MG is probably the worst disease that a dog can have short of terminal cancer. It is a disease that blocks successful transmission of neurons to target muscle groups. One of the most common of these groups is the esophagus. However other muscle groups are also commonly targeted including throat, eyes, legs and probably any other muscle in the body. If your dog does not have esophagus issues, then you are truly lucky. If your dog does, this site will describe effective ways to overcome those issues.
Clearly the biggest threat to a dog with MG is Aspiration Pneumonia. MG causes dogs to involuntarily regurgitate. This can be very startling to dogs and cause them to quickly breath in, which can suck matter into the lungs of the dog and cause pneumonia. If not treated with antibiotics the dog will die.
MG rears its ugly head when your dog has almost any physical exertion. Even something as simple as climbing stairs may cause involuntary regurgitation. With rest the MG calms down. When your dog is coughing or regurgitating involuntarily, they will calm down much faster if you lay with your dog and praise them. We spoon with our Scottie and tell her how tough she is and what a good dog she is. That causes the MG to calm down in a hurry.
MG is effectively treated with Pyridostigmine. This typically comes in 60mg tablets. It can be mixed in with the food. Without this drug, make no mistake, your dog will die. They will lose control of a variety of muscular functions and not be able to function.
If your dog has megaesophagus, you should build a Bailey Chair. This is the 2nd most important treatment tool. Building the chair is very simple. Follow the link to see how simple. It is also very inexpensive.
Build a Bailey Chair
The biggest reason to fight this disease is there is an extraordinary chance your dog will go into spontaneous remission. Some studies have the number of dogs going into remission at 90%. The number is closer to 50% according to my very capable veterinarians.
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While I thank Paul for his kind words about myself and my colleagues, I would never argue with the neurologists publishing excellent articles on this terrible disease. However, Paul is right that my experience in treating MG has been more disappointing than other. Roughly half of my patients do well and go on to remission.
ReplyDeleteI think the most important factor in a pet’s chances of remission is the caretaker. The burden of caring for these guys is immense. Prevention of aspiration pneumonia is pivotal to their survival and everything Paul has described on feeding is spot on. I wish all my patients had someone to care for them as diligent as Paul!
Dr. John
Hi,
ReplyDeleteMG is probably the worst disease that a dog can have short of terminal cancer. It is a disease that blocks successful transmission of neurons to target muscle groups. One of the most common of these groups is the esophagus. When your dog is coughing or regurgitating involuntarily, they will calm down much faster if you lay with your dog and praise them. We spoon with our Scottie and tell her how tough she is and what a good dog she is. That causes the MG to calm down in a hurry. MG is effectively treated with Pyridostigmine. This typically comes in 60mg tablets. It can be mixed in with the food.I agree with your post... http://onedaytop.com/september-happy-cat-month/
I have had myasthenia gravis since 2015. I got medically discharged out of the Army, a job I loved well. My heart had 5 myasthenic crises, 3 being severe enough to be ventilated or require CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure) helmet. I have had countless plasma exchanges as my veins are bad. I also needed Hickman lines inserted. I have been on azathioprine, mycophenolate (CellCept), methotrexate and none have worked. I'm currently done with my herbal remedy I purchase from totalcureherbsfoundation .com which has totally cured my condition with a surprise after almost four months of their usage, I was discouraged and never thought I would be myasthenia gravis (MG) free ,to me the best to get rid of this condition is totalcureherbsfoundation com treatment because all medications I used never worked include mycophenolate (CellCept)
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