After spending 3 years training my rescued German Shepherd, it was time for a HUGE celebration when he passed his public access test. Neither his trainer nor I was really sure Lucas would ever get over all his issues, but he became a rock-solid mobility dog for me. He went everywhere with me and made friends wherever we went. His primary tasks were retrieving, bracing and using a mobility harness so I didn’t have to use my crutches all the time. He did them well! It was puzzling a few short years later when he seemed to stumble over nothing or suddenly sit down. I had had his hips x-rayed early on and knew they were sound, but the news was as devastating – degenerative spinal myelopathy.  DSM is a degeneration of the spinal cord comparable to Multiple Sclerosis in people. Internet research didn’t offer much encouragement saying most dogs are euthanized one to three years after diagnosis because of paralysis in the hindquarters. I was comforted by the fact that in 3 years, Lucas would be 11, elderly for a shepherd; we were going to aim for that. My regular vet admitted he had nothing to offer as far as treatment options, so increasing instability in the hindquarters and fecal incontinence was in his future. Not encouraging for a service dog. I did more research and came across one mention of the use of acupuncture to stimulate the nerves in hope of helping spinal cord injury. Would that help Lucas? I happened to know Dr. Sandi Leonard, a veterinarian, through my work with wildlife at the Lakeside Nature Center. I remembered seeing her van with a sign that mentioned acupuncture. I called her immediately and she agreed to meet with us. Sandi told me from the beginning she wasn’t sure if it would help, but she had a greyhound with a similar condition who had done well for 6 years with treatments. She was willing to give Lucas treatments to try to stave off the effects of this condition although it would not cure or stop it. I was worried about using my dog as a pincushion, but was amazed when Lucas fell asleep during his first treatment in July of 2006. Sandi started his treatments at once a week and then increased the time between them as he showed some improvement. She also suggested the supplement Missing Link, which was high in Omega 3 fatty acids and glucosamine for anti-inflammatories and aid in joint movement. She suggested I get vitamins containing Vitamin B, zinc, selenium and kelp not available in commercial dog food, but thought to be beneficial for nerve function. I stopped using his mobility harness right away to prevent any strain on his back. He continued retrieving, carrying a light backpack and helping around the house, putting out the trash and emptying the clothes dryer. He thrived on working and learning new things. Sandi also said a major factor for keeping him walking was exercise. I immediately started walking him around the neighborhood using my power chair. After a few weeks of treatment, he actually was more stable and we scheduled him every 2 weeks, then every 3 weeks and then monthly. She added mild electrical stimulation also, similar to a TENS unit, but attached directly to the acupuncture needles to increase their effects. We kept up this routine and Lucas was able to work for about 2 years, but then began bouts of fecal incontinence. I had to be extremely careful about taking him in public then, but successfully avoided any accidents. The last year his incontinence and instability increased, but very slowly. A bit of arthritis in his shoulder was quickly soothed with acupuncture and he could still work around the house. Around the new year, 2009, Sandi made a pronouncement that I already knew – “we are losing ground.” Again we increased treatments and he did well except on his nemesis – tile floors. He took a couple of bad falls, but immediately got up and moved on in true stoic German Shepherd fashion. I had to rest him during his walks as his hind legs would just stop working after about 20 minutes. Because we lived in the Midwest, winters can be brutal so in the really cold, snowy and icy weather, so he learned to walk on the treadmill if we couldn’t get outside. During the time his condition started deteriorating, he fell on the treadmill and refused to get on it ever again. Lucas continued to walk with increasing difficulty and was unable to work in public. My elderly mother is home most of the time and he became very attentive to her, even retrieving items she dropped. On June 30th, Lucas fell and was unable to rise even with help. My neighbor helped me get him to the car and because I had promised him I would always take care of him, he died in my arms and amid my tears that day. While it is impossible to tell if the acupuncture prolonged his ability to work, he did remain fairly stable for the first 2 years instead of showing the more typical steady decline of dogs with DSM. This disease is always progressive, removing the myelin sheath, which insulates the nerves and keeps them firing. Once enough of the sheath is gone, the nerves can no longer function. Sandi believes the acupuncture acted like physical therapy for the nerves’ electrical function, keeping their efficiency up even as their insulation disappeared. However, once enough of the sheath was gone, even the acupuncture was no longer effective. I also believe that acupuncture helped him stay active longer. He continued to walk 3 years and 3 months after diagnosis and continued to retrieve the newspaper from the driveway and close the dishwasher for me the day before his collapse. He was a working dog up to the end, just like he wanted.