Agility with DM Sheltie?

A

akpugluv

Forums Novice
In Dec., 2009 our precious Sheltie was diagnosed with DM. Our vet told us that we need to stop agility with Kipppy. He said that stress makes DM worse and he's worried that agility would cause too much stress. My daughter (she worked for a year raising money to buy her first pet...which had to be a Sheltie) is very sad about stopping agility but is complying because she loves Kippy with all her heart.

My daughter is still doing shortened sessions of obediance training at home. Is this O.K. to do? My daughter worships Kippy and Kippy worships my daughter. They have so much fun together.

We are doing everything in our power to keep Kippy healthy and happy and would like your input if our vet is on the right track. He's a very knowledgable man but I want to make sure I cross check everything that affects Kippy.

Thanks in advance,
Denise
 
I could see where competing at agility or obedience trials would cause stress....but one-on-one training at home in either discipline can be a great happy bonding experience for owner and sheltie. As long as Kippy doesn't seem stressed about the training, I don't see the problem. I would think that your daughter would do a great job to keep the sessions happy and bonding and that would be rewarding for both of them.
 
I just read up on DM. I'm so sorry for your family. It sounds like your furkid is in for a rough time.

I would go ask the vet and see if training is ok. Talk to your vet about other options as well.
 
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I am surprised it would cause too much stress, does he mean stress on her spine? You dont have to compete with agility, you can just go to training, jump on the lowest heights and rather just focus on keeping Kippy physically healthy and strong.

Even though Deska has 'retired' from agility competitions because of his djd (degenerative joint disease/arthritis) I will take him to training again when it warms up, as he can always jump on the lowest height. Not only does he love running with me but its really important with a physical disability to keep as active for as long as possible. Also, even though it will impact on his joints, both the specialist and physio said its best to let the dog enjoy the time they have and just be cautious with over exertion.

Do they have tracking in your area? I've been looking at this as an alternative for keeping a dog fit and it looks like a fun thing to do together. as it involves walking and sniffing it doesnt place stress on their bodies but if anything helps maintain their muscles. Your daughter could always try tracking with you or a friend and you can do it yourselves, just pick up some books (or read some of the threads here) about how to get started.
 
labgirl said:
Sorry to be ignorant, but what is DM?
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You're not ignorant Sophie. I've had shelties for 30+ years and never heard of Dermatomyositis until about 5 years ago when one of my shelties was tested for it. It is a skin condition in shelties and collies but other breeds can be affected too. It's thought to be an autoimmune disease and can be mild or serious and anything in between. If it's a serious case the dogs muscles can be affected also. DM can also be Demodectic Mange.


akpugluv said:
In Dec., 2009 our precious Sheltie was diagnosed with DM. Our vet told us that we need to stop agility with Kipppy. He said that stress makes DM worse and he's worried that agility would cause too much stress. My daughter (she worked for a year raising money to buy her first pet...which had to be a Sheltie) is very sad about stopping agility but is complying because she loves Kippy with all her heart.

Thanks in advance,
Denise
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By DM do you mean Dermatomyositis or Demodectic Mange. If it's Dermatomyositis you might want to check out the DM research center at Texas A&M.

http://www.shalaine.com/dm/dm.html

They are the leaders in DM research and have some very useful info there. I think you can also contact them with any questions you might have.
 
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I think what you can pursue is very dependent on the dog and your ability to read his stress level. If he enjoys training in agility/obedience, by all means continue. It is an excellent way to provide exercise and mental stimulation. It all depends on the dog, the severity of the disease and whether these activities trigger stress. I wouldn't compete with a DM sheltie, but the stress inherent at trials shouldn't transfer over to home training.

Fergusmom said:
You're not ignorant Sophie. I've had shelties for 30+ years and never heard of Dermatomyositis until about 5 years ago when one of my shelties was tested for it. It is a skin condition in shelties and collies but other breeds can be affected too. It's thought to be an autoimmune disease and can be mild or serious and anything in between. If it's a serious case the dogs muscles can be affected also. DM can also be Demodectic Mange.
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Or Degenerative Myelopathy or even Diabetes Mellitus! :eek2: There are way too many diseases that have this abbreviation. I've found that everytime I say "DM" to a non-sheltie person they assume degenerative myelopathy and then I have to launch into an explanation of this relatively breed specific disease.
 
Please make sure you contact the breeder, and stud dog owner if you are able to, and let them know. The breeder has an obligation to contact all littermate owners and inform them that this breeding has produced a pup with DM. And if you want to publish the dam and sire, you do that to. Too many breeders deny that it could come from their dog, and then unsuspecting, wonderful families have the heartbreak of this horrible, horrible disease.
 
I know a DM dog that finished her MACH. She eventually died of Lymphoma.

She was on Trental (is that it?) her whole life and did just fine.
 
It could cause stress, but there are other things I would worry about.

1. Do you know of any possible health risks besides DM that your sheltie might have? Smudge's puppymill has a history of popping out dogs with terrible bone problems (they break really easy and are frail). Smudge will not do agility because of this.

2. Crazy things can cause a dog to stress out. I had a long, nice conversation with my new vet about Smudge. While Smudge does not have DM, I wasn't completely convinced at the time that he did not have it. My vet said things you wouldn't even dream of can stress a dog out. Changes in temperature, weather changes, moving his/her dog dish to the left or right a little bit, moving to a new house, having somebody new come into your house, a dog down the street, ect.


Smudge was terribly stressed out at obedience class. I made the call to go ahead and do it anyway. It's much better for him to be out and about than hanging around in my living room. No excuses. He's better for it. While he is not perfect he is getting better. He doesn't stress out quite so bad anymore, either. Everything I do is with the consideration that anything might bring the mange back. I check his eye and fur on a nightly basis. Just because I don't make a post about it doesn't mean that I don't do it. :smile2:

3. Is your dog so badly disfigured that it would cause problems? Not trying to be crude, but when Smudge was at his worst with his mange I was afraid to take him out. I was afraid people would say I was mean to him because he looked that way (and that is/was not that case at all!). I also didn't take him out, because I didn't want people to think he might make their dogs sick (there is a very, very slight risk that red mange can spread - not impossible and it doesn't happen often and the chances are slim to none).

If your dog is badly disfigured because of the DM then that would be a big reason for me not to do it. The last thing you want is somebody calling the cops on you for animal abuse when all it really turns out to be is DM.
 
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