Another story of love and dedication. Scooby Doo loved and cared for by Renee Howard Scooby Doo and DM Scooby Doo the German Shepherd Dog had a great life and enriched the lives of anyone around him. He came complete with his own “puppy-personality”, a set of big paws he quickly grew into. He unfortunately also came with some health issues that would plague him throughout his life. We wouldn’t give back a moment of time we had with our “little boy”, but we do want any proud new parents of a German Shepherd puppy to hear his story and perhaps glean something helpful from it. We brought Scooby Doo home in late December of 2001. Puppies have a way of pulling smiles out of thin air and melting even the coldest of hearts. Not having trouble smiling or lacking for warmth we were pretty much immediately smitten with this little ball of fur. He howled like a banshee when he realized he was being taken from his home, but somewhat settled into the comfort of the backseat of my truck for the long drive to our house. Partway through the drive his howls and barking came back to a certain extent and through this he gave us our first lesson in the different meanings of different barks. This one was the “I really have to go!” bark, and we soon smelled something awful that afterwards never quite came out of the fabric of my truck seats. Harrowing as this was, it led to the first magical moment with Scoob, as when he was set down in a parking lot that cold night to do his business he began to follow me. No matter where I turned I had a little buddy dutifully following me. Big smiles and melting hearts again. Once to his new home, Scooby Doo began to figure things out quickly. He learned his way around the house, and found great joy in a red rubber ball. He also absolutely loved spending time in the horse barn where he would bark at horses, chase cats, and generally have a big time. He would make sure he could find his way back from his explorations in the house by pulling the end of the toilet paper in the bathroom around the house, leaving a sort of trail behind him. He discovered that there was a whole different world that could be viewed by laying on his back and looking around upside down. He also did not like the concept of eating alone in “his” room, which was our laundry room. We would sit down to eat on the couch watching television after filling his food bowl in the laundry room. Within a minute or so we’d have a little puppy march into the middle of the living room, open his mouth to dump the food he had carried in, and then lay down to eat it bit by bit. In order to save him the several trips it would take him to finish his meal, we just started placing his food bowl in the living room with us. As we had mentioned before, Scooby did wind up having some issues. He had a bout with worms to start with, some bone spurs on his elbows, and other coughs and sniffles from time to time. None of these would keep him down for long. The biggest issue in his early years was his elbows for which he required surgery to remove. The hardest part of this was keeping him from running for the six weeks required for him to heal. This had me running around the living room with his ball. He would lay on his couch watching me closely. As suddenly as I could I would launch the ball in his direction and he would snatch it from the air. This game was great fun and would serve us very well later in his life. The first sign of a big problem was when we noticed some wear on the top of Scooby’s toenails on his left rear paw. He had apparently begun to drag that paw occasionally. We barely noticed it, but if we watched him closely when he walked we could see it. When we mentioned this to the vet, she was very concerned. She conducted some tests. With him standing, she would grab one paw and turn it to where the pads were facing up and then release it. She would watch to see if he had any issues with returning the paw to its proper orientation and again standing on it. She said this test was one way of looking for signs of something called degenerative myelopathy or DM for short. She also watched him walk and noted that he was shuffling with his left rear paw, sometimes throwing that leg around in order to get the paw forward enough to continue to walk on it. The vet referred us to a veterinary orthopedic specialist. After his initial examination, the specialist veterinarian decided to obtain an MRI image of Scooby’s spine and to draw spinal fluid for testing in December of 2009. Though there is no definitive test to directly diagnose DM, the MRI and fluid draw were used to rule out other possible causes of Scooby’s condition. With the other possibilities removed, we received the presumptive diagnosis of degenerative myelopathy. It was explained to us that this was a progressive disease, and that Scooby would eventually lose the ability to use his rear legs entirely, and that this paralysis would continue to creep forward on his body. We were told that there was no cure for this condition. The only thing we could do was to try to keep him as active as possible and to begin giving him a number of vitamin supplements which we did immediately. Scooby began having problems properly placing his rear paws. He would set them back to the ground almost inverted, or with his nails into the ground. He would not seem to notice, and could still walk and even run. We would often correct his paw’s orientation by hand while he stood, which he also would not notice. His movement continued to deteriorate as well, starting with a lessening of his ability to get into cars or climb stairs. We purchased an excellent harness called the “Help ‘Em Up” from Blue Dog, with handles over his shoulders and his rear that we would use to help him overcome these obstacles, and dog boots to protect his dragging paws from scrapes. Even still, with the progression we were seeing at this point the vet told us in April of 2011 that we were likely to have to make the decision to euthanize within six months to a year. The only possible treatment was controversial at best and involved harvesting stem cells and injecting them into the spine with the idea that they would regenerate some of the damaged areas. At best this treatment only delayed the progression of the disease and had some risk associated with it. As well, results from this procedure were irregular. We finally decided against the stem cell treatment and just continued the vitamins. We managed this way for some time, but Scoob’s condition was slowly worsening. We came to rely on a shoulder strap we would attach to the rear end of his harness and actually provide support while he walked. In November of 2011, Scooby was found to have another issue: the vet found a large mass on his liver. Surgery was required and the mass removed, but the episode had an unfortunate effect. After this surgery, Scoob was never again able to walk. It is believed that the anesthesia used in the surgery has an accelerating effect on DM. Scooby could still move his rear legs at that point, but could no longer support his own weight. The strap and harness were no longer just aids for