Merlin's DM Blog

Rite of Winter

2011-12-04T19:09:00.000-08:00

I have been reading Jon Katz's new book, "Coming Home, Finding Peace when Pets Die." I don't agree with everything he says, but the vast majority touches on the kind of decisions and loss and grieving that come with DM. It would be a good book to read before losing a dog, or while trying to make the decision to let him go, or after.

About the time I started reading the book, Woody's owner took his ashes to his favorite spot and scattered them. I thought about Merlin's ashes. I had left for California soon after he was euthanized and my mother had picked them up at the vet's office. Sometime this past summer I collected them from her shelf and brought them home. They were in a small cardboard box, taped closed. Too small. I put them on the shelf where I also have Luka's urn and a plastic box with Teddy's remains. The rest of my dogs are back in Fresno.

I have a plan to have their ashes combined with mine and scattered after my death, and have been looking for a large, unbreakable urn to keep them in. The other day it occurred to me that a new paint can would work, and I bought one.

I wanted to scatter some of Merlin's ashes in a special place, and I chose the ADA trail where we took our last walk together. It wasn't Merlin's favorite spot, but it was the one place that was just his and mine. The last time we were there I pushed him in the stroller. It was the first day he was sick, late December. None of the other dogs had been there, and I had not been able to go back this summer or fall, though I thought about it each time I drove past the turnoff.

I waited for a sunny day, which, in the winter in Washington, was a long wait. We had a high sitting over the state but the days were cloudy and foggy and cold. But today we woke to clear skies and sun.

I decided to take Oliver. Just as I always felt that Mandy, my first heart dog and first dog as an adult, sent Merlin to me, I feel that Merlin had a role in Oliver's arrival. I knew his owner because of this blog, for one thing. And if I needed another sign, it came when another friend named her red brindle Cardigan Merlin. Oliver, I knew, was a red brindle Cardigan. And Oliver had been DNA tested and was DM-clear.

So it was appropriate for Oliver to be the one who first shared Merlin's spot with me. We drove there; it is only about five minutes from my cabin. I left Oliver in the car and started off. As soon as I began to walk I started to cry. I walked up the trail to a bend where the light was streaming in through the trees. There I opened the box, finding a nice metal urn inside. I unscrewed the lid and tore open the plastic bag, and with my hand, scattered ashes to the light breeze. Not all of them, just some. And then I said "Goodbye, Merlin. I loved you so much and I will always love you."

I returned to the car and got Oliver out and into his cart, and we walked the ADA loop together. No one else was around, so I let Oliver off leash to run. I knew he didn't need an ADA trail but I wanted to share it with another dog, and he was the right one. He raced happily down the trail until, near where I had scattered the ashes, I put him back on the leash, and we walked back to the car.

Testing Rescue Corgis for DM

2011-11-29T13:27:00.001-08:00

A well-respected rescuer asked the question, would you do a DM DNA test on a rescue dog at the request of a potential adopter? She concluded that she would not, stating that the genetics of the dog were not her responsibility as a rescuer, and she would not want to know the status because then she would have to disclose it to any other potential adopters. She was asking what other rescuers think about the issue. The following is based on my response.

I agree it is a tough question but I would do it if asked. My reason has more to do with placing the dog in the right home. If someone is set on a dog being
DM carrier or clear, she isn't going to adopt an untested dog, I know this for myself as I will not put myself through that again, and I have heard it from many, many other owners who have lost dogs to DM. Regardless what anyone says to the contrary, DM is more heartbreaking than any other way I have lost a dog, it is a slow death that breaks your heart, it has no clear end point, and the emotional toll is high.

Oliver has IVDD, but his DM status is clear.

For those who don't know me, I have adopted three wheelchair corgis, all with IVDD. I would not adopt a corgi At Risk for DM, having lived through it with Merlin. Paraplegia did not put me off adopting my latest corgi, but had he not been clear or carrier, that would have. When the test was first available I thought I would be able to adopt an at risk dog, but by the time of Merlin's death I realized I could never face this disease again in a dog I loved.

I had an email yesterday from an owner who has just lost two DM corgis, she is leaving the breed. She may reconsider if she can find a tested pup but right now she is too devastated to consider it. And tested, clear or carrier dogs are not easy to find.

Another owner who has lost a dog to DM stated adamantly that she would not adopt a rescue or buy a puppy that wasn’t tested, even if she had to change breeds.

So saying no to testing means the potential adopter who asked for the test will not adopt this dog, period. Saying no to testing does nothing to help the dog get a home. Chances are reasonably good that the dog is carrier or clear, I firmly believe the incidence of DM is higher in well-bred corgis than in others. I tested my own rescues and got two carriers and a clear. By not testing you are removing the chance that adopter will adopt that dog. For an easy to place, highly desirable dog, that may be fine. But what about the dog that is going to take some time to place? Can you afford to refuse a home that might be the right one?

The difficulty in testing is that you, the rescuer, now know the dog's DM status, and have the ethical dilemma of telling the next potential adopter or not. For me, that isn't an issue, as I believe you have that same dilemma if you don't test, do you tell all your adopters the dog might be at risk for DM? Ethically, since you know it is true that he might be, do you inform them about the disease?

If, for example, 1 in 10 dogs with at risk genes get DM (and I think that is a very low estimate), then 1 in 20 untested dogs get it. Are you, a corgi rescuer, telling all of your adopters their corgi has a 1 in 20 chance of getting DM? Then why would you feel obligated to tell them there is a 1 in 10 chance?

For some rescuers as well as some breeders, that is the issue. They would rather not know. I don't know what I would do. I stopped actively rescuing when Merlin got DM and then Janine developed an autoimmune disease and is on immuno-suppressants for life. We can't introduce new germs from new dogs, so I don't have to answer that question. I might take a "they don't ask, I don't tell" approach, but I would feel guilty about it. But as I said, I would feel the same about placing an untested dog. I don't think you would have to euthanize an at risk corgi, there are enough people at least today who have not experienced the disease and would even knowingly take a chance. But they are not the people asking the question,

As we learn more about DM- what percent of At Risk dogs get the disease, for example- the question may become easier- or harder- to decide.

There is an advantage to knowing the status. It makes more sense to place an at risk corgi with someone who is sure to be strong and healthy when the dog reaches its senior years, to avoid homes with lots of steps, or owners with health issues that might interfere with caring for a disabled dog. You can't know the whole future, but you can guess at some of it.

I do think if you allow testing it is perfectly reasonable to ask the requesting potential adopter to pay for it. In some circumstances such as crowded foster homes or a dog in great demand I think it would also be reasonable to include the stipulation that if another good home comes along without the testing requirement the dog will be placed and not held for the adopter who is waiting for test results.

But I do think rescuers will be faced with this question more and more often as the incidence of DM grows, and will be losing potential homes if they do not adopt a pro-testing policy.

Llyr's DM Blog

2011-11-20T13:48:00.000-08:00

Our friend Llyr has his own blog now, which you can find at Llyr's Blog

I encourage anyone with a corgi or other dog with DM to start a blog. If you aren't a writer, do it with pictures. It is a nice record to have, it helps educate others, and it helps the owner to see the changes in her own dog as time goes by, something that is harder to do on a day to day basis. Millie Williams suggested it to me soon after Merlin's diagnosis and now I am grateful to have kept it.

Four months after Merlin

2011-04-16T16:36:00.000-07:00

I'm making Cheese Growlers for the dogs. The last time I made them was for Merlin, a Cheese Growler was the last treat he enjoyed before he got too sick to eat. At times like this I start missing him a lot. Most of the time I'm busy, surrounded by my three corgis, and have plenty to do, but sometimes reminders come.

I'm reminded whenever I do a new entry in the blog for Merlin's Friends. It has been a hard winter. Murphy left a few weeks ago; he and Merlin had run together at CPE Nationals in Elk Grove, CA in 2006, and now DM has claimed them both. Arthur is gone. Lulu left last week. I still find it hard to write about these things without tears.

It's going to be a little sad to return to Washington where we left Merlin. My mom picked up his ashes after I left for California. All my memories up there are of Merlin- I didn't have time to make any "after Merlin" memories. But I know the other dogs will benefit from more of my time and ability to go places Merlin could not go. We'll make more Corgi meetups- last year it either had to be accessible for a stroller or shady enough to leave him in the car. We'll get to the beach more often.

Merlin's cart (which I ran over just before he died) is in Oregon with Cochise, having been repaired and adjusted to fit Co, who has IVDD but was weakened to the point of needing front wheels.

On the DM front, the first of the At Risks have developed DM. I don't know what the percentages will turn out to be, but "At Risk" starts to take on a very somber meaning when a dog that was "At Risk" as a seven or eight year old is now a ten or eleven year old corgi with DM. One friend is waiting to see if her two girls, ten-year old daughters of her DM dog and both At Risk, will develop the disease. Other friends have dogs that are much younger and are waiting to learn what chance there is they, too, will develop DM.

There is good news, especially on the DM-testing and breeding front. More breeders are testing, and among those that are, some are finding clears. An influential Pembroke breeder in California just started testing (far from the first; Calfornia has been ahead of the curve in DM-testing.) More litters that are only clear and carriers are being born, and more puppy buyers are insisting on testing. I think the tide may be starting to turn; there are holdouts, of course, but eventually they will be the minority.

Wheelchairs for Corgis- What to buy!

2011-03-24T09:04:00.001-07:00

As cart coordinator for CorgiAid I've seen the good wheelchairs and I've seen the bad ones. And believe me, there are bad ones out there. Expect to pay $300-$500 for a quality corgi wheelchair, new, 50-70% of that used. If it is $200 or $150, buyer beware.

A good wheelchair cart for any corgi needs to start as a supportive two-wheel cart. It should have a saddle, hard or soft, that the legs fit into. A support band in the abdominal region is NOT enough support. There are several carts out there in the "cheapy" category that do not have saddles.

The cart should be made to fit or be adjustable to fit your dog. Wheels should be not be trike wheels or wagon wheels. PVC parts are bad news- they break.

For a dog with DM you also need to consider use as he weakens in front. Look at the K9 Cart companies (one is in Maryland and one in Washington State; we have links at Corgiaid . Both have adjustable carts with good support and eventually front swivel wheels. Merlin used a K9 Carts west cart. Another good cart for DM is Doggon Wheels; the wheels can be slightly counterbalanced and then later front wheels added. Ruffrollin, by a former Doggon employee, has a similar design. And Eddie's Wheels has the best counterbalancing, either with a variable axle cart or adding counterbalance after it is needed (don't order it this way) to a regular cart. Their front wheels are not the best as they do not swivel but are okay for indoor use.

Please stay away from the cheap carts! A cart is worth nothing if your dog won't or can't use it; it is priceless if he loves it and gets two more years of mobility out of it. Isn't the difference worth ten dollars a month?

The Daily Corgi

2011-03-02T12:15:00.001-08:00

The Daily Corgi successfully raised $3500 earmarked for DM research.. but it doesn't stop at $3500! Because they raised more than $2500, funds up to $100,000 can go to the same DM research projects. This is a 40-fold increase of your donations! Talk about matching funds!

Raising money for DM Research- $3500
Gaining corporate and other money for the same research= $100,000
Awareness of DM and the need for research and testing- PRICELESS!!

Thank you to everyone who contributed to the cause and especially to those who shared their corgi's story as one of the "Faces of DM."

Help the Daily Corgi raise money for DM Research!

2011-02-14T09:30:00.001-08:00

or email Thedailycorgi@gmail.com to donate by check.

After Merlin

2011-01-20T11:49:00.000-08:00

Merlin's story is over but there are so many, many more stories of corgis with DM that we have added a new blog called "Merlin's Friends."

There is a lot to sort out and put away after a dog with DM dies. I started up in Washington cleaning his bed and crate out of the car so that we could pack to return to California. I also cleaned up his bedding in two places in the house and washed all the various fleece and Pooch pads.

Two strollers stayed in Washington and the one down here in California will come in handy this week as Candy has a pressure sore and is out of his cart for awhile.

I had been hoping to let Candy inherit Merlin's cart but ran over it a few days after Merlin quit walking so instead it went to Vicki in Eugene who is going to try to rehab it and use it for her IVDD dog, and then eventually maybe it will be useful as a 2-wheel cart again. Basically I bent the strut on one wheel and slightly tweaked the back bar, it is actually amazing how well it stood up to being run over.

The first morning after Merlin's death I slept almost ten hours. Sleep deprivation was one of the worst things to deal with for me (other than the direct effects on Merlin.) I never, knock on wood, had my back go out during the time he needed help though it has in the past.

The trip to Fresno was easier than it would have been in terms of packing as we came home with only three dogs, three crates, and no strollers. Harder in another way- about midway through Oregon is a sign for the turnoff to "Merlin, Oregon," and every other trip for thirteen years (twice a year) I would say, "Merlin, its your town!" This time I saw the sign and started to cry.

Back in Fresno I moved the bed back into the bedroom and we started taking three-dog, no stroller walks, which are much faster and a little simpler, though the fact the three have to stay on leash all the way does cramp our style a bit. Ironically, the city put curb cuts into two intersections on our walk which I had avoided with Merlin in the past.

I really miss having Merlin in the car when I drive. I've taken Jack places but he has to ride in a crate so it isn't the same thing. I want to try him with a seat belt so at least I can tell he is with me in the car.

