wheelchair. Unfortunately she didn't like the wheelchair or we might have gotten another few months with her. When she couldn't get up and was trying to drag herself around we saw her joy vanish. We knew it was time.

Who knew there were so many places that cater to this sort of thing just in the North Houston area..

Anyone that has waiting too long to put down a pet will tell you they wish they'd done it sooner. Getting a dog means signing up to have your heart broke. You gotta love them enough to let them go when it's time.

Yeah this sucks. Sorry. We had to put down our 13 year old corgi last week but the decision was much more clear. Pretty sure she developed an aggressive cancer within her last couple of weeks. About 2.5 weeks between the first symptom which we thought was trauma at first and then having to put her down after she wouldn't eat, had blood in her stool, and was developing more and more swelling and hemorrhaging. It was 2-3 bad days before we decided she was suffering and it was time. Not fun at all and I'm sorry your pup and family are having to struggle through this.