Scooby, their use was the only way that he was able to move around at all. We eventually decided to purchase a wheel “chair” for him. We contacted Ruff Rollin in Colorado, and ordered a rear-only model custom-built for Scoob. This was a very well-made item and immediately provided Scoob with the ability to move around on his own again as his front legs still worked fine. We would go for walks in the woods and even chase the ball with this wonderful device. Unfortunately, due either to the progression of the DM or the stiffness in his elbows from his early surgery for bone spurs, he began to fall while walking or running in his wheelchair. We got with Ruff Rollin again and purchased the front end for the chair, which brought back some of his mobility and kept him from falling. With each step we took to help him, Scoob sadly would slip a little more in his battle with DM. With the addition of the front end to his chair he would no longer fall. He did however begin to lose the use of his front legs too, as the DM began to creep forward on his body. This had us pushing him or pulling him around the yard. We didn’t mind at all and would do it for the rest of our lives if we could, but it certainly took some of his fun away. He also began to have potty problems. He began to lose control of his bladder, and would have accidents indoors which was very unlike him. By April of 2012, Scooby was no longer able to urinate by himself. We began to have to catheterize him twice a day to remove urine. At this point in any dog’s life, talk should probably be had amongst family members about the continued happiness of the dog and the family’s ability to care for him or her. Caring for a disabled pet is a great deal of work, and is often heartbreaking. You love to see your little buddy happy and playing but he can’t anymore. Also, though many scientists would deny this, you see embarrassment in the dog’s eyes many times. For all of his life Scoob was very good about going outdoors for his business, but was now at the point he couldn’t control himself. There is a time to let go for all dogs, and this can only be decided by the family members. Many would have decided it was time based on what was happening with Scoob at this point. From what we saw though Scoob was still happy most of the time, and still full of fight. He would take trips to the barn and would be barking and excited about it. He would get to go for rides on the small yard tractor known as the “Gator” and would bark and carry on as always. If left alone and not happy with his positioning he would crawl with his front legs, and when he lost use of those, by “inch-worming” with his head. Scoob was a tough puppy, and never gave up, so we could not give up on him. We would ask him sometimes if was still happy and would get a smile or a bark in reply. That was all we needed. The DM of course continued to progress. Scoob lost control of the number two function as well, and began to have to be hoisted into his chair, no longer able to help get himself up or stand at all. What brought us to the last decision however was his breathing. He had from time to time had bouts with bronchitis, and began to have a seeming recurrence of this. One night in particular however he developed a very severe breathing issue. The DM had progressed to the point where it was now affecting his ability to breath. Even though he got past this night, he continued to have episodes periodically where his breathing was very labored. With fun in his life so reduced, and now the very real chance of him having a breathing problem episode he might not recover from, we made the decision that it was time for him to move on. There are likely few more difficult times in life than letting a loved one move beyond. All the years of love and happiness they have brought you to the point that you can’t imagine being without them. You try to think of something, anything else that might help, any chance of some recovery and just a little more time. In the end though, at least with dogs, you have the ability to remove them from suffering, and save them from the pain and fear of something like dying from an inability to breathe, and we believed it was important for us to do this for Scoob. Scooby had an absolutely perfect day on February 18, 2013. He had eggs for breakfast. He took a trip to the barn and rode the gator. He barked at the horses, and said goodbye to his cat, named Stash. He played in the backyard, chasing his red rubber ball with a little help and got his toes wet in his blue plastic pool. He ate his favorite treat, frozen apple sauce, and he endured more hugs and crying than he knew what to do with. Later that afternoon, surrounded by friends and family whom he loved and who so loved him, Scooby went to off to sleep one last time. Degenerative Myelopathy is not an immediate death sentence, but its insidious advance is slowed little by any treatments currently available. The most effective things you can do are to continue to love your dog and to be ready to give help where it was not previously needed such as with climbing stairs or entering cars. Harnesses help these efforts greatly, and are relatively inexpensive. Wheel chairs will eventually be needed, and can be very expensive. There are some procedures available such as stem cell implantation that seem to have some success in reversing or at least really slowing the disease, but the results so far in most cases seem to fall short of the desired outcome. As well, results are unpredictable, and the dog may not see any improvement. Overall, as with any dog in any condition, you have to watch. You have to ask your dog from time to time if he or she is still happy. German Shepherds in particular are bred with a courage and stubbornness in the face of adversity that will keep them going long past a point many people would think appropriate. The dog’s family members have to make their own decision, based on their ability to provide care and again most importantly on the happiness and comfort of their dog. We put a great deal of love and effort into making Scoob’s life comfortable, exciting, and enjoyable, this especially after his DM diagnosis. No two cases will likely be the same but for what it’s worth, we got almost two more years of time with our pup after the April 2011 estimate that he would make it only another six months to a year. The only reason we had that much time was because we fought for it. Scooby never gave up and neither did we, and neither did our vet. No matter how hard it got, no matter how much work it was, we found ways to cope. Would we, if we could, change Scoob’s life to exclude his health issues? Of course we would. That being said, we would not have let go of him one minute before we did. Even on his last day, in the face of breathing issues and near total immobility, Scoob displayed the drive, intelligence, and character that he always had. Also as he always had, he held our hearts and he made us smile. There will be other dogs but there will never be another Scooby.
Posted on: Tue, 19 Aug 2014 01:00:59 +0000
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