We had adopted an Airedale mix from the shelter, and after about a year, considered adding a second dog to the household, and we decided on a German Shepherd. Our Obedience instructor was the GSD Breed Rep for the local purebred dog rescue organization, so we asked her if she had any young females come into rescue. After a few months, she told us she had no females, but she had 10 month old male who was wonderful. He had been a stray, probably dumped out in the country by his previous owners, and picked up by animal control. Dog rescue had bailed him out of the pound, and placed him in a foster home. So, the day after Christmas, 1998, we went down to the sheep herding place to see him. He was not just skinny, he was a walking skeleton. You could see all his vertebrae, his hipbones stuck out like a cow's, and his ribs were prominant. But he had herding instinct, and took to herding sheep like he'd done it all his life. Skinny and weak though he was, he wanted to herd, and would keep at it till he dropped, if not taken away from them. He had that "look of eagles" in his eyes, that characterizes German Shepherds. We took him home.
For the next year and a half, we tried to put weight on him. He had chronic diarrhea, episodes that varied between explosive diarrhea and gushing water. During that year and a half, I had him in to the vet's numerous times; we'd got antibiotics and enzymes, run tests, try this, try that, and nothing helped for very long. He remained skeletal, his fur was thin and greasy. He'd improve for a while, then it would start all over again.He became so weak, he could barely drag himself out of bed in the morning; he'd get as far as the dining room, and collapse in exhaustion. He'd manage to get up, go into the kitchen to eat, and collapse again. I really thought he would die. During this time, he remained a sweet-tempered dog, loving and gentle, no matter how sick he was or what was done to him. Finally, the vet said the last resort was an endoscopy to rule out cancers, and see what was going on in his digestive tract. I agreed. The endoscopy showed changes in the gut consistent with Inflammatory Bowel Disease, probably dietary in origin. We immediately took him off the lamb and rice, and switched to chicken and rice. He began gaining weight and strength, and his fur grew in thick and soft. We learned that Inflammatory Bowel Disease is a fairly common disease in GSD's, and seems to be hereditary.
He began itching. He'd chew his feet, scratch his ears and shake his head.
We tried numerous antihistimines, and nothing seemed to help. His ears were constantly filled with black glop. He finally got an ear haematoma, from the constant scratching and shaking, and needed surgery to fix it. The diagnosis was allergies, of course. We had a blood test done for allergies, and discovered that he was allergic to all meats but 2 or 3, all grains (including rice), and several other foods. Because of the problems we had with his bowels, changing his food was risky, but had to be done. I spent several evenings on the internet researching foods, and about 6 hours one Saturday going from pet store to pet store trying to find a food he might be able to eat. In the end, we decided on a brand with 1 novel protein and 1 carbohydrate source (potato). It's a limited ingredient diet that we order from the vet. Allergies are a fairly common problem in German Shepherds, and there does seem to be a genetic tendency toward them.
I started him in Agility, since our other dog was doing well in Agility. After a few months, he began limping on his front legs, so I took him in for x-rays to rule out a stress fracture. He had bilateral ununited anconeal processes (elbow dysplasia, both legs). We made arrangements to have surgery done, and while he was under anesthesia, the surgeon x-rayed his hips. Markko has severe bilateral hip dysplasia, and because of his bad elbows, surgery is not an option. His exercise must be severely limited. He essentially has no joints on his elbows or his hips. His hip muscles have atrophied. He is undoubtedly in constant pain, as arthritis sets into the damaged joints. Both elbow dysplasia and hip dysplasia are all-too-common genetic defects in German Shepherds. This is one you can see coming down through lines. It will also show up in dogs whose parents test clear of it themselves, but where an uncle or great-grandparent may have it. Markko got a double whammy; my guess is one or both parents had it.
Last year, I noticed he was dragging his hind feet a little, and he seemed a little clumsy in the rear. I thought his hips were getting worse, and took him to an orthopedic surgeon to have him evaluated. The diagnosis was a neurological problem, not orthopedic, and possible Degenerative Myelopathy. This is a degenerative disease, and analogous to multiple sclerosis in humans. It begins with paralysis in the hindquarters, works its way forward, until the dog is completely paralyzed. There is no cure, no effective treatment, and no hope. The mercy, if there is one, is that the disease is painless, because the nerves simply die. Most dogs die within 2 years after diagnosis. The disease is probably genetic in origin, and German Shepherds may be the only breed it is found in.
I took Markko to a neurologist for a second opinion, and after an MRI, it was discovered that he had 3 bulging disks in his back, that were probably causing the paralysis. He had surgery to repair the disks, and is recovering now. He could still have DM; the only way to get a definitive diagnosis is post-mortem exam of the spinal cord. We will have to wait and see if the paralysis reoccurs.
Throughout all this, Markko has been the sweetest tempered dog, always gentle and loving, no matter what is done to him, no matter how much it hurts. He has a daily regimen of about 5 to 7 pills--for his joints, and his allergies and a chronic yeast infection. I give him shots every 3 weeks for allergies, as well. He can only eat his limited ingredient dog food, and every treat has to be approved. I have learned the hard way that he just can't eat any old thing, and even small amounts of something he is allergic to will cause diarrhea or uncontrolled itching.
Because of all his health problems--all of which are probably or certainly inherited (with the exception of the ruptured disks)--he is almost certainly from a backyard breeder or a puppy mill. A responsible, ethical breeder, who knew the lines he/she was breeding, who health tested their stock, who bred to better the breed, would not--could not--have produced a dog with so many inherited problems. This dog is the result of careless and uncaring breeding. His quality of life is greatly diminished because of all his health problems. He has probably never had a day free of pain, from the time he was a little puppy. He will almost certainly die young--probably from cancers or DM, or we will have to put him down at a relatively young age, due to unrelieavable pain from all his bad joints. He is 5 or 6 years old now; I don't think he will live to be 10.