So life goes on. I am trying to focus more attention on the other three dogs as they were sadly neglected the past few years. Janine has started sleeping on the bed with me, a privilege she only reluctantly shares with Jack. I am glad I have them.

The Last Entry

2010-12-28T10:31:00.000-08:00

This probably won't really be the last page as I will use this blog to rant about DM and breeders who don't test for it. But it is the last entry in Merlin's journey.

Just under a week ago he started refusing to eat. THe previous two posts cover that. Now he is still not eating, we switched to Baytril and still no appetite or improvement. He seems congested, isn't breathing well, and has little energy. Every so often he rallies enough to bark but he will only drink water and he looks miserable. His eyes are telling me it is time, and this afternoon at the South Whidbey Animal Clinic Dr. Patrin will humanely end his life.

Just over 13 years ago, Christmas vacation 1997, I brought Merlin home. In November of 97 my Labrador Brother had died and for my birthday my dear friends surprised me with the tri puppy from their litter.

But I actually met Merlin the day he was born. My daughter had been home from college for the weekend and I was loading up to drive her to the train when my neighbor's husband ran over. "Linda needs you, it looks like Lily is having the puppies." He drove Melia to the train and I got to Linda's just in time to see Lily pick up Merlin, still in the sac, and deposit him in the litter box. It was the 57th day and I was worried when I saw him that she had gotten bred by some stray dog. I had never seen a newborn tri and did not know they were all black and white!

As soon as finals were over Merlin came home to live with me and our last Lab Pippin and our older female corgi Dolly. He quickly became a little terror. He and Dolly frapped non-stop and when Dolly took a moment off to recover Merlin tortured Pippin trying to get her to play. He started to show his extreme stubbornness even then.

Merlin proved to be a heroic little fellow, at the age of just about six months he scared an intruder out of our house. I heard him snarling and growling at about 6 one morning and came to find him holding off an intruder who had started to come through the back door. The guy backed out and said he was looking for this guy's studio (at 6 AM?) and Merlin got lots of extra treats!

Over the years our dog family changed, Pippin and Dolly were followed by Luka, Wesley, Abby. Janine,. Jack, Teddy. and Candy. Now besides Merlin we have Candy at 10. Janine 8. and Jack 5. Merlin liked our cats but Hobie and Casey have both since gone, not to be replaced.

Merlin had a few injuries in his youth,. at two, one CCL ligament ruptured, the second one at five. He recovered from both surgeries but always had a bit of a funny gait after the second. Despite that, at 7 he started agility, competing in his first trial right after his eighth birthday. He was never fast because he insisted on running next to me and watching me the whole time, but he managed to reach Enthusiast Level 4 in CPE before his retirement.

At the age of almost ten Merlin started to have seizures. It took quite some time to get them under good control, and by then he had begun to walk even funnier. He retired from agility in April of 2008 and by September the DM was pretty obvious. The rest of his history can be found in this blog, thanks to the suggestion of Millie Williams that I keep one.

Merlin's journey is ending today, but the fight against DM has to go on. Puppy buyers, PLEASE insist on buying only carrier or clear puppies. Breeders, PLEASE be responsible, test your stock, and breed to lessen the incidence of this terrible disease. No person and no dog should have to go through this.

Rest in peace, Merlin.

Epilog: we left early and took a long drive since Merlin can usually sleep peacefully in the car, and he did. Stopped for a bit and he woke and his breathing was terrible. I know I made the right decision for him but my heart is breaking.

Christmas Eve Thoughts

2010-12-24T19:51:00.000-08:00

Merlin is still under the weather but I hope he is improving. He is sleeping a lot without any yowling for attention,food, water, etc. The only barks today have been to ask to go out to the car and then after he came in, to go to bed. Now he is sleeping. He ate one piece of liverwurst with his pills and drank some water but no real appetite. It could be the antibiotic keeping his appetite down but the quietness is so out of character that it is pretty clear he still feels lousy.

The good thing about this is that it tells me he isn't barking because he doesn't feel good. He barks when he feels good, to get things. So while the barking is pretty annoying I don't think I need to worry about his well-being just because he is doing it.

The bad thing is that his being sick like this brings quality of life into question. Believe me., this is nothing new., quality of life is an issue that the owner of every dog with DM lives with most of the time. When is it time? Should we let him go now or treat this illness? A couple of years ago two owners of DM dogs both found out their dog also had lymphoma. Lymphoma can be treated and will go into remission sometimes but usually for a year, rarely more than that. One felt the quality of life with DM was too poor and let her dog go, the other opted for treatment and had another year of relatively good quality life,. though the DM of course proceeded. Who was right:? Both of them. Every owner has to make these decisions and believe me they are very hard.

My rule of thumb...what would I want? There was an episode of ER in season 13 in which Abby treats a former professor who is in the late stages of "human DM", i.e., ALS. They do flashbacks to earlier visits to the hospital, in all of which he wanted to fight whatever brought him in. In this final episode he is getting to where he would need to be intubated to continue breathing, which would compromise his ability to communicate via an electronic device. He opts for no treatment.

Thinking of Merlin, he can still communicate, even though he needs a lot of care and isn't very independent. He still- when he is well- enjoys car and stroller rides. He usually likes his food. So if what is bothering him now can be cleared up so that he feels good again, I'm all for doing it.

If he continues to get UTI's and keeps feeling crappy a majority of the time, though, my choice might be different.

There is also always the underlying, paired thoughts: if he is gone I'll be free of care taking him, and feeling guilty for thinking the former. I am reminded of the story of the great cellist Pablo Casals smashing his fingers when mountain climbing,and his first thought being , "I never have to play the cello again. " And his next thought was certainly, " I hope I can play again!"

The other thought is that maybe this illness will make the decision easier. Because without a sudden change in health, DM is insidious. Here you have an alert, aware, and often happy corgi, and you are expected to end his life at a time of your own choosing, with no definite indication that the time is right. In most illnesses, you know it is time. With DM that may not happen.

I know Merlin's time is limited, I don't know by how much, but my decision this week was based in part on not wanting to lose him right before
Christmas. I don't have a definite cut-off for him, it just depends on quality of life and his attitude. I want him to feel better and enjoy the time he has left.

RIght now we are hoping the antibiotics work and he is his noisy, barking self in a day or two.

UTI

2010-12-23T17:48:00.000-08:00

Heart, lungs, blood work except WBC, normal. He does have a UTI which is weird as no signs of one at all. So that is a relief!

Merlin isn't eating...

2010-12-22T18:51:00.000-08:00

Merlin is under the weather. He would not eat this morning. Later I took him for a car ride and a walk on the ADA trail and he perked up and ate a few small milk bones. But now no dinner.

Merlin still isn't eating more than a few nibbles of liverwurst. At least I can get his pills into him. Tomorrow we will go to the vet if he is still down and see if it is anything there is a magic bullet for, but I am worried this may be it. If it is, better now than Christmas Day. So think good vibes and pray good prayers for him. I won't let him continue not feeling good so if he isn't better or there is no quick fix...

He did go right to sleep when I brought him into the bedroom and sat down with him,. which as you know is completely out of character... he should be barking up a storm!

As he is no longer walking at all I know his time is short but I had hoped not before we get back to California, especially since he enjoys the car trip so much. So send him your vibes and prayers.

Knuckling/loss of proprioception

2010-12-02T15:15:00.000-08:00

I wanted to include a photo showing what I meant in the previous post.

I decided the airbag was the least of Merlin's worries, so fixed him a better spot in the front seat. He likes it!

merlin's walking days are over

2010-11-30T19:08:00.000-08:00

He looks kind of miserable in the picture but it was icy cold and windy and he wasn't getting any treats.

Merlin is still here, still barking and complaining, but recently his walking took a bad turn. About two weeks ago I noticed he was knuckling on his left front leg. The right soon followed. In DM, knuckling is caused by loss of proprioception, which is the ability to sense where one's limb is in space. in other words, Merlin put his foot down and if it was upside down, he didn't know it, and just left it.

He was still trying to walk until a week ago, but with increasing difficulty as his legs didn't seem to know quite how to move anymore. I decided there was no point continuing to worry about staying in shape if walking wasn't going to be happening much longer, so have not encouraged walking, though I put him in the cart when he wants to. The last two walks, he hasn't wanted to get down.

Now the challenge is to make his stroller rides more interesting. i realized today the beach sand is packed well enough that I should be able to take the stroller on it, so will try that tomorrow. if he can't run on the beach at least he should be able to enjoy the sights and smells.

On the plus side he is sleeping well at night, although he wants a) to go to bed at about 7:30 PM and b) for me to come to bed when he does. I usually give in about eight and go read instead of watching t.v., although now that I figured out i can watch TV shows on my ipad now that it gets 3G, I can also do that.

His appetite is still good, but he has trouble if the food isn't in reach, as his front paws are also not working for moving things towards him. I noticed he got a little frustrtaed with that last night.

I did the Scout's House Qualifty of life scale and came out a 13, which is the low end of good quality of life. (Or high end, 0-13 is in the good range, 13 up to something is decreased quality, etc.) So he is on the cusp of lower quality of life, not that life at this stage is a picnic, but I think he would still rather be here than not.

Now he is barking away saying it is past bedtime. I will try to upload a photo later, but I have to be on a real computer to do that, I think, unless I have one on Photobucket.

Support- and the lack thereof

2010-08-06T15:24:00.000-07:00

On Corgis on Wheels we have discussed support- where you find the emotional and physical support you need as you care for your disabled dog. Family, friends, physical therapists, and veterinarians were all named.

Today's blog is not about support, it is about lack of support.

Without getting into too many details, I took a car trip with two other people, one of whom this story is about. I expected the trip to take only three hours, and planned to leave at 8 am, so thought Merlin would be good left home during that time. Well, as often happens, we left over an hour later, and things took longer, and instead of being home before noon, we were still 45-50 minutes away at 12:30 PM. At that point, I expressed my concern about getting home quickly.

We got into the car, and this other person announced we were going to stop and fill up a gas can for a boat on the way home. To be charitable, I don't know that she initially did this just to provoke me, she could simply not have understood the urgency. I objected, suggesting she could go back and get gas after dropping me at home, which is about five minutes from the gas station. I explained that I was concerned that Merlin would have to pee and would end up lying in it, and I needed to get home as fast as possible.

At that point, instead of agreeing and expressing concern over Merlin, this person insisted she was going to stop for gas if she felt like it, and told me I could call and get someone else to let him out. I explained it wasn't a matter of letting him out, someone needed to put him in the cart and express him, and no one knew how. She said I just didn't want to stop because I wanted my own way, and as the driver, she would do what she felt like.

I realized soon that she was making sport of upsetting me. Nowhere in her game was any concern for Merlin, he simply didn't enter into the equation. To her, the argument was just like an earlier one about gay marriage, it had nothing to do with Merlin or my feelings, it was just sport. She has no empathy for animals and can't understand why someone else would bother to go out of her way to care for a dog. It's possible she thought the argument was just a game for me, too.

Now I know this isn't really about DM or Merlin. But it is the existence of people like her that makes searching for support both difficult and important. Difficult because one never knows the reaction another person might have to concern about a dog, and important because loving, supporting, caring individuals are needed to counteract the selfish and uncaring ones. I'm lucky that this insensitive person is not someone I see every day, and really feel for those who have spouses or children or parents who fail to understand their care and concern for their dog.

I did get home in time to take Merlin out, and he definitely had to go. Bottom line, there will always be insensitive people, who lack the experience to understand and the capacity to empathize with animals or with the feelings of other people. And I am glad I am not one of them. And I think, in the long run, those of us with the capacity to love and care for an dog, and to empathize with the feelings and needs of other living creatures, human or not, are the lucky ones.

August 2010 Update

2010-08-01T18:24:00.001-07:00

Merlin has had a good month. July 4th weekend was spent at my sister's in Ronald, Washington, to avoid insane fireworks on Whidbey, and Merlin did a bit of walking, some sleeping, and got a nice visit to the Cle Elum street fair. He got a lot of attention in his stroller and cart, plus good treats.

In July he went to the Bayview Farmers Market in just his stroller. What a difference! While some people thought he was cute, others called him spoiled and lazy. I explained that he could not walk. We talked about this on Wheelcorgis, and one member said she got the same reaction when her disabled daughter was in a stroller as opposed to a wheelchair. People see the wheelchair as cute, the stroller as spoiling the pet (or child.) Hey, folks, when you see what looks like a child or a dog too big for a stroller, consider that just maybe he or she cannot walk!

In July, also, blackberries on the dike start ripening, and Merlin's interest in walks triples. He literally runs to get to the berries, and even after he conks out and is in the stroller he barks for more.

We finished out July with the Pacific Northwest Corgi Picnic in Woodinville. Merlin was allowed all the attention and mooching for treats that he could manage, and you can see by the photo that he had a great time!

Physically, he is doing about the same. He is still strong enough to run in his four-wheel cart, but moves around very little outside the cart, and only really uses it for walks, with leash assistance. He can only pee on his own in the cart, same with poop, at least, no control there and sometimes he needs to be expressed for both. He is licking his front paws a lot so they look awful but he always has, he just did it for less time before. Appetite is great (he is a corgi) and bark still going strong.

