Hang in there tough lady! Boy it sounds like your doc is right there with you - wonderful!! My mom went to a doc that told her she had 10% chance of being alive in 5 years. Guess what - mom is still here, her scans have been clear after surgery and the doctor is no longer at that hospital! Her cancer doc said she should be fine, but they keep an eye on her. Welcome to the tough old broad club! Big hugs, Kathy

Hello. I am currently living with two "old boys", both Rhodesian Ridgebacks, (aged 13 yrs , 5mth and 12 years, 8mths). They both have mobility issues. Two years ago he older boy, Khan had a straight forward operation to relieve a pinched nerve 9 (in the neck area). Unfortunately the neurological surgeon operated on the wrong vertebrae which resulted in Khan being left tetraplegic. The clinic then sent him home (for me to take care of) and did not do a MRI, which revealed the mistake for 3 weeks. We were then informed that the condition was now irreversible (2% chance of recovery) even with the operation being done again, correctly and that they would put Khan down, for free. We raced off to another specialist and were told the same thing, but this clinic understood that we wanted to give Khan every chance and they supported our decision to do the operation, followed by months of physiotherapy. They had a superb physio team and Khan stayed with them 2 nights a week. I worked from home and lived in the kitchen for the next 4 months doing Khan's massage, physio and providing 24 hour care. Now I know I might sound crazy, but Khan was in excellent spirts, engaged, eating and there was nothing wrong with him physically, except his inability to sit, stand and walk. The surgeon told me that he was getting gold star care, and assured me that I was not being selfish in keeping Khan alive. After 5 months of Khan not showing any inclination to start walking, I had decided that we would just continue with Khan as he was, until he was ready to go. Then out of the blue, one day he started to walk, with 4 nurses supporting him in a double harness. But his legs were moving and he was not knuckling (when their foot is curled over so top is touching the ground). He improved steadily over the next 2 months, during which time I figured out how to support a 40 kilo dog on my own, and somehow "walk him" up and down my road. Khan amazed everyone one of his medical team. After he started walking they all felt that they could tell me that according to all of the statistics, given the time he was injured and then the amount of time he did not walk, there was absolutely no chance that Khan would ever walk again. They were all amazed. Khan's case has been presented (by the surgeon) at a European medical conference. It just goes to show that nature does not know about statistics and percentages. Now, Khan is an exceptional dog. He has a huge heart and is unflappable. His spirit was never crushed by his conditional and struggle to walk again. Two years on he is still walking, getting up and down off the sofa and enjoying his life. He requires a double harness and some support (for his back legs) to get up and down steps, and if he is very tired, but he is soldering on. My other boy, Kaiser was diagnosed with polyneuropathy 5 months ago. He had developed a strange walk with one back foot doing a twisting move, was very fatigued, and his back legs had given out completely on two occasion. The condition was already effecting his back legs and his larynx (which would not close properly). He also has a protruding disc (the tail end of his spine). Apparently this was also the reason that he had pneumonia twice in the previous 15 months. We were told that there was no treatment, only pain relief and appetite stimulants. His condition remained relatively stable, with a stiff, shaky and a hoarse bark until the end of January. He still enjoyed his walks (in a double harness) and was determined to walk for miles, even if his legs had given out. He was happy for me to support his back half while he walked. I was not so happy, as carrying 45 kilo's with one arm, while bent over and walking is not easy. But we make do. In the past 3 weeks he has gradually had more trouble standing up, is shakier when walking, and has less appetite. When he lies down, he is on his chest with his back legs stretched straight out, up around his ears. When he tries to stand he does not pull his legs back under and so tries to stand with "splayed legs" Think sliding on the Bambi on the ice in the Disney movie and you will get the picture. He now requires assistance standing, almost every time. He gets into a sitting position and I lift up his back half. He is quite happy with this system and barks (a pitiful wheezy bark) when he wants to get up. In the last couple of days his right back leg has collapsed while he is going to toilet and he ends up stuck on the ground. Obviously he (and I) finds this distressing. We now accompany him on all trips into the garden. Kaiser has a completely different personality (than Khan). He is unperturbed by his legs collapsing when he is on a walk, and continues to sniff bushes and look around. But he does seem to be down at times when he is on his bed. He has always loved sleeping more than any other activity, so I honestly can't say that he is sleeping more. I am taking it day to day now. One day he refusing to eat anything (they have always been on the raw diet) and lies in his bed so long I am convinced he is miserable and that I am selfish to keep him going. The next day he gets up to greet me, tries to run to his bowl and gobbles down 3 meals at once and insists on a walk. I know we are getting to the end, but I honestly don't have a clue if it will be weeks or months. I know that I am very fortunate with my work to be able to provide the level of care that my two boys require. I could not have done this without the RVC, a supportive medical team, a help em up harness, a car ramp, a tuffies bed (the best futon and water proof covered dog bed available), and a supportive local vet. The advise that I would give to anyone with a dog that is diagnosed with a condition (or something remains undiagnosed) is to do your own research, ask lots of questions, and trust that you know your dog better than anyone.

mboston, For me, it took years to get a positive blood marker. ravencajun, ALS is a common misdiagnosis. I had several doctors tell me I had MS, also a common mistake. In med school their training consists of a single paragraph noting the dry mouth/eyes. Nothing about vital organs, neuropathy, central nervous system, etc. If you're ever looking for more info, I can highly recommend the Foundation's tapes of their annual meeting guest speakers. If your a Foundation member there is a large discount. Even if you're not the tapes are an excellent investment. /tricia

What about my above platform idea? I don't want a lift. Also I don't even know yet exactly where the opening would have to be to correspond to my "set-in-stone" access point. Suffice for now, that it's a probability. Much obliged for the insider stories re: walk-in tubs! To Dedtired, it does not have to be a walk-in as long as I can comfortably enter & exit. Re: shower stall that's an idea, however, my damaged body needs constant stretching-in-bath "maintenance", as shown at 1:42 on video in my OP. ...Believe me, I don't need the luxury of fancy jets & bubbles. Rather just a bath like they did back in the old days. Look, i'm not saying the jets don't increase the therapy, of course they do. I've been in sauna's so realize that. But every added thing is expensive. To ravencajun, of course I'd love to stretch out in a 5' tub. Unfortunately that will not be an option. I require space-efficiency, and so need to cut down to 46". To NYCish - i explained that I can sit on a 13" high stool at edge of a 46" shower with my spine against the wall, and have room for leg stretch with room to spare. So that should have explained alot to anyone in the field. Note it's 46" internally, from front wall to rear wall. The problem is, that these tub companies fail to state the height of the built-in seats, and the length in inches from rear of seat, till the opposite side. If there's a suitable walk-in tub, who needs to ever open the tub door if a platform is built as stated in above post? P.S. Please see below attachment - seems its on pinterest.