Llyr is truly my beat friend. His full name is Honeyfox Lord Llyr. I sometimes think I should have named him Prince Charming. He charms everyone with his incredible spirit, character and his lovable nature. Llyr has been in my life since he was 9 weeks old and he will turn 14 on Feb. 3, 2011.
His journey with Degenerative Myelopathy started after he was attacked by an off leash dog in June of 2010. He recovered from the attack, but was unable to use his back legs much after. At first it was thought that maybe he had a disc problem. I decided against a MRI due to his age and possible complications from anesthesia. We went to the University of Pennsylvania Matthew J. Ryan Veterinary Hospital and met with a wonderful Neurologist Dr. Johnny Cross. A DNA test for Degenerative Myelopathy was performed and the results came back Affected/At Risk. Although I was devastated it was not a complete surprise because he was showing signs consistent with DM. When I think back he was showing the subtle signs of DM before the attack. He was getting wobbly in his back legs, but he was walking, running and playing.
Llyr had Thyroid Cancer a year previous and had a successful surgery to remove the tumor. He was a survivor. Sadly, Llyr will not survive his diagnosis of DM. There is no cure or treatment. The only good thing about DM is that Llyr is in no pain.
I am writing Llyr's story to help educate others whose dogs develop DM. I want people to know that your dog can have a good quality of life during the journey. There are many resources to help you and your dog. There are support groups for Corgis like wheelcorgis@yahoogroups.com. with many wonderful people going through the same and a lot of knowledge to share. In future posts I will write about the many resources that are available.
This is the beginning of Llyr's story.
I lost my sweet Tinsel to DM two years ago this month. The experience broke my heart but made me a better person. I understand and salute your complete devotion to Llyr. If we hug our Corgis tightly, they will know their own special joy, one day be free again, and we will be better people for having been there all the way for them.
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Doug, I am so sorry about Tinsel. It is so hard to watch our beloved Corgis progression with DM, but I would not give up a single second I have with Llyr. I am sure you felt the same way with Tinsel. You are so correct that we become better people. I have always had an extremely close bond with Llyr, but it continues to grow. Hold on to your wonderful memories of Tinsel. My thoughts and prayers are with you on the anniversary of Tinsel's passing.
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