Merlin in the summer

2010-07-01T08:44:00.000-07:00

Merlin is doing very well up here in Washington. our routine is that he wakes me up around six am and I carry him outside to pee and poop (expressing both) and then back in where I put him on the recliner so he feels safer. He is in the four wheel cart for pee and poop. then we have pills. The switch from phenobarbital to KBr was seamless thanks to zonisamide, his other seizure med, and he gets SAM-e in the morningo and Atavan in the evening as well. Pills are in liverwurst as he will no longer eat peanut butter.

Then we wait an hour to eat and he often barks or whines through most of that.

After breakfast I take Merlin out to the car and put him in his crate in the back, on Palace fleece. If it is warm I roll the windows down and if it is sunny drape a reflective tarp over the car. It has only hit 75 once so far so heat has not been a problem. He gets either a milk bone or a sweet potato chew in the car and then naps until around noon when he has a potty break and sometimes a short walk. If I go anywhere of course he goes along.

Merlin started this sleeping in the car all day four years ago, it is not really a DM thing, but it does make life easier since he tends to bark for attention, food, water, bodily needs, or just because the rest of the time.

At about five I give him his dinner and then around seven take him for a walk. He is using the four wheel K9west cart and I have sent his counterbalanced Eddies out on a Corgiaid loan. He can run in the four wheel cart and does, but only when he is in a hurry to eliminate. I do assist somewhat with a leash on the cart but sometimes he is entirely on his own. He can walk up to a quarter mile but I take along the stroller so he can ride when he tuckers out, which is more often at about a furlong. He loves to ride in the stroller.

Then he comes back in to the recliner and evening pills, which is when he gets the Atavan to reduce anxiety. he barks until Bedtime, so usually around 9 PM I put him in my bed and he either goes to sleep or barks a little more.

He sleeps pretty well but occasionally wants on the cooler floor or some water or to go out at night.

No more diapers as he needs help or to be in the cart to go, so that is a relief. I am worrying about fall if or when we return to Fresno heat and he can't have his car naps.

Merlin the Wheelchair Test Pilot

2010-05-17T21:57:00.000-07:00

Since I am the cart coordinator for CorgiAid's Cart Loan program I usually have a few carts around the house. Hence, Merlin has been able to move from one cart to another as need arose.

My first wheelcorgi, Wesley, had a Doggon Wheels cart. It was a great little cart for Wes, and the only thing I don't like about the Doggon design is that the cart is a pain in the bunny butt to adjust- nuts, bolts, and pipe clamps.

When I got Candy, a friend gave me her dog's K9cart made in Langley, Washington. I liked the design and ease of use, so I ordered this kind for Merlin. However, we ran into a few more issues with Merlin's cart. He is taller, and the initial cart was too narrow; he could tip it over as he turned a corner. So I took it in and they made wider struts for it. I had asked for 8 inch wheels to begin with, as we like the larger wheels for rougher terrain. Next, the back bar on Merlin's cart started sliding, and after multiple attempts to tighten the set screws, the piece holding it broke. K9carts sent me a replacement part, but later I went and got their newly designed all-metal back bar.

I never liked the fleece-padded stirrups on the cart, so on both Candy's and Merlin's I'd substituted neoprene stirrups from Doggon.

As Merlin's front weakened, he started wanting to lie down all the time, so I rigged an Eddie's wheels cart to fit him, and counterbalanced it. Merlin did not like the front strap so I removed that but added a strap under his arms the same as the K9cart has. We again wanted larger wheels and not having any spare ones from Eddie's, he got 8 inch plastic wheels from the other K-9carts (hyphen between K and 9) located in Oxford, Maryland.

Then Merlin got sick (liver disease) and didn't want to walk, and as in the meantime Liz Ridgely's front extension had come back in, I rigged it for Merlin. Meg had replaced the wheels with roller skate wheels, but they were small, so I replaced those with 4 inch Razor wheels. The front support band she used was too wide for Merlin (since he is a boy) so I borrowed one from an Eddie's quad cart. There was too much weight on the front wheels, so I used Velcro One-wrap to move the saddle back up against the metal back bar, effectively counterbalancing the cart. On cement, if he wants to, Merlin can run in this cart. (He mostly does not want to.)

But now we are worrying about walking on the dike and the macadam road up on Whidbey. The front-extension isn't going to work well for that. I'm exploring a K-9cart east cart as theirs seems to have a better kind of front swivel wheel.

The one kind of cart Merlin has not used is a Doggon, but he did test-drive a Walkin Wheels cart last summer when Mark Robinson generously donated one to CorgiAid. We love the Walkin Wheels design but it is a bit heavy for a corgi- it worked for Merlin then as he was fairly strong and he is a big dog, but I'm waiting for their light-weight version to come out. (Walkin Wheels is great for big dogs as one-size adjusts for all.. if anyone has one they want to donate to CorgiAid, we'll take it, regardless of what breed it WAS for, as we can get it adjusted to fit our bigger corgis.) But we also hope they will soon have a front wheel or counterbalance option as otherwise their cart does not work very well for a dog with DM.

Other carts: there are a LOT of carts on the market. Many are not worth the price even if it is half of what Doggon, Eddie's, WW, or K9carts charges. One I saw does not have ANY saddle at all for the dog!! Some are poorly made, some are very heavy, some are PVC and easily broken. Buyer beware- if you buy an "off brand" cart make sure you can return it and investigate the company as much as you can first. If your dog has a bad experience in his first cart, he may never be willing to try another one.

As for Merlin, he says he is ready to become a stroller Test-Pilot, but I'm going to try to keep him walking for a little while longer.

Good news: DM-free puppies!

2010-05-13T16:01:00.000-07:00

Despite the general reluctance of many Pembroke Welsh Corgi breeders to test for DM or to use the results if they do test, some are testing, and doing their best to defeat this disease. Right now I know of five litters either on the ground or well on their way in which not a single puppy will ever get DM. Some will produce carriers, others carriers and clears. And every one will be a quality pup with many generations of good breeding behind it.

So how are these breeders doing what others claim they cannot do, without "throwing the baby out with the bathwater?"

First, they tested. One lucky breeder found two clears in her own dogs, and has been able to breed them to produce more carriers and clears. The others found everything they owned to be At Risk.

But doesn't that mean they have to get rid of those dogs and start all over?

Not at all.

DM acts like a recessive gene, that is, a puppy must get it from both parents. An At Risk bitch bred to a Clear male (or vice versa) produces DM-free carriers. So with great effort- because very few other breeders are testing and identifying the precious clears that must be out there in our breed- the breeders with only At Risk bitches each waited to find a clear that they could use without giving up anything, and bred to him. They did not rush into breeding to just any male because he was clear, nor did they breed to a male who was NOT clear. One breeder waited three years to breed in order to find an appropriate clear male.

Not easy to wait, not easy to find the clear males, but they have shown us that it can be done. If only more breeders would test and make their results and pedigrees known so that these clears- and I'm convinced that at least 15% of the breed is clear- can be made available and the gene pool will not need to be narrowed.

Once carriers are produced, some breeders may opt for a carrier to carrier breeding. I hope they won't have to do that, but at this point it is an improvement over what happens if you do not test at all, which has a high chance of being At Risk to At Risk or At Risk to Carrier. If enough clears are produced or identified before that time, carrier to carrier breedings can also be avoided.

Puppy buyers need to demand testing! It's clear that many, many breeders are willing to ignore the availability of a DNA test and continue to produce dogs At Risk for DM. If you don't want your beloved corgi to die from DM, insist on testing, and only buy from a breeder who tests ALL her breeding stock, not just the puppy you want. There are a lot of health tests available for corgis. This is the ONLY test that will let you know if your dog is safe from a disease that is 100% fatal. So when the breeder argues that she tests hips and eyes and vWD, ask her what the fatality rates are for those diseases.

Vet visit X 3

2010-05-12T18:42:00.000-07:00

I am running out of time before leaving next week (my deadline is the NW Corgi Afternoon Saturday and not wanting to drive through Seattle on Friday or hit the ferry line on Friday afternoon.) So I have to leave no later than Wednesday. One week. So I broke my usual rule and combined vet visits for Candy, Jack, and Merlin.

Merlin was in his crate in the garage so I just had to load Candy and Jack in the car, try to convince Janine we would NOT be gone for three days this time, and then lift Merlin with crate into the back. We drove the 20 minutes to the vet's office and time to unload. I meant to take the stroller but didn't, probably a mistake, so I had to put Merlin in his cart to go in. He refused to walk so I towed him behind the other two dogs to the dirt potty area, where he went on his own.

Then inside, where I unloaded Merlin from the cart since he wanted to lie down in it. Everyone got weights, and off to an exam room, where Candy immediately hid under the chairs (at least the part he could get under it.) Jack got his temp taken, then Merlin, who was sitting in a chair barking, and I warned the tech he would probably poop. Sure enough, she pulled the thermometer out and Merlin started to do a big poop, so I hollered for her to get something to catch it (keep it off the chair.) She did, just in time, although by then Jack was prowling shark-like under the chair hoping to help with cleanup.

Then Candy got his rabies shot (since he bites) and his back nails cut before my vet arrived. Now we had to try to discuss one dog at a time. Merlin needed a KBr level and a liver enzyme test so the question was did he need a full blood panel. As white count was up last time and BUN low, we decided yes, so Rich tried to draw blood. He claims to be as good at it as his best tech but it took him a few tries before he got Merlin to donate.

Then Jack had to give blood, to see if his liver is okay, and we discussed lowering his dose of phenobarb and adding in KBr, which I will be doing.

Then additional requests: written scripts for Zonisamide and lorazepam to send off to Costco's online pharmacy (the cheapest for the zonisamide.) 15 mg size phenobarb for Jack so that once he is at half his current dose I don't have to try to break pills in half. Tramadol and Robaxin just in case for either one. Pickup Janine's prescription for Prednisone and Jack's rectal Valium, and three doses each of Interceptor for heartworm prevention due to our unusually wet spring and actual mosquitos.

Most of this time Merlin has been barking, by the way, so now at least Rich is quite willing to write all the prescriptions I need for anything to get him to sleep!

Finally a muzzle on Candy, two techs, and clipping the front nails while Candy snarled viciously at them for daring to touch his working feet.

Pay the bill (just about what I predicted, just over $500 thanks to three expensive blood tests.) Get a rabies cert for Candy and one for Jack since it shows his neutered status and I want to get him an AKC number and an APDT number, and we are finally off. Stop to have Merlin pee again, load everyone in, and home just over two hours after leaving.

I had my vet check Jack's back, he is a bit worried about lack of muscle and I've been worried that he often lies down when he is waiting for something, but I hope good exercise in Washington gets him back into better shape without any issues. Neither Jack nor Janine have great backs (ironically Merlin has the great back- the best my vet has ever seen on a corgi) so I'm always a little worried one or the other will go down. Janine has been fine since her muscles built back up, though.

Oh, then I got home, got to the front door, and Candy was in such a hurry to go in that when his wheel caught on the door frame he just left the cart behind- except his feet were stuck in the stirrups! Another Kodak moment that I missed.

We will really miss our current vet when I retire to Washington, but I am excited to see one of the two South Whidbey practices has been sold to a new veterinarian, a new guy, fairly recently out of school. Kind of like Rich when I first went there.

Quality of Life time

2010-05-04T18:33:00.000-07:00

It's that time again.

Mobility has gone down but as Merlin can still manage a four-wheel cart and loves the stroller, I'll rate that okay.

Hygeine has gone up. Since he quit crawling, he also quit peeing on his own very easily, so he doesn't soil himself or the floor or a diaper. As long as I can get him out at least about every four hours he is clean and dry.

Other issues: getting off one drug, onto another, has been smoother than anticipated.

Sleep is STILL an issue but it comes and goes.

More good days than bad, yes. More good nights than bad?? That's a toss-up.

Is he still engaged? Yes, I think so.

He's eating and drinking well, appetite back. Sleeps a lot but that's okay at his age, even without the drugs. But he's only still really himself when he's content, which is in the car or the stroller or walking for treats.

I didn't do this numerically, but I think its a wash from last time, due to hygeine improving.

"Geriatric Corgis"

2010-05-02T21:12:00.000-07:00

One breeder said there was no need to test for DM because it was a "disease of geriatric dogs." The following is a video of a "geriatric corgi" running agility 1 week short of her 14th birthday.

She is a DM carrier.

That's what a geriatric corgi should look like. Not this.

A responsible breeder? Health testing corgis

2010-05-02T10:18:00.001-07:00

I'm going to have to paraphrase this bit I lifted from a so-called responsible breeder's website. Now I have to say that I've seen a few of this breeder's dogs and they are, in fact, wonderful dogs.

She states that not only do they do hips and eyes and vWD but they consider much less important problems such as skin allergies.

All very well.. except that she does not do DM testing, which tells you that she puts it as less important than skin problems. In fact, she is probably breeding two At Risk dogs together to get better skin!* Worse, since the genetics of skin allergies can't be done with a simple cheek swab, she may not even be getting rid of the allergies.

Several other breeders offer four and five year contracts against "disabling hereditary defects." Safe enough- DM doesn't affect dogs at four or five, and very few puppy buyers are going to give back their puppy because it has hip dysplasia.

So just a word to the wise- when the breeder you are considering says she does "health testing" find out what this means.

*I know skin allergies in dogs can be very serious- they can require a lot of time, attention, and sometimes even rehoming of a dog to a less allergenic environment. But they are rarely fatal.