I'm sorry this is so long, and I know there are spelling, grammar and punctuation errors in it that I haven't caught on proof reading. Markko is my "Special Needs" dog, the first German Shepherd I've ever had, and the one who hooked me on the breed. There is a special place in my heart for him, and that place will always be empty, after he is gone. God willing, that won't be for many years.
For the next year and a half, we tried to put weight on him. He had chronic diarrhea, episodes that varied between explosive diarrhea and gushing water. During that year and a half, I had him in to the vet's numerous times; we'd got antibiotics and enzymes, run tests, try this, try that, and nothing helped for very long. He remained skeletal, his fur was thin and greasy. He'd improve for a while, then it would start all over again.He became so weak, he could barely drag himself out of bed in the morning; he'd get as far as the dining room, and collapse in exhaustion. He'd manage to get up, go into the kitchen to eat, and collapse again. I really thought he would die. During this time, he remained a sweet-tempered dog, loving and gentle, no matter how sick he was or what was done to him. Finally, the vet said the last resort was an endoscopy to rule out cancers, and see what was going on in his digestive tract. I agreed. The endoscopy showed changes in the gut consistent with Inflammatory Bowel Disease, probably dietary in origin. We immediately took him off the lamb and rice, and switched to chicken and rice. He began gaining weight and strength, and his fur grew in thick and soft. We learned that Inflammatory Bowel Disease is a fairly common disease in GSD's, and seems to be hereditary.
He began itching. He'd chew his feet, scratch his ears and shake his head.
We tried numerous antihistimines, and nothing seemed to help. His ears were constantly filled with black glop. He finally got an ear haematoma, from the constant scratching and shaking, and needed surgery to fix it. The diagnosis was allergies, of course. We had a blood test done for allergies, and discovered that he was allergic to all meats but 2 or 3, all grains (including rice), and several other foods. Because of the problems we had with his bowels, changing his food was risky, but had to be done. I spent several evenings on the internet researching foods, and about 6 hours one Saturday going from pet store to pet store trying to find a food he might be able to eat. In the end, we decided on a brand with 1 novel protein and 1 carbohydrate source (potato). It's a limited ingredient diet that we order from the vet. Allergies are a fairly common problem in German Shepherds, and there does seem to be a genetic tendency toward them.
I started him in Agility, since our other dog was doing well in Agility. After a few months, he began limping on his front legs, so I took him in for x-rays to rule out a stress fracture. He had bilateral ununited anconeal processes (elbow dysplasia, both legs). We made arrangements to have surgery done, and while he was under anesthesia, the surgeon x-rayed his hips. Markko has severe bilateral hip dysplasia, and because of his bad elbows, surgery is not an option. His exercise must be severely limited. He essentially has no joints on his elbows or his hips. His hip muscles have atrophied. He is undoubtedly in constant pain, as arthritis sets into the damaged joints. Both elbow dysplasia and hip dysplasia are all-too-common genetic defects in German Shepherds. This is one you can see coming down through lines. It will also show up in dogs whose parents test clear of it themselves, but where an uncle or great-grandparent may have it. Markko got a double whammy; my guess is one or both parents had it.
Last year, I noticed he was dragging his hind feet a little, and he seemed a little clumsy in the rear. I thought his hips were getting worse, and took him to an orthopedic surgeon to have him evaluated. The diagnosis was a neurological problem, not orthopedic, and possible Degenerative Myelopathy. This is a degenerative disease, and analogous to multiple sclerosis in humans. It begins with paralysis in the hindquarters, works its way forward, until the dog is completely paralyzed. There is no cure, no effective treatment, and no hope. The mercy, if there is one, is that the disease is painless, because the nerves simply die. Most dogs die within 2 years after diagnosis. The disease is probably genetic in origin, and German Shepherds may be the only breed it is found in.
I took Markko to a neurologist for a second opinion, and after an MRI, it was discovered that he had 3 bulging disks in his back, that were probably causing the paralysis. He had surgery to repair the disks, and is recovering now. He could still have DM; the only way to get a definitive diagnosis is post-mortem exam of the spinal cord. We will have to wait and see if the paralysis reoccurs.
Throughout all this, Markko has been the sweetest tempered dog, always gentle and loving, no matter what is done to him, no matter how much it hurts. He has a daily regimen of about 5 to 7 pills--for his joints, and his allergies and a chronic yeast infection. I give him shots every 3 weeks for allergies, as well. He can only eat his limited ingredient dog food, and every treat has to be approved. I have learned the hard way that he just can't eat any old thing, and even small amounts of something he is allergic to will cause diarrhea or uncontrolled itching.
Because of all his health problems--all of which are probably or certainly inherited (with the exception of the ruptured disks)--he is almost certainly from a backyard breeder or a puppy mill. A responsible, ethical breeder, who knew the lines he/she was breeding, who health tested their stock, who bred to better the breed, would not--could not--have produced a dog with so many inherited problems. This dog is the result of careless and uncaring breeding. His quality of life is greatly diminished because of all his health problems. He has probably never had a day free of pain, from the time he was a little puppy. He will almost certainly die young--probably from cancers or DM, or we will have to put him down at a relatively young age, due to unrelieavable pain from all his bad joints. He is 5 or 6 years old now; I don't think he will live to be 10.
I'm sorry this is so long, and I know there are spelling, grammar and punctuation errors in it that I haven't caught on proof reading. Markko is my "Special Needs" dog, the first German Shepherd I've ever had, and the one who hooked me on the breed. There is a special place in my heart for him, and that place will always be empty, after he is gone. God willing, that won't be for many years.
