Wobbler's Syndrome

Many of you have met my great danes, Drake and Raisin, here at Metro during daycare. I bring them with me pretty much every day and they have an absolute blast playing with all their friends in the big dog room.

Recently Raisin started doing some things that made me very concerned - when he would get up from laying on his dog bed at home his back legs were very unsteady, and he even fell a few times, and he started to noticeably drag one of his rear legs. He also was very slow to right his rear paws if we turned them upside-down while he was standing. All of these things made me think that something neurological was going on, so off to the vet we went.

The vet said that Raisin is displaying many of the classic symptoms of early Wobber's Syndrome, or Cervical Spondylomyelopathy. This is a condition common in great danes, dobermans (pay attention here MJ) and also horses, and results from malformations of the vertebrae in the neck while the dog is growing. Those malformations in the bones put pressure on the spinal cord, and the results can vary from minor neurological symptoms like Raisin's all the way up to complete paralysis of the rear legs. The name Wobbler's comes from the severe wobbling movements that the rear legs of the dogs tend to do in the later stages of the disease. Most veterinarians believe it's a combination of genetics, nutritional and bio-chemical influences that cause Wobbler's.

An MRI will be needed to confirm Raisin's diagnosis, so we're currently saving our pennies for that procedure, which runs around $1500. Until then, Raisin is on very restricted activity, which he does NOT like, and we're talking with the vet about anti-inflammatory drugs and acupuncture to help with the swelling around his spinal cord. The only real "cure" for Wobbler's is spinal surgery to remove the portions of the vertebrae that are putting pressure on the spinal cord, and even that is not 100% guaranteed, so we're not sure what the future may hold for Raisin.

All of us here at Metro definitely appreciate any good thoughts you want to send Raisin's way, and we'll be sure to keep you up to date on any new developments in his treatment!

The Babies Are Coming!

Greetings Everyone!

As you may or may not know, we at Metropawlitan Dog and The Collared Scholar participate heavily in dog rescue and rehabilitation. You may have caught a few of our posts about recent rescues like Rupert, Shadow and Lilly :)

Well, recently, we found out we have a new addition (or two!) coming to our tiny rescue!

Katie Earle, one of Metropawlitan's Managers and Trainer Extraordinare, has a passion for deaf dogs and is the founder of San Diego Deaf Dog Rescue. She was recently approached by a group trying to save two deaf baby Ibizan Hound Puppies. These babies are only 8 weeks old and were at risk of euthanasia as the breeder didn't know what to do with them. We stepped in.

When Katie told me about the babies, I was ecstatic - Ibizan Hounds are one of my FAVORITE breeds of all time. If you don't know what they are, picture a greyhound with Giant German Shepherd size ears that stand straight up! They are stunning dogs of the sight hound group.

Anyhow, the babies will be arriving this week so keep an eye out for them. They will be staying with Katie and I and accompanying us to the Met regularly until they are old enough to be left alone. The pups will receive some training, be spayed and neutered and vaccinated and then will be ready for their new homes (if Katie and I don't decide to keep them before then!).

If you are interested in adopting one of the babies or would like to learn more about our other wonderful rescued dogs, feel free to call us at 619-233-1364!