Update May 1

2010-05-01T07:13:00.000-07:00

Well, this has not been a good month for Merlin, lots of downhill "progress". It started when he wouldn't eat or walk in early April. I took him to the vet and they did blood tests and said his ALT was high. Probably the phenobarbital, which affects the liver. So after some discussion we did a bile acid test, where you fast him, then draw blood, then he eats, and two hours later has another blood draw. The idea is to see if the bile acid that is released for the meal is reabsorbed by the liver afterwards as it should be. Not only was it not, but his fasting bile acid level was too high, meaning that even after overnight it wasn't absorbed.

Liver damage due to phenobarbital is reversible if you quit phenobarbital, so since then he's been transitioning to KBr. As of Wednesday he's down to half the phenobarbital he'd been on (which is possibly why he's sleeping less and less soundly) and his KBr should be starting to reach therapeutic levels. In a week and a half we get it checked again and recheck his liver.

Anyway, his initial not feeling well made me pull out the four-wheel cart, as he would not move at all in the counterbalanced cart. He walks in it on walks, for treats (the front extension cart) but not in the house, it is too hard to maneuver over or around things. So he walks at most two blocks a day and I carry him out to pee and poop and set him in the stationary cart.

If he ever seems more energetic again I'll try the counterbalanced cart again but I'm not hopeful, he isn't that thrilled to walk at all.

The sleep issue goes on, again, possibly worsened by reduction in his phenobarbital dose. He sleeps at most about two hours without turning, often more like 30 minutes. He usually wants out during the night and won't let me just express him lying down on a pee pad. In the morning, once he gets his pills, he starts barking and does that non-stop until breakfast, then he would keep barking except I put him out in the car to sleep.

Same thing in the evening- he barks from coming in until going to sleep. He wants food, he wants to go out, he wants something, he's anxious- who knows?

He's happy in the car, he's sort of happy walking for treats, he loves riding in the stroller. But he sure acts miserable inside, whether he is or not is another story.

The upside of all this is that, being less mobile, he doesn't pee in the house. Well, also, he has more trouble peeing on his own- he needs a manual assist. So diapers are no longer an issue- if I put them on they stay, if I don't, he holds it anyway.

We leave in just over two weeks for the summer in Washington, where he can sleep in the car all he wants (windows rolled down when it is warm) and where he will (hopefully) sleep on the bed. I am hoping he will have a good summer and maybe even be motivated to try the Eddie's cart again, but he was stumbling in it and lying down a lot even before this.

The problem with the K9cart (west) with front extension is wheel size- they won't go over even a small bump. It's very easy to put him in and out, great to use when expressing him, and great on the sidewalk, but it isn't going to work to walk in Washington as is unless I take him somewhere with sidewalks. (Nearby towns- but hard to find level sidewalks in any of them.)

When we get up there I may take his cart over to K9carts and see if there is a larger caster they use for larger dogs. I did order some 4 inch scooter wheels that should be a bit better than the 3 inch ones in the video or the 4 inch flat spoke wheels.

Merlin walking 4-10

2010-04-17T18:07:00.000-07:00

Merlin has more energy and is doing much better, but still only up to about two blocks- partly because he runs for the treats and wears himself out! He's using the K9cart with front extensions. The original owner of the front-extensions replaced the wheels with pink skateboard wheels, which work well, but I'm wondering if we can find something slightly larger, say Razor scooter wheels, to fit. I'm going to have to go on a mission and look for them.

The front wheels for all the various carts have issues. These are nice in the way they attach, permanently, so the dog is put in and out of the cart without removing the wheels or having them get in the way. But the wheels are small and the framework holding them quite heavy, and it would help to have more support for the corgi's front than a single band about 2 inches wide. For a female you can put a wider band in but for a male this would tend to block the ability to pee.

Doggon has better swivel wheels, but a bulkier way of attaching them to the cart, and my dogs aren't used to the Doggon-type cart. (Though Wesley did fine in his.) They also sit wider apart which could be an issue. And Eddies Wheels has non-swiveling front wheels that are a pain to attach to the cart.

What I'd like is partial swivel, so they could turn but only about 45 degrees, allowing wide turns but not ending up sideways (I've never seen a swivel like this.) A lighter framework might also be nice. I like the looks of the K-9 East front extension a little more; it seems like it would be lighter. I need to ask them how hard it is to add and remove from a standard cart. K9 West was an easy do-at-home modification.

What I'm after is wheels that allow a dog to move on rougher terrain than the sidewalk seen here.

Test results and change of meds

2010-04-14T07:56:00.000-07:00

This is all for Merlin's seizures again, but it does affect his DM. His bile acid test came back bad- this test measures whether or not bile acids, which are produced when you eat, are recycled by the liver after the meal. If the liver is having trouble, the bile acids measured two hours after a meal will still be high. If it is really in trouble, they will be high after fasting. His were high after fasting, so he has to go off phenobarbital.

Now, since he has to go off fast, he'll get a loading dose of KBr. KBr can take 3-4 months to build up to an effective level at the regular dose, so a loading dose builds it up more rapidly. The problem is, that also means lots of side effects, which can include ataxia and nausea, while it is building up. So he may feel a lot worse before he feels better, and the big questions will be does the KBr control his seizures, and after he hasn't felt good for a month is he going to be able to get back to walking again?

Right now he is pretty immobile. I took him for a block yesterday basically holding up his front and pulling him (he didn't want to walk) and I've been carrying him out to potty. (I keep the four-wheel cart outside and just put him down in it.) I'm going to hope he isn't too ataxic and feels up to walking at least a little every day so we don't lose too much, and if he does lose it, hope that being up in Washington in five weeks will inspire him to walk a bit more. I doubt the four-wheel cart will work up there on the dike so I'll either have to help him a lot in the Eddie's cart or take him in to Langley to walk on the sidewalks.

I'm going after work today to pick up the KBr and get him started. After a week we'll drop the dose of phenobarbital and keep our fingers crossed about seizures.

Under the weather

2010-04-11T08:36:00.000-07:00

Merlin hasn't been feeling too good. Monday he wouldn't eat, which meant he wouldn't walk, because he walks for treats (I bribe him to exercise.) So when he wouldn't walk and wouldn't eat dinner, I made an appointment with the vet. I use a practice that has four vets; the owner is our primary vet and one of the younger women in the practice is who I prefer as alternate (partly because I like her and partly because that's who my regular vet usually consults with!) I could get in to see her Tuesday so we did that.

She didn't find anything on gross exam and drew blood to send out. It turned out he had elevated liver enzymes, the most likely cause being the drugs he is on for his seizures, particularly phenobarbital. A more specific test for liver disease is the bile acids test, so I took him in yesterday for that. They draw blood after fasting overnight, then feed him, and two hours later draw blood again. The fasting bile acid level should be low, but if the bile acids that are excreted when he eats are not removed from the blood stream quickly by the liver, the post-eating bile acids will be high.

If he "flunks" this test he will need a change of medication. We talked about having him go down on phenobarbital and increase slightly the zonisamide, which has little effect on the liver. In some cases just a decrease in phenobarbital returns the liver to normal; in other cases they need to go off it altogether, which we will hope is not Merlin's case as switching over to KBr takes time and with DM, we don't have time to have him feeling bad or ataxic (a side-effect of KBr.)

He's feeling a little better already, appetite mostly back, and he will walk a little. I've been leaving the K9cart with four wheels out in the back yard and carrying him out to it for relief, but using the counterbalanced Eddie's cart on walks. (I don't want him lying down after or while he pees, hence four wheels for that!) It's so easy to lose strength and hard to get it back, so I'm trying to get him to walk every day. If he isn't hungry he won't walk.

I am constantly reminded that Merlin is old enough that he will only die from DM if something else doesn't get him first. In a way, I'd prefer it be something sudden and unquestionable. DM is such a gradual loss that it is hard to know when it is time to let go. Some dogs seem happy and content right up until their breathing is compromised (and would probably continue just as contentedly on a ventilator if that were an option) and others- and I suspect Merlin will be in this category- grow less happy and more frustrated as they lose function. And the caretaker is part of the equation, also, as it takes a lot out of you to be the caretaker, and requires availability that not everyone has.

One of the members of our DM list had a boxer in early stages of DM when she suddenly died (probably cardiomyopathy). Boxer cardiomyopathy is a terrible thing, and a shock to have one go so quickly, but is that really worse than watching her deteriorate and having to make the decision to end her life?

That terrible DM

2010-04-10T19:28:00.000-07:00

Of course I care about DM because of Merlin. But he isn't the only reason, and he wasn't the first reason, I knew about or cared about DM and puppies being born at risk for DM even though a simple test and judicious breeding can now prevent it.

But I handle cart loans for CorgiAid, and one thing I do is lend carts out, about half to dogs with DM, another quarter to undefined maladies that are probably DM. It isn't the lending of carts, though.

It's that they come back. One came back today, with a brief note. "(Our dog) could no longer use the cart and had to be put to sleep."

Then she went on to say, "That terrible DM took her."

It's true no one knows yet how many At Risk dogs, particularly Pems, will get DM, and it is easy, I guess, from the perspective of a breeder who doesn't think she has had it in her lines, to say the risk is small. But from my perspective it isn't 5% or 20% or 30% or 50%. It's 100%. Of the carts we lend to dogs with DM, 100% will come back within a few months to a few years. That terrible DM takes them all.

And that's the reason I'm argumentative and outspoken and even militant about DNA testing. It's too late for Merlin, and it was too late for Poppy. But thousands of puppies are born each year, and if every breeder had started testing for DM in 2008 and avoided breeding At Risk litters, in 2020 I might have stopped getting notes and emails about the ones that terrible DM took.

Maybe I should just feed him at 4 AM?

2010-04-05T08:46:00.000-07:00

Merlin has wanted out at 3-4 am the last two mornings. Yes, he does have to go, and because of DM robbing his mobility- and now his ability to go on his own- he needs me to help him get out and go. I'm sleepy, but I can do that, and still get back to sleep.

But then we come back in and he wants to eat and starts to bark. This morning I was determined to ignore him and tried hard to go back to sleep, but I never really slept, and at 6:30 when there was a brief lull in the racket, jumped up to reward the quiet.

Pills, then he barked for another 45 minutes. Finally he stopped and came into the room I was in, so I jumped up and rewarded his effort with breakfast. Now he is sleeping. Maybe feeding him at 4 would have accomplished the same thing and allowed me to get more sleep! But I figure 4 will become 3, then 2, then every hour on the hour if I give in.

He is STILL perfectly happy sleeping out in the car all day, never barks, wonderful peace for all of us, even if I'm in the car with him. But the weather warms and that is going to come to an end soon, and we have six weeks of warm weather before we can leave for Washington. I'm determined to get him to Washington as I think he will be happier there and maybe have a few more good months.

Still having restless nights...

2010-03-29T09:20:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure why, but Merlin is still having restless nights. The last two he has wanted turning 5 or 6 times and wanted out to pee and poop around 4 to 5 am. I think he could have a UTI though the only symptom is the restlessness. His urine is so dilute it is hard to tell from that but I may have to take him to the vet this week and check it out. Maybe if I do a urine catch from after all day in the car (when it is more concentrated as he drinks less) they can tell.

During walks and stroller rides and in the car he is still happy. I think part of the problem at home is wanting attention, part is he drinks more, and part is being nervous around the other dogs. Yesterday morning he was up at 5:30 and the only way I got another hour in bed (not asleep) was to lie with my arm on his head for the hour (he won't come up on the bed but he was next to it.)

Monday night update: He whined and barked all day today (he wasn't out sleeping in the car) except for about half an hour after eating and on our walk/ride. It was too warm to take him in the car with me for a noon appointment so I never took him out there. I also thought maybe being awake more of the day would help him sleep tonight. We shall see.

A night with five interruptions...

2010-03-23T07:17:00.000-07:00

Since Merlin got me up at 5 on Monday I tried to head to sleep at 9 PM last night. He was sleeping, everything seemed fine. Then, at 10:30, he whined, and I got up and turned him over, but no, he wanted to bark. Finally he dosed off again.

At 11:30 he awoke again. I gave him a Benadryl then, hoping he would sleep.

Then at 12:30. Finally I put him in his cart and carried him and cart outside and expressed him and he pooped. Came back in, went to sleep.

At 3:30 he woke. This time what settled him was bringing him closer to me and holding him a bit, and I also gave him a Rimadyl.

And at 5, just rolled him over, and finally he went back to sleep again.

I awoke at 6:30, he was still sleeping. So maybe the wakefulness was discomfort. We did do a lot of walking yesterday, 3 1/2 blocks in the morning, then 2 at night. It's just so hard to know why he is not sleeping when he isn't sleeping. (Considering his anti-seizure meds he should be sleeping all the time.)

I'm not nearly as tired as I should be but it will probably hit me about the time I get to work. It is free pastry day at Starbucks which probably means no Starbucks due to a long line that I won't have time to wait in. (There really isn't room for a long line at the Starbucks I go to, anyway.)

Must you be so stubborn, Merlin?

2010-03-17T11:08:00.001-07:00

It is warm now so I walk Merlin this morning at 8 am. We have half an hour to get around the block. Merlin is reluctant to go but happy to cross the street where he tries to pee on the hydrant; I am unable to express anything. Then we toodle on down the block. It is now 8:15 so I attempt to get him to turn around. He plants his feet. Merlin does not like to go back- a walk should end when he says it ends, even if he is too tired to move.

