# Gme



## Gracie (Aug 5, 2006)

My maltese, almost 6 years, was diagnosed with GME. She was diagnosed about 16 months ago but has had the disease for closer to 2.5 years as she was initally misdiagnosed with another disorder. The veterinary neurologist has treated many dogs and has assured me that there is a good prognosis for her as if this disease is fatal, it happens quickly. Many things i read, however, contradict this statement. I was wondering if there is anyone with a dog, diagnosed with GME who has had a good outcome where the dog has lived a long time from the date of diagnosis. any info that can be provided is appreciated.


----------



## Ittybittypitty (Aug 7, 2006)

I am so sorry to hear about your Maltese.
My Yorkie, Abby, was diagnosed with GME one year ago this week and it was the hardest time we have ever endured with regard to her health! Abby was just one pound when we brought her home and got a clean bill of health and her first shots just two days later. She immediately began having problems with hypoglycemia. Then we spent months in/out of specialists' offices and $2500 making sure that she didn't have hydrocephalus or a liver shunt. This required driving to SanAntonio for the day for tests and then waiting for her to pee out all the radioactive dye...etc. By the time she was a year old she finally weighed three whole pounds and she seemed to stabilize. She turned two in April 2005 and we thought the rough times were over. 
Then August 5th, 2005, she got up in the morning and I noticed her limping on her left foreleg. Thinking that she sprained it jumping down from the bed, I ran her to her vet nearby. He also thought she had injured it and sent us home to watch and rest her leg. Later that afternoon I put her on the floor to drink some water and noticed that her rear leg wasn't holding her up and her back was swaying. I am a nurse and became panicked since this looked really neurological in nature to me. We spoke to our vet on the phone and he referred us to a specialty hopspital that started her on steroids pending further tests. The worst part was the myelogram and spinal tap.
We had to leave her overnight knowing that she could die from a reaction to the dye, or just the stress of being separated from us overnight-she can usually only be left about 4.5 hours before being too stressed by separation and that is what would often cause the low blood sugar episodes. I was worried sick-literally. The results were shocking. Her white blood cells were running rampant both in numbers and in behavior and were attacking her spinal cord. This was either GME or non-infectious meningitis, but the vets were unable to say for sure. The course of treatment was steriods and chemo-Lomustine for nine months. She was lucky; her myelogram only showed one spot near her shoulders in her spinal cord, and maybe a small spot further down near her hips...but that one was vague. Her brain and eyes were clear thankfully, so we didn't have to worry about blindness or seizures-yet, unless it comes back; and if it is GME, all the doctors say it will come back. We are hoping that it was meningitis! She made a remarkable recovery and was back up and walking in ten days, except for the left foreleg, it is still somewhat lame, and they told us from the beginning that she might not ever use it again-nerve damage in that area of the spinal cord.
But we don't care and she doesn't seem to know anything is wrong. At this point she uses the leg like a cane, holds it up and toward the back when she runs, and she can run and play like any happy little dog. The only things she can't do are swim, go down stairs or jump up onto things, but in every other way she is back to normal. Oh, that is her full name...Abbynormal!
She has had no return of symptoms, although all the vets (including at Texas A&M University) say that GME will always return at some point to take your dog...we remain (stubbornly?) optimistic that she will be okay especially since we have made it to the one year mark. 
It is encouraging to hear that your Maltese has made it well past that time...have you seen any return of symptoms? Did they give you a possible differential diagnosis of meningitis? Or are they certain it was GME?
The only other dog my specialist has treated for GME was, ironically, a Maltese too. I wish your little friend a full recovery and a long happy life.


----------



## Gracie (Aug 5, 2006)

*thank you*

thank you for your reply. it is very nice to hear that she is doing well and i can relate to how hard it is to deal with this emotionally (and the bills!) we have not taken gracie off her meds, however, we have tapered and continue will continue to do so according to the dr and the doctor is sure its GME. i had posted a reply on another forum and got a response from someone whose vet insists GME is always fatal and it seems that the vet you and i use agree that this is not always the case, which is nice to hear. 
Gracie did have a seizure and according to the vet, this was probably not her first one. in any case, she is not on meds b/c they are localized and not frequent enough for medication. this may not always be the case. her seizure was simply rigidity in 3 of her paws, one after the other. no falling, urination, etc. which was a good thing. 
gracie, unforunately, is not a healthy dog. she has meibomitis, another autoimmune disorder. she is definitely puppy mill, but has a wonderful disposition and access to great care. my understadning is that Texas has wonderfuls vets, specifically in neuro, we actually considered taking her there!


----------



## Ittybittypitty (Aug 7, 2006)

Hi again-yes, we have been fortunate to have a wonderful specialist in internal medicine, Dr. Locke at Central Texas Veterinary Specialty Hospital in Austin. The whole staff there was wonderful and we could not have survived this emotionally if we had not been able to trust them to take great care with Abby. She has always been delicate and I believe she may have been a mill puppy even though I thought I was buying from an individual-now I suspect I was lied to. I never received her papers either; and because of her tiny size I wonder if she was the result of an accidental inbreeding. 
My vets, sorry to say, do believe GME is fatal, but then so is life-we never know how long we have. I think, moreover, the idea is managing it like a chronic disease. By keeping the manifestations at bay with meds, you prolong the quality years until the meds become less effective and eventually the symptoms overtake the meds and things go downhill. I am sure that alot of the prognosis lies in the severity of the case. Your Gracie surely must have a milder case, leading one to assume that she may do well for a very long time. The goal is to enjoy whatever time we have-and we do; with our little girl we appreciate every day with her. The longest survival of a dog with verified GME that I have found documentation of is four years...but we plan to beat that record! I hope your little one does too. We still aren't sure if Abby may have had meningitis...since it was not in her eyes or brain and she recovered more quickly than expected...and has had no relapse-which is common. She was on steroids X 9 mos and chemo X 8 mos and then weaned. She has had no meds since January. Of course, we are ever watchful, in fear of any little neurological symptom...but we don't let it take away from enjoying this happy, sweet girl who gets no less than a thousand kisses every day. I even work nights to be with her while my husband works days so he can be with her at night. We would do anything for her. And, someday, whether its five or fifteen years, we will have to part with her; but we will KNOW she had a good life and was beloved. 
I wish you the best outcome possible!


----------



## ashmack (Aug 21, 2008)

For a lot of information about GME you can go to:

http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/NewGMEDogs/

I just found out about this group today. =)


----------

