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Degenerative Myelopathy Survey

Please take the time to fill out the following survey form. By completing this survey, you will help us to further investigate Degenerative Myelopathy. Names, addresses, telephone numbers, cities and states, will not be given out. No information will be sold - it will be used strictly to gather information for surveys and research.

I realize this questionnaire is long, but we need definitive answers to the questions asked, in order to be able to properly research this disease. I had tried using a shorter survey, in the past, but there were gaping holes in the information. The answers to these questions will provide invaluable information to help us in our quest to understand Degenerative Myelopathy and will give us valuable insights into this disease. Your cooperation is greatly appreciated! Please put N/A in the answer space, if the question does not apply.

Thank you :)

Fill in all fields below and then press the SEND button.

DEGENERATIVE MYELOPATHY SURVEY

Be certain to fill in ALL required fields.
Required fields left blank will defeat the survey's purpose.

Your Name (required):

Email Address (required):
Make certain you enter your "complete" email address (e.g.: myname@myprovider.com)

Home Address:
Please type in full address (e.g.: street, city, state/province, zip code)

This is a new survey, created on 12/10/03. If you have previously filled out this survey, please enter your information, once again, so the data can be analyzed.

Please select...
This the first time I am filling out any survey on this site
I have participated in a previous survey

What breed of dog is this (required)?
If and ONLY IF the dog is a PURE BRED GERMAN SHEPHERD DOG, is this dog:
American bred
German Bred
Combination German lines and American lines
If your dog is a PURE BRED GERMAN SHEPHERD DOG, would you be willing to provide a pedigree of your dog?
Yes
No
Dogs Name:
What is the sex of this dog?
Male
Female
Two parts (A & B):
- This dog is:
  Alive
  Deceased
- If deceased, what was the month and year of death?
How old was the dog when it developed DM?
How old is this dog now?
Was there anything out of the ordinary that you may have noticed, pertaining to the health of your dog, in the years preceding the development of this disease? Please elaborate: Message:
Do you know of any history of DM, or spinal problems in the dog's sire or dam?
Yes
No
Don't Know
Do you know if any of your dog's littermates have/had DM?
Yes
No
Don't Know
Do you know if any other relations of your dog, within a 5 generation pedigree have/had DM?
Yes
No
Don't Know
Was this dog ever bred before it developed DM?
Yes
No
If so, did any of this dog's progeny go on to develop DM in their lifetime?
Yes
No
Does your dog have any other autoimmune problems? (e.g., allergies, colitis/irritable bowel disease, perennial fistulas, etc.)? Please answer yes or no, and elaborate if the answer is yes:
Do/Did any of your dog's littermates have any other autoimmune problems in their lifetime (e.g., allergies, colitis/irritable bowel disease, perennial fistulas, etc.)? Please answer yes or no, and elaborate if the answer is yes:
Did your dog suffer any serious illness in its life, such as Parvo, Distemper, Corona, etc.? Please answer yes or no, and if the answer is yes, please elaborate:
Did your dog ever bloat?
Yes
No
If the answer to the above question is yes, at what age did your dog bloat?
Please list any other health problem(s) your dog has had here:
What symptoms was your dog exhibiting that caused you take your dog to the vet, in relation to DM? Please elaborate:
Does your vet know that there are now specific tests to rule in DM? (DM is no longer a "rule out" disease!)
Yes
No
Don't Know
Did you send a DNA sample to Dr Clemmons to evaluate?
Yes
No
If a DNA sample was sent, was the DNA sample positive for DM markers?
Yes
No
N/A
What rule-in tests were done to obtain the diagnosis of DM? Please elaborate:
What stage of DM was the dog in when it was diagnosed with DM?
Was/Is the dog on Dr. Clemmons' DM treatment program?
Yes
No
For how long a period of time has/had your dog been on Dr. Clemmons' DM treatment program?
Are you/did you make use of all 3 prescription medications and recommended supplements on Dr. Clemmons' treatment program?
Yes
No
If the answer to the above question was "yes", did you see any stabilization and/or improvement? Please elaborate:
If the dog is/was on Dr. Clemmons' DM treatment program, how long was the dog on the treatment program before improvement or stabilization was observed?