So we go on, past the turn up the alley and start up the long block. Now, almost to the corner as far as we are going to get from my house, he decides he has had enough walking and wants to lie down. He just does not understand that half his walk has to be on the way home!

I find a piece of string and basically drag the cart, with him walking with it, the remaining two blocks. Merlin periodically tries to lie down but I have to go to work.

Next walk the stroller comes along.

Goodbye, Jack

2010-03-16T18:06:00.000-07:00

Merlin's friend from the beach, Champion OTCH Golden Road's Jack Straw, who turned 12 last week, finished his four year journey through DM today. Some of you will remember Jack's 11th birthday video.

Jack's 11th birthday video

and the new Scout's house website

Jack has been our shining example of a life as good as it can be for a dog with DM and then from January 2009 with lymphoma. His owner Lila kept him happy and active and engaged right up until today, when she let him go.

Our tears today are not just for Jack and Lila, but for all who ever have or ever will lose a dog to DM, and especially for Merlin, who will continue to follow in Jack's pawprints for awhile longer.

Rest in peace, Jack.

Merlin and his car and why we hate warm weather

2010-03-15T21:44:00.000-07:00

Merlin loves to sleep in the car and ride in the car. This past weekend, we left at 5 am Sat for a rally trial in Redwood City. Merlin rode up in the car, napped all day at the trial in the back crate, slept out there, napped all day Sunday, and rode home. Never a peep, he was sleepy, happy, and never grumpy.

FF to Sunday night and Monday night at home: bark, bark, bark and so on.

Monday he slept all afternoon in the car, had his walk, and came in and barked for two hours.

I've been letting him go to work and sleep all day in the car but this week is in the 70s. He'll have to start staying home. I'm thinking of putting a crate in the trailer for a while until it is too hot in there for him and see if he seems happy.

In Washington in summer he can sleep there all day except in the very hottest weather because I can drape the car with reflective tarps and leave all the windows down and it stays cool. Can't do that in Fresno- not only would the tarps be gone, so would the car.

A peaceful night

2010-03-10T07:17:00.000-08:00

Yesterday after work (about 5:30) I took Merlin for his usual post-car-day walk. We went two blocks up, two back, he peed and pooped with a little help. Came in, had dinner...and he went to sleep! He dosed until almost 8:30 PM.

This meant no walk for anyone else as there was no way I was going to wake him or let them wake him by barking excitement about a walk. So we just all laid around and enjoyed the quiet. No barking, no fighting, no rowdiness. It was pure bliss.

Eventually I had to wake him for meds but after that he went to sleep without much hassle, and only stirred once before six AM.

It occurred to me maybe he wasn't feeling well but I have to admit I was just going to ENJOY the quiet. Then I also remembered giving him a GABA in the morning yesterday. We'll try that again this morning as he is already starting to bark. Or it could be that he didn't sleep much in the car yesterday as it was windy (though I don't think he'd have heard the wind.)

Now he is barking- I think breakfast was somehow inadequate. I'll double the GABA again and see if the daytime dose made a difference somehow.

Interlude: the DNA test

2010-03-09T10:56:00.001-08:00

As many of you know, there is a new test for the inheritance of DM (Degenerative myelopathy.) You can find information on it here: DNA Test

Initially, on hearing the gene had been found, I was delighted, and thought, no one will ever need to breed a dog with that gene again!

Well, as details emerged, it became apparent that in Pems, at least, this was not to be the case. First, although it appears to take two copies of the gene to cause DM, the gene is firmly entrenched in the breed, with up to 50% having the dreaded two copies and another 40% being carriers. (These stats will probably improve as more dogs are tested but won't be anything but dismal.) So not breeding any dogs that have the gene (an SOD1 mutation) is not going to work. There are, to date, precious few clears (no mutated genes) for anyone to breed to, so even breeding dogs to clears is not always a possibility.

A further complication is that not every dog with both copies of the mutated gene (At Risk dogs) get DM. The percentage that do is still unknown but my guess is between 20 and 50%, with the percent increasing with the age of the dog. I hope it is lower, I fear it might be even higher. Nobody knows, but luckily we should know soon, as researchers are testing a large number of dogs over age 10 and following the At Risks to see if they develop the disease.

So it turns out that the best breedings (Carrier or Clear or At Risk to Clear) are hard to come by, and some breeders will have to breed Carrier to Carrier to get Clears for future breeding. Some are adamant that they will not do this and produce a possible DM dog, but I think, being realistic, its going to take one more generation to get enough clears.

So that's the situation, and you'd think Pem breeders would be jumping on board with testing and doing selective breeding. And a few are, but sadly, these are mostly the ones who themselves have nursed a DM dog to the end and know just what kind of heartache this disease produces. Not everyone- I know at least one breeder who has never had the disease in her line but still is breeding to eliminate it, and kudos to her and to everyone else who cares enough to select against the SOD1 mutation.

If you are a puppy buyer, be aware that YOU can ask for the test. It takes only about two weeks to get a $65 cheek swab test done. Put your deposit down contingent on the pup being clear or carrier (neither of these can get DM.)

Walking with Merlin

2010-03-02T18:53:00.000-08:00

Merlin is walking mostly in the counterbalanced Eddie's Wheels cart now but he can still make it in the K9cart if he has to. He has not become any less stubborn. This morning we walked around the block before work since it was supposed to rain. Which it did, but by 5 it had cleared up, so when we got home he wanted to go again. And he likes to go south, across the road, so we went over there to pee. He peed, anyway, I didn't, though I was beginning to wish I'd gone at work before starting home.

Because then he refused to go home. I put the leash on his cart and pulled; he planted his feet and refused to move. I gave in and we walked to the corner, turned, and started up the alley. No wwwayy.... he planted his feet again. I pulled without giving in this time. Finally we got home and got dinner (he wanted some kitty snacks on the way which I refused to allow.)

I've started expressing him but it is hard as his bladder is SO full and stretched (he drinks a ton) and then when it gets partly empty it becomes flaccid and hard to find or squeeze. He does better with a Robaxin so I'm going to give him one in a few minutes so he can empty before bedtime.

Merlin has also decided March 1 should be daylight savings time so he has started waking at 5:30 AM instead of 6:30.

Speaking of life with stubborn corgis, check out our friend Dancer on Draw the Dog.

The world's most stubborn corgi

2010-02-20T07:51:00.001-08:00

Corgis are none for their stubbornness, but Merlin has to be one of the most stubborn ever.

DM has not changed that!

Here's our day: I get up and give the dogs their pills, and take Candy out. Then I put Merlin in his cart. I cannot take him out then- he won't go. I have to sit down and wait for him to decide to take himself out. As soon as I am comfy again he gets up and heads as fast as he can for the back door. Now I have to jump up again because he can't open the door or take his own diaper off. I help him out and then I ignore him as he does his own thing in the yard.

Then he comes back to the ramp, at which point I am permitted to help him again. Once inside, he wants a treat as a reward for going out. But he lies down in the doorway to the utility room, which means I can't give Janine a treat because I can't close the door, and that means I can't give Merlin a treat, either, without risking a fight. So I pull him through the door, but as I go to the door to give Janine her treat he backs up into the doorway again.

This is not accidental; long before his cart days Merlin learned that a dog IN the doorway cannot be locked on either side of it.

Later, we go for a walk. Merlin is good for about four blocks, which take him about half an hour. But we can't walk two blocks there and then turn around and come back, because he won't turn around until HE is done walking. So either I take the stroller, go the four blocks, then wheel him home, or we have to go around the block or cross the road to come back. Several times I tried sneaking up the alley on the return trip but he figured out that was the same as coming back early and refuses to do it.

I should add that Merlin is not the only corgi I know that will only go on one-way walks. Martha, next door, is the exact same way.

Merlin likes to choose which direction to go at the corners, also.

So you might wonder, why don't I just make him go where I want him to? Well, because that involves pulling him while he plants his feet and refuses to move. Or carrying him. (Merlin is a great proponent of loose-leash walking- if I pull, he refuses to move.)

When we get home he does the door thing again. He will go through the door not ahead of me, but with me, even though he needs me behind him to help him through and close the door.

At least it is good to know that DM has not affected his personality. Or is it?

Disabled Corgi Doga

2010-01-27T17:34:00.000-08:00

Since I've never done yoga I didn't know the benefits, but now that I've experienced DCD (Disabled Corgi Doga) I can appreciate yoga.

Here are some of the poses. I am auditioning people to demonstrate these moves in photo form; please send your pictures and if acceptable, I will add them to this post!

Downward Expressing Dog: with dog in cart, bend at the waist, until hands are just inches from the ground and around the dog's bladder. Squeeze. Hold position as long as it takes the dog to do his part.

Variation: Downward diapering dog: Instead of squeezing the bladder, diaper the dog.

Standing Forward Stirrup bend: from a stand, lean forward until you can catch the dog's back feet and insert them into stirrups. (It is not recommended to do this after a full meal.)

Tripping Dancer pose: lift one foot as though to take a step. Dog quickly rolls cart into position in which you would normally put the foot down. Hold pose as long as you can or until you fall into Gasping Fish pose, which involves lying on the ground hoping nothing is broken.

Attempting to sleep pose: Lie on back (or side if you prefer) until disabled dog wants something (this should take no more than a few minutes at most.) Attempt to satisfy dog without getting up.

Upward-standing dogmom: Move your mattress to the floor to keep your disabled dog company, and then rise from your bed to a standing position. This pose may be done in sequence with the attempting to sleep pose.

Hands and knees balance: get down on hands and knees and sniff carpet. Slowly move forward until you locate source of smell. Holding the pose, lift one arm and spray Nature's Miracle (or your preferred odor eliminator) on the spot. Repeat until you achieve peace of nose.

Quality of Life

2009-11-11T17:55:00.000-08:00

This Quality of Life Scale got me thinking it would be a good way to keep track of Merlin's state. DM is insidious- it slowly advances and it can be hard to know when the end is coming. I thought if I used this scale every few months or so, I'd see when his quality of life decreases.

So here we are in November, 2009.

H: 0 - 10 HURT - Adequate pain control, including breathing ability, is first and foremost on the scale. Is the pet's pain successfully managed? Is oxygen necessary?

I'd give Merlin an 7 here. I don't think he IS in pain but I don't know for sure. He can certainly breathe but he does whine a lot and I don't always know whether he wants something or if something else is going on.

H: 0 - 10 HUNGER - Is the pet eating enough? Does hand feeding help? Does the patient require a feeding tube?

8 here. He IS hungry because of his medications. He eats well and has no problems, but he is hungry, which isn't a great thing.

H: 0 - 10 HYDRATION - Is the patient dehydrated? For patients not drinking enough, use subcutaneous fluids once or twice daily to supplement fluid intake.

A 10. A 10 plus; he is, if anything, too hydrated!

H: 0 - 10 HYGIENE - The patient should be brushed and cleaned, particularly after elmination. Avoid pressure scores and keep all wounds clean.

I'd say a 7 here. It's harder to keep him clean and dry as he won't or can't go outside when he needs to. He's had more baths in the last three months than the rest of his life put together.

HAPPINESS - Does the pet express joy and interest? Is the pet responsive to things around him or her (family, toys, etc.)? Is the pet depressed, lonely, anxious, bored or afraid? Can the pet's bed be close to the family activities and not be isolated?

This is a hard one to answer. He's not responsive to toys but hasn't been in a long time. He loves me, has never been responsive to the other dogs or other people. He likes to go for walks. But he IS anxious and bored or lonely or both, and he won't stay close to me if I'm in the bedroom. So I'd give him a 6.

MOBILITY - Can the patient get up without assistance? Does the pet need human or mechanical help (e.g. a cart)? Does the pet feel like going for a walk? Is the pet having seizures or stumbling? (Some caregivers feel euthanasia is preferable to amputation, yet an animal who has limited mobility but is still alert and responsive can have a good quality of life as long as caregivers are committed to helping the pet.)

He's pretty mobile in his cart and out of it. Another 8.

MORE GOOD DAYS THAN BAD - When bad days outnumber good days, quality of life might be compromised. When a healthy human-animal bond is no longer possible, the caregiver must be made aware the end is near. The decision needs to be made if the pet is suffering. If death comes peacefully and painlessly, that is okay.

Definitely more good days as he has only had a couple of bad days when he wouldn't eat and didn't want to walk. 8

So that gives him a 54. A score of 35 or higher says your "Pawspice" is successful.

Mr. July

2009-11-01T06:54:00.000-08:00

Merlin is Mr. July in the 2010 Corgis on Wheels Calendar available at
http://www.cafepress.com/wheelcorgis

Why would I want to know my dog is At Risk?

2009-10-27T08:25:00.000-07:00

I had all of my dogs tested for the DM gene, and except for Merlin, none tested At Risk. This was a great outcome, and has already been helpful. For example, Janine had a few issues with her back earlier this year and we could immediately rule out DM since she is a carrier.

But what if you do the cheek swab test on your corgi and he/she does test At Risk? Are you doomed to a lifetime of worry or is there anything good about knowing? If your dog is At Risk (carries two copies of the DM gene) what can you do to prevent DM or slow its onset?

Well, we don't really know the answer to that, but here are some things I would consider doing. First, weight! A fat dog is going to have problems with all its joints, and if he develops arthritis before the onset of DM, DM may create more problems. Dogs need their front legs for a traditional cart. If he has developed shoulder problems due to excess weight, he'll have problems with a cart.

