# DM ???s - Helping a friend help a friend.



## WiscTiger (Sep 25, 2002)

7 year old AM line, oversize and overweight.

So first order of business is to get some weight off. She has been feeding Chicken/Rice home cooked for months because she thought dog food would be bad. But the dog needs to loose weight, but is spoiled and carries on for more food until mom caves.

OK, need information for DM - Do's, Do not's, worked or didn't work.

I have found the cart/wheelchair info, so what I am looking for is the other things, diet, exercise and supplements.

Thanks
Val


----------



## Amaruq (Aug 29, 2001)

Well there is a board out there for dogs with DM, however, they were little to no help with me with Phoenix. I do not have a whole lot to offer because he was diagnosed 6 months before I lost him. I am not sure if Clemmon's site is still up but he had some recipes on there and a lot of info on supplements and so on. While I did not find the diet worked for Nyx using the supplement list MIGHT help.


----------



## BlackPuppy (Mar 29, 2007)

I don't know what DM is, but I do know that a diet of just chicken and rice is not good for a dog.


----------



## LisaT (Feb 7, 2005)

Here is Clemmons' site:
http://neuro.vetmed.ufl.edu/neuro/DM_Web/DMofGS.htm

I have never had experience with this. I know that there are a fair amount of politics involved in the DM veterinary world.

I think that Clemmons had linked DM to MS in people. If that's the case, then there are all sorts of interesting links if you google _alternative "multiple sclerosis"_ . A couple that I found interesting:
http://www.nhfw.info/multiple-sclerosis.html
http://www.paleodiet.com/ms/

However, contrary to Clemmons' research, is the recent announcement that says DM is similar to Lou Gehrig's disease, ALS. However, when I read how ALS progresses, it sure doesn't sound like the cases of DM that I've seen on the board.

For the nervous system, off the top of my head, certainly I would feed a homeprepared diet, a multivitamin, and an extra vitamin B complex (like B-50 or B-100, as long as it doesn't make the dog pant). Indy gets a B-50, but Max can't handle it, so he gets a B-25. I think Alpha Lipoic Acid is very protective of the nervous system -- diabetics use it for that very purpose, and it seems to make Indy feel better, and my mom post-stroke. Extra B-12 would be important, but the form directly good for the nervous system, methylcobalamin. Making sure that the diet is not deficient in magnesium I'm sure is also important.

But that's kinda basic stuff, as I said, I don't have any experience. 

For the weight -- as few grains and starches will help.

Sure do wish luck to your friend.


----------

