Fibrocartilaginous Embolization in GSD

My German Shepherd, Jane, is 10 years old. A couple of weeks before Thanksgiving, she started having some trouble with lameness in her hind legs (especially the left) and sometimes her legs would really sag, and she seemed to have no strength in them. Then, the next day, I would see her trotting effortlessly. I thought she probably had a disc problem, so I gave her Rimadyl, which seemed to help.

On Thanksgiving, after going up and down stairs with no problem, I found her completely paralyzed in the rear. She could not move her back legs at all. However, she could wag her tail and maintained bowel and bladder control. The vet, Dr. Kara Kolster, did multiple x-rays but did not see evidence of a disc rupture. Jane was positive for Lyme disease, although that could have been from long ago past exposure. Dr. Kolster put her on doxycycline, gabapentin, and prednisone. We decided to do supportive care and wait and see, rather than doing very expensive further testing, which would be hard on Jane. Also, I decided that I would not put her through back surgery at her age and with an uncertain outcome.

Stan, my boyfriend, said he would help. Because of my own back issues, I could not constantly lift her to take her outside. I am deeply grateful to him, because without him, I would have had to put her to sleep.

Gradually, Jane has improved to the point that she is supporting weight on her rear legs when standing, and even moves them slightly in a walking motion when her rear is carried in a sling. This is by no means functional yet, but I am really floored by her never give up attitude and desire to move, play, and be near me and her brother Johnny. She has a great appetite and loves to be petted and groomed.

I had myself and all the other dogs tested for Lyme disease. We were all negative.

Based on her very slow improvement and her previous symptoms, along with consultation with a neurologist and radiologist, Dr. Kolster believes Jane has Fibrocartilaginous Embolization (FCE). Here is a link to a description of the condition. https://www.petmd.com/dog/conditions/neurological/fce-fibrocartilaginous-embolism-dogs

There is no known hereditary component to FCE. Jane may not improve to the point of functionality, but we are giving her every chance.

Jane, recovering, very slowly.

Happy 10th birthday to Johnny and Jane

Johnny and Jane playing at Bethel Beach

I can’t believe how warm the weather was today. It got up to 85 at least. The dogs got hot, so we had to keep going back to the car for fresh water. Lots of nice wading to do, and we will have to go back. At 10 years old, the dogs can’t take the heat like they used to.

Johnny and Jane are Nellie’s puppies, from a litter of 10, born 10/30/2013. Jane is the dam of See See, who I will be breeding next.

See See fetching at the beach

The last time I took See See to the beach, she lacked the confidence to go in the water on her own. Last Thursday was a different story! After a few minutes, she decided she loved the water. Fetching a ball was the perfect incentive.

At Piankatank River Beach
From the sandbar to the beach

She’s not swimming yet, but she will get there! I love this dog. I can’t wait to breed her. She should produce lovely and loving puppies. She will be coming into heat any day now.

See See got a bath as soon as we got home. Somehow, she smelled like dead fish! Her coat is coming back in nicely after shedding out for the season. Shiny and thick!

Johnny got his last qualifier for his CD today!

The judge is handing us the qualifying ribbon.
Here we are with the judge who’s holding my new title ribbon, 2nd place ribbon, and qualifying score ribbon.

Johnny will be 10 years old on the 30th of this month. He is glad to be done with obedience performance. I will not be pursuing any more titles with Johnny, but I will be training with Winston in higher levels of obedience, and eventually with Clyde and See See.

I am a firm believer in obedience training. You can’t have a really large dog and not have decent obedience skills. Johnny has always known basic obedience, but I didn’t pursue getting a title on him until recently. He has a lackadaisical attitude that doesn’t do well in the obedience ring, as far as high scores go. But he really does want to please me, and you can tell he does the obedience stuff just for me because he loves me. And I love him beyond all reason.

Yay Johnny!!!!!

See See got to go to York River Beach!

We had a good time looking at the water and boats. People petted her, and she always likes that. She needs to go more often to get used to the water and wave sounds.

Dogs are not really allowed off leash, but she didn’t bother anyone.
I tried to get her to follow me in but eventually had to use the leash.
See See is not sure of herself in the water yet, but you can tell she will be ok once she gets used to it.

Clyde goes to Buckroe Beach and to a seafood restaurant

Clyde was not too happy with the waves but liked the coolness of the water. He was a perfect gentleman at the restaurant where we sat on the shady deck. We’ve been practicing show stacking everywhere to condition him to new environments.

Show stacking on the beach
Show stacking on the deck at the restaurant
Deadrise is a funny name for a restaurant. They did have good seafood.
I brought a rug onto the deck so Clyde would be comfortable. The staff was great with having a dog at their outdoor seating area.
Clyde was so good with random people walking right by.

My friend Claudia, the warrior, still fighting the fight, with Jet

Claudia got Jet from a breeder out of state, a friend of a friend of mine, about a year ago. He was a potential show prospect, but he didn’t mature as the breeder had hoped. So Claudia got picked for his new home to be a pet. Her two beloved German Shepherds had recently passed away, and she was ready to give her love to a new young dog. Claudia has always had German Shepherds, and she couldn’t do without one for long, even during her persistent illness. I got these pics during her visit today, when she brought condolences due to my loss of Nellie.

Jet is one lucky dog! You can tell from these pics how much love there is between them.
Sit stay!
Joy!