Second, train your dog. Obedience commands (and competition in obedience and rally) help prepare your dog to LEARN to use a cart. If he has a good heel command, he'll heel in the cart- and be walking in it.

Also train him to use a ramp. He'll need to use a ramp if he gets DM and you have any stairs. So train him now and make that an easy adjustment.

Make sure he is used to having his feet handled. If he develops DM, you will be lifting him into and out of a cart; this is much harder with a corgi that does not like to be handled or touched in certain places.

Make sure he is happy to go to the vet's office. If he's exceedingly healthy and never needs to go, take him along anyway and feed him treats while you are there. (Always a good idea, anyway, to socialize all your dogs to the vet!)

Get him used to medical equipment. If you don't, as I do, have carts lying all over the house, borrow a walker and stick it somewhere. Take him to places where people use walkers and wheelchairs. If he is touch-sensitive, get him used to a harness to help desensitize him.

And make sure you teach him to pee and poop on command! This isn't as hard as you may think, just give the commands at the time when he normally goes, and reward appropriately. A clicker can help with precise timing. Some people use commands such as "Hurry up" or "Make" but whatever you pick, make sure you are consistent and that you won't be embarrassed to say it in public. Later, if your dog ends up in a cart, you can command him to go and he'll quickly learn to pee and poop in the cart.

Can you prevent DM? Right now no one knows. But start with a healthy diet, maybe add some antioxidants, avoid noxious chemicals like herbicides and pesticides (particularly things sprayed in the house or yard), and who knows, maybe it will help your dog dodge the bullet. We just don't know yet.

I don't have any dogs likely to get DM. I do have two younger dogs that have possible back issues (IVDD) and I'm following my own advice for them as many of the issues are the same.

Not a great end to a birthday...

2009-10-20T22:05:00.000-07:00

Poor Merlin had a seizure about 9:45 PM. As it lasted over a minute I gave him rectal valium and within another 90 seconds or so he came out of it, but it took awhile. Now he is doing his usual barking and demanding food despite a bowl of yogurt I gave him (he wouldn't eat dog food.) Don't know what brought this on but maybe the burger? Sulfites on the lettuce? Excitement? Vibes? He didn't act too weird before hand but normally he doesn't until right before the seizure.. this time I think he was actually sleeping when it started.

His back legs don't kick anymore.

Happy 12th Birthday, Merlin!

2009-10-20T08:07:00.001-07:00

Twelve years ago Merlin entered this world, the firstborn puppy (on the 57th day!) He arrived in front of the refrigerator, looking like a little wet skunk. (All black and white stripe; tris don't get their brown until later.)

As a young dog he had two personalities- the one for show to the public (well-behaved, quiet, heeling like he'd actually been trained, staying down off furniture and people) and the one at home (loud, stubborn, wild, crazed.) As an older dog he merged the two and became a grouchy old man both in public and at home.

He survived two ACL ruptures and three surgeries (ages 2 and 5) and started learning agility at age 7. His first trial was just short of his 8th birthday, and he got his first two legs in CPE Level 1 on that day. It wasn't to be a very long agility career, as he had reached Level 4 and was doing great when he started to slow down and knock jumps.

At the age of almost 10 he started having seizures (suddenly, clustered together) and was put on medication. Sometime later that year I started suspecting DM, but it took another year for it to become obvious. By September 2008 he was dragging a foot, and within six months was in a cart.

Today, he is happy to use his cart if food is involved, loves to ride in the stroller or car, and of course, still loves to eat. His front end is still quite strong, and the seizures are under control finally. Will he make 13? I don't think so... I think DM is going to catch up to him if nothing else does, but I didn't think he'd make 11 so we'll just see what life brings!

Walking the dogs

2009-10-05T13:45:00.000-07:00

Often I take Merlin by himself, but just as often I take four corgis, two carts, and a stroller.

The first challenge is getting everyone "hitched up." This means putting Merlin in a cart (Candy is usually already in his) and leashing up Jack and Janine. Jack wears an EZ-walk harness which is connected to a two-fer (coupler) and that snaps to Janine and to a leash. Sounds simple, but Jack is leaping around, barking, snapping (not aggressively, its just what he does) at Janine, Janine is barking, and Candy is barking.) Once everyone is finally leashed, the next challenge is to get out the door and lock the door behind us. This involves letting Jack and Janine go out on leash, letting Candy out off-leash so he can go down the steps, and pushing Merlin out far enough that I can, while still holding Jack and Janine, lock the door behind us. Then I let them go down the three steps, wheel the stroller down, and help Merlin down.

Now we head down our narrow walk to our hill. Too many steps to the street, so we take the steep lawn down. At the bottom we reconnoiter. Candy's leash in hand, Merlin's wrapped around the posts of his cart so I can grab it easily, Jack and Janine's looped over my hand so they can't easily bolt.

And off we go! Sometimes Merlin makes the decision as to which way but usually, when all of us go, I make it. Today we head up Van Ness towards the main road; four blocks there is a good walk for Merlin and there are no curbs as the road is at sidewalk level.

Now it is time for Merlin to stop and sniff and finally, when he finds the right spot, pee. We have to wait patiently. Usually Janine poops, too, early in the walk (and sometimes two or three more times.) Our progress is very slow during the part of the walk where Merlin walks. When he is alone with me I can speed him up with carrots, but in a group walk he brings up the rear.

Next, Janine has to find a place to roll. There are some beautiful green overwatered lawns on our route, and she likes to find a slightly odorous spot to take her roll. She has perfected the art of doing this while on a two-fer with Jack, who just waits patiently, his eyes peeled for the big three: squirrels, cats, and birds.

On we go. Jack and Janine hear a squirrel or even better, spy one, and both freeze, staring at it as if they think they can use their telekinetic powers to make it fall from the tree. If they see a kitty, they lunge. Kitties beware! Birds, Janine ignores, but Jack becomes intensely distracted as he watches them fly.

Candy, on the other hand, is enamored of one thing: people. He wants to be patted and admired. A walk is not complete without the chance to greet at least one stranger like an old friend.

All three are delighted if a corgi stalker appears and flags us down, because now they don't just get sedate pats, they are allowed to fling themselves on the friend (what corgi stalker can be a stranger?) and enjoy unlimited admiration.

All four dogs are also intent on finding lawn fudge, or kitty krispies. Enough said about that- we avoid several streets where the kitties apparently lack litter boxes or flower beds, and stay on the main street.

Somewhere around midway or near the three-quarter mark, Merlin fades, and is lifted into the stroller for the remainder of the walk. Jack is also tiring by now, and walks as slowly as possible in front of the stroller, getting bumped in the rear periodically as he fails to move. Non-plussed, he strolls along.

Finally back at our home, we climb the neighbors driveway to our lawn, and roll up to the front door. I unleash Candy and lift his cart back so he can climb the steps, unlock the door, and loop Jack and Janine's leash on a doorknob. I go back to the stroller and roll it up a board to the porch, the lock the brakes and lift Merlin out. Another walk is over!

Corgi puppies

2009-10-03T09:36:00.001-07:00

Whenever I read a litter announcement I look at OFA records to see if the parents are tested (usually I recognize the names if they are.) Usually they aren't, or if they are, came out carrier or At Risk and the breeder didn't want the results made public. This is WHY puppy buyers need to ask about DM testing- because it may have been done and hidden, which is just as bad as not doing it at all. Remember, if the parents haven't been tested, you can have the puppy you plan to buy tested, it only takes a week or so and costs $65, which I can tell you now is a LOT less than the cost of dealing with DM.

What are your chances that your At Risk puppy will get DM? Nobody knows, but somewhere between 10 and 20% is my best guess right now.

If your breeder of choice IS testing, and discloses the results, and the puppy comes from a "good" breeding (no worse than carrier to carrier) I would probably take a chance on the puppy. That breeder is trying to help the breed, and as a responsible, caring breeder is also likely to help you if, in ten years, your dog is showing signs fo DM. But by 2012, I wouldn't buy that puppy, either- if by then there aren't clear and carrier puppies available the breeder isn't doing her share to remove DM from her line.

Remember the breeder should also have tested the hips of the parents. You can also ask about health of siblings and half-siblings and other dogs in the puppy's line. You can never get a guarantee of perfect health, but if your breeder has 12-15 year old dogs running around in good health, its a good sign!

Monthly update on DM Dogs

2009-10-02T13:36:00.000-07:00

Merlin has been kind of up and down this month. The heat was not good for him or for getting him out to walk, and the last few days he has been much more active. That has its downside, too, as he tires out quickly, but I'm hoping with two good walks a day (which means about 4 blocks each) he will regain some endurance. Sometimes I think he is ready for a counterbalanced cart, but other times he seems just fine. We go about four blocks, then he quits and rides home in the stroller.

It's a challenge with four dogs and the stroller; once I put Merlin in it we can speed up and I just have the other three to worry about.

Today was tricky as Jack was fixated on birds and not at all watching where he was going so kept getting in the way of the stroller.

Last night he did wake up at 4:30 to pee, then pooped at 5 (due to
eating something that didn't agree with him, made a big mess) and then barked until 6:30 when I gave up and got up. Other than that the GABA has worked and he's been sleeping all night for a couple of weeks now. This morning he didn't have to poop early, but since it has cooled off he has been taking himself outside in the morning again.

Barking

2009-09-22T20:57:00.001-07:00

Merlin is barking. I don't know if he barked while I was swimming laps; if so, he has been barking non-stop for 75 minutes. If he stopped it has only been 35 minutes non-stop.

He wants food. He will bark like this until I either get the spray bottle and zap him or give him food. He has had dinner. This is not a DM thing; he has always been willing to bark for up to two solid hours to get what he wants. He'll do it for longer now because I can't ignore him so I have to check more often (sometimes he is barking for a legit reason.)

I'd be tempted to let him eat all he wants, except I have to be able to lift him, and I don't want his front legs collapsing under the weight of his own tummy.

Pretty soon I will wait for a lull in the barking and then give the bedtime snack. Or maybe I will let him go for the record.

Another friend gone

2009-09-22T08:34:00.001-07:00

Another one of Merlin's virtual friends has lost his life to DM.

http://peacefulmayhem.livejournal.com/181310.html

There have been so many this year I can't name them all.. Guido, Yogi, Einstein, Dylan, Georgie, Liz, Serene, and so many more. Some old, many too young.

Yes, we've lost other friends to other diseases. What makes DM so hard is that we have to make the decision to end the life of a dog whose mind and spirit are still intact but whose body is failing. What makes it even harder now is that it is now a preventable disease, and while more and more breeders are beginning to test, too many more are not. The SOD1 gene is so thoroughly entrenched in the Pembroke breed that without some aggressive action the numbers lost to DM will only increase.

Goodbye, Beckett.

DM a geriatric disease?

2009-09-20T16:21:00.001-07:00

Someone on Performance Corgis asked about how late senior dogs were competing in agility. Here are some responses.

Senior corgis competing in agility

I'm doing agility with a pair of 8.7 yr olds.

Ringo is over 9 and going strong.

My Pem, Mandy is still doing agility at 10 1⁄2 years old. We have been at it for
a long time and she loves it and hasn't shown any sign of slowing down yet. She
got her MXJ last April and has 5 more legs in Excellent B to get her MX title.

This subject is a fascinating one, I retired Shadow at the at of 11 1/2
(after his last run at the AKC agility national this past spring).

Trystan will be 12 years old in a couple of weeks and he is still
competing. He finished his MACH5 in August and has 7 more QQs. And he's
still often in the ribbons 'cause "speed kills" ya know . Last year
was his best year competing - earning a MACH3 and MACH4 and 38 QQs.

Allie finished her MACH3 in mid-May, and turned 12 on June 4.? In December last
year she completed her APD.

You can do this! My Angel (bridge last year at almost 16) finished her MACh at
13.

Merlin retired at 10 1/2 when he started showing signs of DM.
He wasn't headed for a Mach; he'd have been lucky to make it to his C-Tatch (Enthusiast CATCH) in CPE as he was just going into Level 4 when he stopped Q'ing. But he loved it and I loved it and DM stopped us from doing it- and moreover, is stopping me from taking Jack to agility trials even though he is young and healthy. (What do I do with Merlin who needs lots of care if I go off with Jack?)

Update on sleep

2009-09-20T16:20:00.001-07:00

Ellen C. has been trying GABA on her reactive Pem, and I looked at the research for its use in dogs, and found it looked hopeful for nightime barking in dogs. So tried it with Merlin, and have now had three good nights of sleep! I hope it keeps working. Right now he is barking but it is daytime and he wants dinner.

Sleep

2009-09-11T21:55:00.000-07:00

Sleep is still an issue. Or barking instead of sleeping. Merlin doesn't act anxious or unhappy when I come see why he is barking, just glad that I've finally done his bidding. I can't ignore him because he barks when he is stuck, or wet. But mostly he barks when he wants something like more food (which is always.) Since we've been doing para-agility in the living room in the evening when it is too hot to walk, he'll go out there and bark for me to come do it with him. He's always been willing to bark like a mad fool when he wanted something- the problem is now that I can't ignore him so it gets worse and worse. But he ought to be sleeping some of the time!

