My GSD

Mariposa, there is a very well-established veterinarian at the University of Florida named R. M. Clemmons, Assoc. Prof. of Neurology & Neurosurgery, who has been studying DM in GSD for years. He can diagnose (or rule out) DM with a DNA sample which you can send via overnight delivery. Cost is about $80 for that particular test. Here is some information on his testing: http://neuro.vetmed.ufl.edu/dm_flash_test_web/index.html

From his DM site (http://neuro.vetmed.ufl.edu/neuro/DM_Web/DMofGS.htm)under "Medication":

Over the last 2 decades, we have found 2 medications which appear to prevent progression or result in clinical remission of DM in many (up to 80%) of the patients.

He tells you exactly what that the medication is and where to get it. His studies began from a GSD named "Flash", which is why it's called the "Flash Test". Here is the Flash DM Support Group, where you'll get tons of info from their pull-down menu, esp. a listing of vets in many states familiar with this research: http://www.mzjf.com/dm.html. Hope there's one near you. 8 years old is too young to give up on but I'd hate to see you taken advantage of.

I have a similar problem with my GSD, only our GSD had a lot of blessures from the beginning, we thought and so the vet did that it was pain of growing, he gets rymady and it seems to go well, but every time my husband wants to start training with him, he seems to walk not very well. there were times it was allright and suddenly it starts again, We decided to go back to the vet, and they did X-rays of the hips, wich was very good,so because he is so young, he is 2.5 years old, they thougth again that is was a part of growing, but he walks not normal, in training he jumps but always touch the hedge, and he hardly would not sit.

So we took him to a orthopedic vet, and she takes X-rays of his back, and the diagnose is terrible,his backbones aren't good, they called it the sacrum, normally it has to be one piece and Valdo's is 2 pieces, it must be from the day he was born, normally it started with two and grow together in the belly of the mother to one piece, the bone who cover it above, is been bagged about 1-1.5 cm, and that is a lot. the prognoses is that at the end he will be paralysed, they can do nothing about it. So this was a big shock for us, we try to make his life comfortable as much as we can, and see what the futere brings. We say to eachother we don't wait until he is paralysed, but when the time is there we have to make a decision, to keep him for more pain.

So the only advice I can give, take her to a orthopedic vet, there specialized in it, GSD have sometimes a lot of problems with the skeleton.

Let me know how things turn out! keep us posted.

Here a picture of our boy,