A Journey Through Degenerative Myelopathy, Part 2

I scoured the web again and was lucky enough to find handicapped pets again. I searched it further and found a sweatshirt sling you could make. But it was for a small dog. I decided to use a Large man's sweatshirt and folder it over, top to bottom. I cut 2 holes in it for Kanes Legs. I put it on him and told him to get up. He tried although he stuggled. Mommy pulled up and presto he was up. My boy was up! Mommy was so proud. We walked outside together and he peed and pooed with out falling. His tail started wagging again and then he started trotting. My boy was happy again. The next day we played frisbee, I had the sling in one hand and would show him the frisbee, as soon as I threw it I felt him take off. Mommy ran as fast as she could to keep up. We fell several times together but it was a learning curve. Mommy was glad Kane was happy again. I walked him around the yard every morning before work for 20 minutes and again at night for 45 to 1 hour. Resting inbetween. We did this every other day. The days inbetween I could tell Kane was tired and sore and Dave had to remind me of that on the off days. Cause I would get sad when Kane didnt want to play on those days. He still kept getting weeker and weeker in the back end to the point where I now used the sling as a hoist.

September desperation and October Solitude

September it started to cool off a bit, so I was able to take Kane out in the yard for more excersise. We loved our time together and I tried to put on my game face. Kane was getting weeker in the back end and usually the first 10 minutes of our walks around the yard was all he could do at this point. He was becoming very needy and insecure. If I would leavehis sight for 30 seconds he would bark continually until I returned. Even when Dave was around. Sometimes in the back yard if I went around the corner of the house to get something he would give it all he had to make it to me. Dragging his back end all the way and then making his announcement as to where he was. When he did, his sling would slide off so I would have to wrestle with him to get it back on. (another one of his games) . Kane also started having some sores on the bottoms of his feet inbtween his toes. Sores which stunk really bad and where kind of peely like athletes foot. I thought it was. So I proceded to used Athletes foot spray. It seem to work but would never clear up. I called the vet and he told me it was a yeast infection. He told me to use Hydrocortizone. I ask him if there was some better stuff that he sold and he prescribed a little tube of Animax. I went to pick it up and looked at it and said I dont think you understand. It is on all 4 of his big bonky feet. He got me a larger tube and I was to apply it twice a day.

Everynight before we went to bed, we got our pills, our peanut butter bread with the Amino in it. Which he got 3 times a day. Then I hoisted him up and he wheelbarrowed to the bedroom. I got him situated with his waterbowl next to him so he wouldn't get thristy in the middle of the night ( I used tohear him crawl to the kitchen to get water and find him half way down the hall never to make it), turned the ceiling fan on so he wouldnt get hot and then put the Animax inbetween all of his toes and on his legs where it was starting to erupt. This went on every night and every morning. It was reversed in the morning and I used to put his bed in the living room so he could see the window.

At this point Kane could no longer walk at all in his back end. One day I came home and found him under my end table with a lamp on it. He had somehow scooched himself over there and slid off the rug onto the hard wood floor, so everytime he tried to scooch out his butt slid further in. I Quickly pulled him out so the lamp wouldnt fall on him. All the while talking to Kane and telling him how silly he was. His tail just wagged and he let me put him where ever I wanted. As long as I stayed with him.

I started pricing dog carts. Wow, expensive! I better start saving. So I did. While I was saving I decided to test Kane on how he would respond. I had a Big drag along cooler like a wagon with 4 wheels. I hoisted him up over the top of it. He layed there and off we went. I pulled him all over the yard. He didnt fight it and actually had a happy face on. Till we took a turn and he slid off. So I put him back on it again. Mind you he weighed 113lbs and I only weighed 125. But we did it and took a corner and he fell off again. So then I tried Dave's automotive slider. I think this would have worked inside the house but not on the grass. I again was getting upset and desperate.

By mid September I noticed while he was laying down he was tucking his front feet under him. I would untuck them for him and tell him to leave them. A few minutes later they would be tucked again. I didnt know it at the time but the DM had started to effect his front end.

By September 24, he started his nose dives into the ground. We would be walking with his buttsling and all the sudden his front legs would give out and BAM right down on his nose. I just started to cry and get angry. Not at him at the disease. I pleaded with him to not give up, fight it. I would have sold my soul to the devil for it not have advanced this far. I got him back up and he would walk 3 feet and do it again. I checked his face to make sure he wasnt hurt and got him up and he would do it again. I left him in the yard..... I ran inside to get Dave crying hysterically. Dave came out with a beach towel and we put it under his front legs. Kane peed and pooed that morning. Dave told me again he was just tired from all the playing we did over the weekend.

I had been playing frisbee with him by tieing the frisbee to a long skinny stick and then trotting around the yard with him, sling in one hand, stick and frisbee in the other out in front of him. He did great and we went all over the yard. Kane just loved it.

Also over the weekend Kane tried to chase Rocky around with me helping, but just continually falling so we all went inside. I saw Kanes look... So frustrated, so sad, he just wanted to play with his brother. Kane was very quiet that night and didn't have interest in anything. Not his little ponies that I played on the floor with him. Not his ball that we rolled back and forth. Nothing.

The next day Dave and I went to Petsmart and found a Comfort lift for his front end. It fit tight on him but it helped. My back was hurting from stooping with the front lift as the handles were not long enough so we tied a towel through the handles and then tied the towel and the arms of the sling together. It seemed to work, I again tryed to be positive. Kane, Rocky and me had a picnic in the back yard. they ate there dinner outside and I sat next to both of them. Okay I said, I can do this. So again now with both slings, we tried to get our excersise. It just wasnt working. Kane was giving up and showing no interest. Now I had given up the hopes of a Dog cart. Kane had progressed again. The DM progressed so fast neither of us ever had time to adjust and get used to anything.

Part 1 Conclusion