I am working on wearing him out so he will sleep at night, but I may try some supplements that are supposed to help with sleep. Complex carbs supposedly help, and this got worse when we went to a grain-free food, so I'm also going to supplement with brown rice for awhile and see if it improves.

He's been better at night since I shifted 3/4 of his pb to the evening pills, but that may also account for not sleeping at all during the day, at least, not from when I get home until bedtime. When I'm home his mission in life is to try to get more food.

6 AM

2009-09-08T09:36:00.001-07:00

Merlin slept through the night! Well, almost, at 11, Jack and Janine were madly barking at joggers on the street, but Merlin was sleeping. At six I awoke and was going to go back to sleep but then I freaked out- why is he still asleep? Is he dead? and jumped up to check, and woke him up.

So even when he sleeps in, I can't!

He did go out and pee and poop all on his own. Thank heavens for cooler mornings and the ribbon door (it keeps flies out but lets carts roll through.) I wish I could afford a wheelchair doggie door. I found a company that can do one, through a wall, but no way to do that here and not worth the investment when we expect to move soon. It's cool, though, they can make a very wide door, and although it normally has a lip, setting it just below floor level would allow a roll-out door. (or you could do ramps to and from. It would cost about %600, though, and no where in this house to put one.

But at least in milder weather I can use the ribbon door. It won't work for cold weather and won't work for hot weather. I may look at industrial ones (they are called strip curtains and you sometimes see them on loading docks or freezer doors) to see if I can get something that works more of the year.

Goodbye, Merry

2009-09-07T10:26:00.000-07:00

Merlin's friend (well, not really because Merry didn't like other dogs, but our neighbor) Merry died four weeks ago of DM. "Dying of DM" is a mis-statement as she didn't reach the point of being unable to breathe. A 90 lb GSD, Merry was put down when she could no longer stand at all. A cart had given her two years, counter-balanced for the last six months, but when she could no longer move on her own it was time to let her go.

I dread having to make that choice for Merlin. While we are lucky with our smaller dogs that we can lift them easily enough, I don't know how he would handle being a quad. Some dogs stay cheerful and connected, and he might be that way, or he might get depressed and be ready to go. I don't know, and I don't want to find out any time soon.

For him, since he is almost 12, it is probably a race of DM with Time and other illness. I'm not sure which is worse... sudden loss due to illness, or having to choose the day he dies. Neither is good, but I hope in my lifetime we see the end of death due to DM.

Goodbye, Merry. That you could manage so long with this disease is a testament to your owner's love and care and strong back.

Cost of DM update

2009-09-04T18:26:00.001-07:00

Recent expenses: new crate, with side opening, so I can lift him out now that he can't get out himself: $90. Two Palace bedding mats from Scout's house: $24. Cool bed, $35. Two boxes of 54 each Huggies overnites: $19 each (plus tax- each box lasts about ten days.)

Coming soon: front wheels for his cart or a new counterbalanced cart. I hope he stays strong enough for a few more months but sometimes I think he is getting weak in the front. (I hope it is just the weather tiring him out.) Cost, $150-$500.

Merlin himself is sometimes happy, sometimes frustrated. He will sometimes move on his own and sometimes wants to be carried. Sometimes he'll walk in his cart and sometimes he'll just lie down in it and bark. Sometimes he smiles and sometimes he looks unhappy but that's usually because I won't feed him any more.

Another DM discussion shut down

2009-09-04T18:16:00.000-07:00

Not long ago it was on the "Mycorgi" site, where we were asked to step to the back of the bus.. .oops, I mean, keep our discussions to ourselves in a special group for owners of disabled corgis. The site owner refuses to understand that the discussion is VERY relevant to every corgi owner.

This time it was Corgi-L, because one breeder (and I use the term loosely) decided to flame anyone who believes in DM DNA testing. She succeeded in what I'm sure was her intention- shutting down the discussion. Well, I don't think the anti-testing faction is going to succeed for long.. this time on ShowPem she has no defenders. Other breeders are coming around to understand that right now, this is what we have, and using it will lead to better health and longer lives for their dogs.

Ironically, the same "breeder" refuses to participate in the research because no one will pay her to submit her samples.. but says she won't use the test until research has proven it to her satisfaction. My guess is that as long as they aren't going to offer her free tests and free shipping she isn't going to test. So we are back to my premise that educating puppy buyers is the way to go.

Luckily there ARE conscientious breeders out there who are doing what they can to defeat this miserable disease. I know that if I want to buy a clear or carrier puppy in the future I can. If every puppy buyer demanded the same thing, the demand would exceed the supply, but not for long.

What's frustrating here is that no one who does not have a dog with DM wants to talk about it. It's as if they believe that if they don't discuss it the disease will disappear. People, that's WHY it is so prevalent in Pems.. because people didn't talk about it. And until last year, couldn't test for it, so no one knew how to reduce its incidence. Now that they can test for the gene, they still don't want to talk about it.

The dynamics of this are hard to understand.

Back in Fresno, the routine

2009-08-27T09:19:00.000-07:00

It's harder when I have to be gone a lot. I get up in the morning and walk at least Merlin, usually Jack, and sometimes all four. We can't walk later as it gets too hot before I get home- highs are in the high nineties to hundreds. Then I put Merlin in a diaper in a crate to sleep as if he is loose he drags around, loses the diaper, and floods the floor.

I come home at noon on my long days and take care of him and then go back for late classes. On shorter days I leave later and come home earlier. I do most of my prep at home so I can have more time here- its great that I can be flexible, but I do have to spend a fair amount of time at the college. I didn't do orchestra this fall because I felt it would take too much time from Merlin and make things more stressful, but I miss it.

After work, in the evening, we try to do something physical. I moved the agility stuff to the living room so I can run Merlin through that for some exercise and mental stimulation. Sometimes I hide treats for all of them but Merlin isn't very good at this game and loses interest.

The worst is nights as he doesn't sleep through the night. Some nights he wants out, some he pees and wants a diaper change, and some mornings he wakes hungry at 5 AM. He whines or barks when he is hungry. I'm trying to give him his pills late at night so he sleeps until 6 am.

Life should be easier when we can take walks in the evening, but that might not be until October.

We go through diapers like crazy because most of the time he won't try to go out. Poop is worse as he makes a mess if he does it inside and even more so if he isn't in the cart at the time.

The good thing is cart use- he's using it more in the house and navigating pretty well. I worry he is weakening in the front, though, and am going to start looking for an Eddie's cb cart to fit him.

Summer on Whidbey

2009-07-22T11:08:00.000-07:00

Merlin has been up and down this summer. Some days are really good and he sleeps well, is happy, and goes outside when he needs to pee or poop. Other days he whines, pees in his diaper, and won't relax.

He's using stirrups some of the time now as his feet are mostly just dragging and not trying to walk anymore.

The good news- if you can call it that- is that he seems to recognize now that the cart is what he needs for mobility, and wants to use it when he wants to get somewhere. The downside of that is two wheel corgis in the same house tend to get wheels caught and block each other's way.

Whidbey Island

2009-05-27T09:14:00.000-07:00

Merlin is definitely happier up here on Whidbey. He goes for a long walk on the dike each morning, and gets to sleep out in the car during the day (his favorite thing) and is sleeping much more at night as a result of being more active. He is quite willing to use his cart now. He's pictured here with his new beach wheels which make going out on the sand easier (still not really easy, though.)

Mother's Day

2009-05-10T20:08:00.001-07:00

Merlin and I went over to his birthplace for Mother's Day dinner. Now, I've been watching Merlin's ability to walk disappear over time, but his breeder's family only sees him on occasion, and as I took him out of his cart during dinner, they were quite upset to see him barely managing to crawl around. I forget that what has become normal to me is devastating to them.

When they bred Lily they of course had no way to know that she carried the gene for DM, and neither did the stud's owner. If they had, that breeding would probably not have been done, even though, as it was probably carrier to carrier, it was a better breeding than many are doing. They couldn't know.

Breeders today CAN know, and those that don't have their big Ostrich heads stuck in the sand do know, and can do something to prevent this heartache for future corgi owners. If you are looking for a corgi puppy, ask the breeder what the DM status is. If the breeder isn't testing, or tries to tell you testing isn't important, look for another breeder. Unless you want to have a dog that can only drag himself around, that is. Remember that that cute little puppy that you fall in love with today, you are going to love 100 times more in eleven years when he starts to show signs of DM.

Day at the Beach

2009-05-10T11:57:00.000-07:00

Yesterday two friends with DM dogs and I took our dogs to the beach near Santa Cruz. The dogs had a ball, and the three of us spent a lot of time explaining about DM and IVDD. The usual reaction to seeing a dog in a cart is "Does he have hip dysplasia?" so it is a good chance to educate about DM and explain about genetic testing for it. It's also good for people to see the dog in the cart- later, if their dog ever needs a cart, hopefully they will remember the image and instead of euthanizing, look for a cart. We also hope that if they buy a puppy of a breed that has a lot of DM, they will ask for evidence of testing.

DM or IVDD?

2009-05-07T18:23:00.000-07:00

No, this isn't a post about diagnostics. It's about which disease is preferable. We would all rather corgis got neither- or at least, that's what I would have said before I found out how many corgi breeders are unwilling to test for DM. I am sure when the test for IVDD is available they'll be equally unwilling to jump on that bandwagon, but for now they argue that DM is a disease of old dogs and that there are other, more important problems (such as IVDD.) So read the following and make your own decisions. These are from emails I received today.

From the owner whose dog has had surgery for IVDD:

Maggie had another physical therapy session last night. She walked on the underwater treadmill for 25 minutes and she was walking with her back legs!!!! Her right leg is stronger than her left leg, but she pretty much hit with her paws each time. She didn't knuckle like she did last week. I was so excited at how much she had improved since her last session. The PT was pretty excited
too.

And from another corgi owner:

My Pembroke has DM. She always loved her walks in the park, but with one leg cooperating less and less, she barely wants to walk more than 30' from the car.
Can you please advise me as to when I can determine that she needs a cart? She does wobble and the leg goes under her causing her to lose balance. Should I wait until the other leg is not fuctioning too? This is such a heartbreak, but I'm determined to work through this as we love her so.

You be the judge. Why is owner number one happy that her dog can barely walk and number two is heartbroken when hers is just barely knuckling and can still walk?

DM robs dogs of more than their ability to walk. It takes their stamina, their strength, their youth, their independence, and ultimately, their life.

Babies and Merlin

2009-04-29T09:27:00.001-07:00

I've become like a mother of a newborn- if he's sleeping I don't disturb him, because if he is sleeping he isn't barking! We had a nice drive over to watch a friend do agility yesterday (friend from Indiana with her Rottie) and he was as good as gold, had a nice nap in the car, behaved nicely at the trial, rode home nicely. Then he barked non-stop from 3 PM until his walk at 7 PM, then again until he went to sleep around 10. He's asleep now- I'm not going to wake him!

New Merlin breakthroughs

2009-04-29T07:15:00.000-07:00

This morning Merlin went outside in his cart to poop, then later barked to go out to pee, went down the ramp with a little guidance at the corners, peed, and came back up. Then on his own he made his way into the bedroom to find me. Yay, Merlin! Maybe the cart is becoming more second nature to him.

Or maybe its because he had a seizure early this morning (6 am) and it rewired his brain.

Corgi puppies for sale? Looking for a Corgi Breeder?

2009-04-23T15:41:00.001-07:00

Do NOT buy a puppy unless you see the OFA results for DM testing for that pup- either the parents should be tested resulting in it being impossible for the puppy to be at risk for DM, or the puppy should be tested.

Safe breedings are: At Risk, Carrier, or clear in one parent to clear in the other

No other breedings are guaranteed to have puppies that will not get DM, so don't believe the breeder who claims she has never had DM in her lines. If you cannot go to the OFA website and see for yourself her test results, do NOT buy a puppy from her. You are better off with a backyard bred pup as DM is much more prevalent in show lines.

There are some responsible and caring Pembroke Welsh corgi breeders, and I can help you to find one. These breeders are testing their breeding stock for DM and attempting to lower its incidence. The majority are NOT TESTING. To quote one breeder, "There are enough pets out there." (As in, it doesn't matter of a few get DM.) To quote another, "DM is a disease of geriatric dogs." (Geriatric at 8 years old?) These are direct quotes from corgi breeders, who will try to tell you they are doing health testing. My friends, since July 2008, health testing in dogs includes testing for DM, and if they aren't doing it, you could end up with a dog that slowly and irreversibly goes down, becomes paralyzed, and dies of this disease.

Back to agility..

2009-04-20T21:20:00.001-07:00

Basement para-agility is a great way to work out in the cart, especially when it is 90 degrees in April. Sorry the quality of the video isn't very good, but here it is anyway.

Diaper difficulties

2009-04-11T12:21:00.001-07:00

Merlin won't or can't go out to pee any more and/or is leaking. He pees a lot of very dilute urine as he gets very thirsty due to his anti-seizure meds. So I've started keeping him in a "male wrap" with some kind of pad.

And there's the difficulty- finding a pad or diaper to work! I tried a sample pack of male incontinence products and found Prevail Guards for Men which are very good and a good size for the diaper wrap, but I had to order them as no one locally carriers them. So in the meantime I'm experimenting with diapers. I buy a size 5 or 6 and cut the tabs and elastic off and put them in the diaper cover. I tried Pampers size 6; they are only good for one pee. Working on Huggies Overnights next. Poise ultra plus don't do it- they're too long and narrow so just absorb in the middle of the pad.

