On Friday November 8, 2008 I euthanised my 11 year old German Shepard/Greater Swiss Mountain Dog, Bart. Bart went downhill VERY quickly. There were very small signs that I had dismissed and the vet and I both thought it was just his age and size playing parts. Every few months Bart would have trouble switching sides while lying down. He would get "stuck". The vet attributed this to arthritis in his hips. On Monday I woke up t find that Bart could not move his back legs at times and he had urinated on the carpet. When I took him out he wobbled around as if he was drunk. The sad part was the front end was fine. He was happy and licking us and sitting and giving his paw. As long as he didn't have to move anywhere. The next day was worse. I put him in the laundry room in case of accidents and so he didn't try the stairs while I was out. Wednesday was awful...my husband went upstairs and Bart followed him. Then Bart tried to come back down. He fell half way down and then urinated all over himself and the stairs. My husband had to lift his 120 lb. body down the remaining 8 stairs. He again wobbled til he was steady or fell down. I found this group that night. The vet thought arthritis, pulled back muscle, degenerative joints in his back, herniated disc, etc. No one ever mentioned DM. When I read the symptoms and watched videos...I knew. He had an uncontollable thirst which puzzled us since all of his tests and lab work was normal. My husband and I cried...Bart had helped us raise our two daughters, 9 and 3. He was that dog that you have once in a lifetime. He loved kittens and was an excellent surrogate father. He loved all kids and would cry pitifully if he couldn't meet them. He would "talk" to us as our cars pulled up to the house to welcome us home. He loved to catch snowballs in the winter and was always excited on the first day of snow. I wish I had learned of this terrible disease sooner...I would have done anything to help my sweet Bart. We will receive his ashes back this week and have a memorial service. It just breaks my heart that he was still so alert and happy to go on that fateful car ride to our vets on Friday. I will let everyone I know who owns dogs that are prone to DM about the warning signs and hope that they will not have to experience what our family went through.
Goodbye my prince......
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