If your dog is/was NOT on all 3 prescriptions from Dr. Clemmons' treatment program, which ones are you using/did you use? Please elaborate:
If you have used the Aminocaproic Acid and not any other medications, have you seen any improvement? Please elaborate:
If you have used the NAcetylcysteine and not any other medications, have you seen any improvement? Please elaborate:
If you have used Vitamins, Supplements, and Herbs, and not any other medications, have you seen any improvement? Please elaborate:
If using only a PORTION of Dr. Clemmons' treatment program, how long before you saw an improvement? Please elaborate:
Are you/were you utilizing the DM treatment program?
Yes
No
How much exercise, in general, has your dog had during its lifetime? Some exercise, moderate exercise, or a lot of exercise? Please elaborate:
Have you/did you notice any improvement in relation to the use of the exercise program? Please elaborate:
What type of exercise does/did your dog get once the diagnosis of DM was given?
Walking every other day
Swimming every other day
Walking and swimming every other day
Intermittent walking/and or swimming
We do not follow any specific exercise program/routine
Was your dog given an estimated time at which it would lose hindquarter function?
Yes
No
If so, by using the DM treatment program, did your dog exceed this expectancy?
Yes
No
For how long a period of time did the program seem to prevent the disease from progressing?
How long after diagnosis did your dog continue to be able to walk?
If you did not use Dr. Clemmons' treatment program, did you use any other treatment for this disease and what were the results? Please elaborate:
Was/Is the dog using a cart?
Yes
No
If the above answer was "Yes", is/was the cart helpful?
Yes
No
If you tried a cart, did your dog adjust to the cart?
Please share positive and negative experiences with the cart, and please specify the brand of cart used:
If you had a wish list for features in a cart, what would those features be? Please elaborate:
Has your dog been exposed to pesticides, i.e., flea/tick treatments of property or in home, or garden spraying and weed control?
Yes
No
If the answer to the above question was "Yes", would you characterize this exposure as frequent, moderate, or infrequent?
Frequent
Moderate
Infrequent
Did you/do you vaccinate your dog yearly? Which vaccinations do you give each year?
Yes
No
Which vaccinations do you give each year? (If using titers, then specify). Please elaborate:
What type of diet do you predominantly feed your dog at THIS time?
Commercial Kibble
Commercially prepared but NOT Kibble
Canned
Homemade
Raw
Have you ever fed food to your dog containing artificial preservatives, colors or flavors?
Yes
No
Do you feed your dog differently now, than you did in the past, or has the diet remained basically the same? Please elaborate the differences:
Do you have a vet who is familiar with DM?
Yes
No
If you have a vet who is familiar with DM, please enter the Vet's name/practice name, town, state and phone number of that vet, to help others in your area locate a DM familiar vet. Also enter a web site address if applicable:
Do you know of any indoor pools for dogs in your area?
Yes
No
If you know of any pools in your area, please enter the pool name, town, state and phone number of the pool, to help others in your area locate a place they can take their DM dogs for exercise. Also enter a web site address if applicable:
How many DM dogs have you had, if you have had more than one? If the answer to this question is more than one, please also indicate if the dogs were from the same lines:
If the dog that had DM was a younger dog, did the disease seem to progress very quickly, with the treatment program not helping at all?
Yes
No

How did you hear about this survey?

Please enter any additional comments here that you feel might help us to shed some light on DM...

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Thanks to Tom Cammarata for original web design.
A special thanks to William Elliott for making this site available to the public, once again,
and to Vicki Kniss, for her tireless support and help in getting this site operational, once again :)

A very special heartfelt thank you, and hugs, to Robert Wellock, who has generously helped us to get our DM Survey up and running, once again. We appreciate the time and effort he has put into making this survey operational. We thank him, wholeheartedly, on behalf of all the DM dogs, past, present, and future, and their owners, that will participate in this survey, which, perhaps, will lead us to the place we need to be, to find the answers we seek..."

For Comments or Questions, e-mail the Webmaster at webmaster@mzjf.com.