I also ordered another type male diaper- it is supposed to absorb all by itself but I figure with a liner it might work. Oh, and ordered some pad "boosters" which are a flow-through pad like a diaper doubler (which I've sinced learned may be found at BabysRUs... I haven't been up there to check yet.

At least at such a dilution Merlin's pee has almost no odor and I'm sure it won't burn him. So the problem- too much pee- is also a plus in a way.

Update: Merlin's incontinence usually clears up with Proin, and it did again. But I also found that the combo of a Huggies Overnite, size 5, and a Depends Booster Pad lasts him all day, and a Prevail pad plus a Booster Pad lasts for shorter times. The Pooch Pad male diaper does work for smaller amounts of pee- I'll probably use it for Teddy when he is visiting and might mark- but it isn't any good for Merlin.

Breakthrough!

2009-04-06T14:40:00.000-07:00

We were at an agility trial this weekend and Merlin, out of necessity, peed and pooped in his cart. Hooray! Then this morning he asked to go out, rolled down the ramp, and did his thing at home. Then we had a nice walk around the block.

However, this afternoon he was being a poop- he wouldn't step on the grass or into the sun (it is warm) and is whining at me to feed him. Candy joined in the general obstenancy and rolled to the stairs to ask to be helped up instead of using the ramp (I did that the other day when I was helping Merlin up the ramp and I knew Candy was going to try it again and he did- this time I refused and after sitting outside for ten minutes he decided it was in his best interest to use the ramp.)

Back to normal..

2009-04-01T20:38:00.001-07:00

We took a walk tonight and Merlin did his "usual" detour down the alley! Back on to leashes for walks, I guess. He does that at Whidbey when he's off-leash, too. So now I guess he is comfy enough with the cart to act like Merlin.

Hooray!

2009-03-31T18:22:00.001-07:00

Anger and Frustration

2009-03-30T10:51:00.000-07:00

I've seen several Pem litter announcements lately- in neither case were the parents DM tested, and in both, at least one parent was a definite DM carrier (and possibly At Risk.) These are litters conceived AFTER the test became available. It makes me angry and frustrated and sad.

Breakthrough!

2009-03-29T20:28:00.000-07:00

Tonight Merlin wanted to go out, and when I got his cart, he got excited to go! Yay!

I also went to click/treat mainly after crossing streets. That way he will hurry up the block and not dawdle in the middle of a street. It worked very well and he is enjoying his walks now.

Merlin's lift

2009-03-29T14:44:00.000-07:00

It is often useful to have a sling or lift for a dog with DM, so that one can help them move without putting them in the cart. I've tried several such slings for Merlin, from a harness-type, to a Bottom's up leash, to a towel, and all have one thing in common- he refuses to move.

This is the only lift he will accept (although he will also let me bend down and lift his back end.)

Some good news...

2009-03-27T18:30:00.000-07:00

Janine, Merlin's "sister", is not At Risk for DM. She's a carrier, which doesn't matter as she has never been bred and is spayed. So now we know none of the rest of the dogs (Teddy, Janine, Jack, and Candy) will get DM.

Good days, bad days

2009-03-26T18:41:00.000-07:00

Merlin had a couple of very good days earlier this week. He walked 1 1/4 blocks on his own, and walked around the house, not knuckling. Then yesterday morning he was back to knuckling. It seems to have a lot to do with how weak his "good" leg is. (The right is weaker, the left knuckles more.)

He had a very bad night last night. His anti-seizure meds make him hungry and he kept crying for food. (I know that is why as he sits by the food and stares at it.) When he finally stopped doing that, he had to go out, and then he barks to come in, but it was 6 am and after letting him in I was still exhausted and went back to bed for an hour. If I let him eat when he's hungry, he'll weigh too much to be lifted, and I frequently have to lift him. (Candy can climb our hill in his cart but Merlin can't.)

Listening to him last night I was glad I opted out of the family cruise in June- no way can I leave him alone at night or with someone else. Tonight he gets an antihistamine to help him sleep.

I got him a bike trailer but am taking it back- the front window is too high for a corgi who can't sit up (as eventually will be the case.)

Walking with the cart

2009-03-21T11:12:00.000-07:00

Merlin's walks now are all in the cart as he completely walks on the front of both back feet. I've been using clicker and treats to motivate him and reward him for handling challenges in the cart. He's doing very well with it but won't use it in the house.

March 14 update

2009-03-14T10:09:00.000-07:00

It's Pi day. Merlin woke me at 5:45 to go out- he wouldn't walk at all so I put him in his cart and bribed him to go out, then he wouldn't pee in the cart so I took him out to pee, then put him back in it to come back inside. Later on he was walking again without the cart- morning stiffness may make things harder. He needs booties on the cement but I think they do make walking harder. I need to try the Transderm tape again.

A video showing where Merlin is today.

2009-02-17T17:39:00.000-08:00

Merlin's walk and agility

2009-02-07T15:25:00.000-08:00

Merlin did agility in his cart this morning, using Candy's agility equipment (see http://www.squidoo.com/corgisonwheels )

He will do pretty much anything for treats so he was happy to trot around the agility course in his cart.

Then later we took a walk to his birthplace across the street (one block each way.) He was more comfortable in the cart but still wanted bribes to move. But eventually he was running for the treats, a happy look on his face, so maybe he realized he can run in the cart.

He still has not figured out he can pee in the cart because he hasn't tried.

Some signposts

2009-01-27T15:16:00.000-08:00

This morning Merlin barked to go out instead of using the dog door for the first time. But then he came back in on his own (he usually wants the door opened for him on the way back as it is a higher step.) So who knows?

He has also started needing some help on stairs. He can do them very slowly but would prefer having help or being carried.

Good and bad

2009-01-22T21:59:00.000-08:00

Merlin had a seizure tonight, second one since we got back from Christmas, only 10 days apart. Definite aura preceding it (if dogs have auras) but I wasn't quick enough to jump up and give him a Valium- I'm not sure it would have acted fast enough, anyway. The seizure was different, less of the bicycling and more shaking, but he snapped out of it just the same as usual, and ravenous. Sometimes I wonder if the hunger center of his brain is stimulated by the seizure.

The good is that I got him Paw Pads, and he can walk on the kitchen floor without slipping. They are like little corn pads but non-skid and go on the pads of his feet. They stayed through the rain today. He's still very weak in back. I would do PT like Lila does with Jack but because of Merlin's arthritis I don't like to do anything that might make him hurt.

He' still doing well walking in a straight line, even trotting.

Today's walk

2009-01-19T21:48:00.000-08:00

Merlin was really dragging after a block so I went back home and got his cart. He didn't want to walk in it so I took him out and carried the cart for three blocks. By then he was really tired so I put him back into it and again he refused to move. I left him and Teddy and I walked down the sidewalk to sit and wait. He came running. Then refused to move again. So then Teddy and I walked to my corner, again, Merlin came. That worked all the way into the house, where I bribed him with treats to come.

He does quite well in the cart when he wants to, but then, he can trot along pretty well until he gets tired without it. I like him to walk as normally as he can so I may do the cart-carrying thing for awhile and finish up walks that way.

A short walk with Merlin

2009-01-18T21:30:00.000-08:00

I should probably call this an evening with Merlin. First, I tried to practice the cello. I haven't done this much lately and had forgotten how much Merlin hates it. I don't think he hates the music (except dissonances) as much as he doesn't like that it takes attention away from him. So he barked while I practice. He likes to bark in no apparent rhythm so that it will mess me up.

Then they got pills. Then Merlin sat in the kitchen and barked for about an hour to complain that he hadn't also had all the biscuits.

Finally I took him out alone for a short walk (very short as we met Jennifer, her sister, and Kane and stopped to chat. They thought Merlin was a very sweet, well-behaved dog! He demonstrated his increasing disability but didn't bark and was, in fact, very sweet. Now he is lying on the bedroom floor barking again.

Life with Merlin!

More ups and downs

2009-01-12T21:00:00.001-08:00

Merlin is doing great walking on the sidewalk, he did great on the beach in Washington. The house continues to be a struggle as he can't handle slick floors, drags on the carpet, and falls when he turns.

He's had a couple of seizures, usually about 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 weeks apart. No major changes in those.

We got his cart adjusted up in Washington but then he hasn't needed it. The deep snow there was the only thing that gave him much trouble.

Good news for the corgi family...

2008-12-04T16:40:00.001-08:00

I had already had Teddy tested for DM, and he came back as a Carrier, which means he cannot get the disease. And hooray, today Candy came back as a Carrier, and Jack as clear, so neither of them will get it, either. That leaves just Janine and we'll wait a bit to see if she survives IMT before testing her.

Good and bad

2008-11-30T17:55:00.000-08:00

Merlin walks over the carpet and I can hear step, drag, step, drag as he goes. Walking slowly, he doesn't lift one foot high enough and I hear the drag.

Then I take him and Janine for a walk and he is so happy he skips and runs, and feet seem to work fine for a little while.

But on the way home (after six blocks) he is getting too tired and needs help up over a curb.

I think this stage is hard for him and hard for me. He isn't ready for a cart but he isn't as mobile as he used to be, either.

Another seizure...

2008-11-18T08:35:00.000-08:00

Merlin has been going just under three weeks between seizures. (Twenty days.) Maybe on Dec. 8 I'll give him a Valium and try to head the next one off. The weird thing this time was that he acted pre-seizure last night but not this morning when he actually had it.

The DM is progressing, too, he has a lot of trouble especially first thing in the morning. His T&T boots are getting remade as they were too short for him.

New boots

2008-11-12T20:07:00.001-08:00

Merlin's new boots from Tammy and Teddy's arrived and fit just right. They appear to stay on though we haven't done much with them yet. I'll put them on for his next walk and see if they stay on okay. We tend to go there and back again so if he loses one I can find it on the way home.

Front feet

2008-11-10T16:55:00.000-08:00

Merlin has a sore on the top of his left front foot. The vet thinks he is hitting it on the stairs or the curb- maybe so, but I never see it. Or maybe it is on the dog door, I didn't think of that. I may have to put boots on the front but I can't see him leaving them on. He was much more cooperative at the vet's than he was as a puppy when he would scream and holler if they as much as touched him. I had them muzzle him up until about three years ago as I didn't want him to bite anyone. But today he was very good except when he was barking for food.

Seizure again...

2008-10-30T21:38:00.001-07:00

Merlin had a seizure. He has been going about three weeks between them so it was about due. They do not seem to be DM-related, could be a brain tumor, or could just be late onset epilepsy. He's had them for just about 13 months now. It's pretty routine for me now though I sure prefer it when it doesn't happen. Mainly I get upset because I don't like not knowing what is causing them and if it is going to shorten his life faster than DM.

Booties

2008-10-24T17:54:00.000-07:00

I measured Merlin for his boots. He didn't want his feet measured, and in typical corgi fashion, refused to cooperate. He would not stand still and let me put a tape measure near his foot, would not let me lift his foot, and would not keep it in the shape I needed. So my measurements were guesstimated and if the boots don't fit it won't be MY fault!

Knuckling under and booties

2008-10-23T11:45:00.000-07:00

Merlin was standing in the kitchen this morning with one back paw turned upside down (knuckled under) so I was worried about his ability to walk outside. I checked my stash of dog boots but the closest fit would not stay on his foot. On the recommendation of Corgis on Wheels members I am going to order some booties from Tammy and Teddys. Their boots are custom made for corgi feet.

As it turned out he was fine on our walk. Walking straight ahead seems to be easier for DM dogs than standing or turning, and he placed his feet fairly well on a four-block walk. But I can see that the day is not too far ahead when he will need his cart.

What Merlin can't do

2008-10-22T18:10:00.000-07:00

A year ago Merlin was just starting to slow down. He was still doing agility but having some trouble climbing the A-frame.

Now he has trouble coming in through the dog door. He can't get onto the bed without a ramp. He can't stand up on slippery floors. He has a great deal of trouble climbing stairs. And his bark is getting hoarse.

The good thing is that there is no pain associated with DM (physical pain, that is) and he doesn't seem to get very frustrated.

Introducing Merlin

2008-10-22T13:47:00.000-07:00

Merlin is an eleven year old Pembroke Welsh corgi. His birthday was actually two days ago. Merlin has a disease that is called Degenerative Myelopathy (DM.)

Although Merlin is shown here in his cart, he does not actually use it yet. He is still walking. But DM will gradually cause lesions to form on his spinal cord, and as it does, he will use the use of first his back legs, then the front legs, and finally, if he lives long enough to experience it, his ability to breathe. DM is similar to ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease) in humans.

Right now Merlin can still walk and run, but when he stands still he doesn't know that his legs are crossing or sliding out from under him. He will fall trying to stand still or trying to turn. He can barely stand up to pee. He will soon need to start using his cart for walks as he is now dragging his toenails and when they wear out he will be scraping his feet. I bought him a cart from K9cartsWest. Other companies that make good carts (wheelchairs) for dogs are Eddies Wheels, Doggon Wheels, and K9carts (east.)

DM is a genetic disease. Not every dog that has the genes for it gets it, but every corgi that gets it has the genes for it. Nobody knows (yet) why it affects some corgis and not others. It may be another gene or an environmental factor. There is a test available from OFA for the genes, and by testing and selective breeding, we hope that in the future DM will not be a problem.