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This page is dedicated to all Lab lovers! Brought to you by.....

Dakota Belle Renoux

Hi everyone! My name is "Dokey" and I am here to tell my story so that other "moms" and "dads" won't have to go through what mine did. They were very confused and very sad that I was not as quick or strong as my sis Shelby. So here goes........

Note: November 12, 2008. Little Dakota lost her battle with life affected by this disease today. She had a wonderful long life but in the end the disease was her downfall. She got very sick a week ago with something affecting her stomach. We never determined the cause but she started vomiting and for two days refused to eat and hydrated far less than she needed to. After 2 days in the hospital with IV's and heart monitoring she returned home. She continued to struggle with getting up and standing as she was so weak. She had also dropped significant weight during this time. She had a good meal on Tuesday night, was able to get up, go outside and come back in on her own but that ended up being her final peak. That night she began to throw up again and had no incentive to eat. We were forced to make that tough decision in all fairness to her struggle, definitely NOT the best for us but that is what pet owners take on when they love these family members. She has crossed the Rainbow Bridge and now is running and playing with no Myopathy, with her sister Daisy who left us 18mo ago from bladder cancer. Do not hesitate to love and care for these awesome dogs with Hereditary Myopathy!

Now on to her story:

One NEW NOTE, sorry my mommy never gets a new picture of me! I am now nearly 6 yrs old-I guess I don't sit still very well. I promise she will do this, maybe this summer! Mommy?

I came to my new home when I was 7 weeks old. It was very different than where I was living. I stayed inside all the time at my new home and that was really nice. I could rest more and stay cleaner. Soon after I arrived my mom and dad began taking me and my new sister for long, long walks. It was real hard for me because I could not go very far at all. I had to sit and rest alot. They both figured I was just scared and it would take a while to get used to my new surroundings. I met a new doctor who gave me more shots, they said to keep me healthy for a long time. Oh, did they hurt, but just a little. I was a big girl! We kept going on these long walks and when I got tired and had to rest, mom or dad would pick me up and carry me for a while. That was nice. I would be able to go for a short ways but I would always tucker out and up I would go again. This went of for a very long time. I would visit the doctor a lot for stuff I didn't understand. Mom and dad kept looking sad when I couldn't keep up and did not eat much. But I tried, I really did! Then when I was about 4 months old, they suddenly became very happy. I stopped going on long walks with Shelby and I was sad about that, but I really was too tired to go very far so I would sit in the soft grass and wait for them to come home. Then Shelby and I would play by the water after she went swimming. More from my Mom!

The main reason for my doing this website is to have information available for those searching, as we did, for answers to all the symptoms that Dakota presented, that we knew in our heart, were just not normal. She was our fourth Lab and we knew that she was just not behaving normally. We desperately needed to determine WHAT was the matter, how to treat it if possible, and if not, how to make her as comfortable as possible. Our vet kept doing more tests, blood work up, bone scans, diet evaluations. We tried it all. We even left her there for a day so they could observe her as symptoms presented. It was when she was 4 months old that that finally hit upon a diagnosis. It was found when all four vets were trying to find information on the internet to formulate her problem. As soon as I read the symptoms of HMLR I knew exactly that this was Dakota's affliction.
She is now almost 6 yrs. old. We are giving her Joint Care Plus now and it has helped her more at this age than anything. It contains Glucosamine Hydrochloride 500mg, Condroitin Sulfate 400mg, as the two main ingredients. Those are also the main ingredients that we humans use for arthritis so it stands to reason that these work for her. I am currently able to obtain this through Drs. Foster & Smith. We continue to monitor her symptoms as she tires and her very protective mom keeps a watchful eye when Shelby's 7 yr old energy and strength levels far exceed Dakota's. Dakota does not navigate hardwood steps at all. Early on she slipped twice and tumbled a few stairs and now has a healthy fear and respect that her feet and legs do not have the muscle development to work on smooth surfaces. She is also undersized due to her myopathy so we can still manage to carry her upstairs (often several times a day!) so she is included in all family activities. At 36 months she weighed in at 53 pounds, small for her breed but it has held for a full year. We are very grateful that her appetite is good albeit-picky! Only a true animal lover can appreciate the "special needs" of a lab so limited and the joy of every improvement she shows. She has terrific hearing and continues to guard us with the force of a dog twice her size. She has the lab stubbornness and goes and goes and goes until she is crawling to play with others. She is nick named "bed kitten" because she likes to sleep so close and remains small for her age. One of the results of this disorder is since it affects the muscles, it reduces overall body size by approximately 50%. A dog has that much muscle. I specifically want to include the information I found by another's web site as to the specifics of this disorder. Credit is given to Wing-N-Wave for that is where I found the most detailed description. I will also provide a link to what the vet found for us. If your lab exhibits the symptoms as described, please seek professional care immediately. This does not change the fact that they are the best no matter what!

November 13, 2008: I will be added some information on Dakota's recent medicines. She was taking Thyrosyn .4mg for her thyroid. This would continue to change when bloodwork was done so the dosage would change periodically. She had been on Science Diet HD dry food for many years due to her heart as she had an irregular heartbeat for quite some time which required Propranonol 10mg to regulate. At her last annual checkup this fall, the heartbeat was even more irregular so we made the decision to add a custom Rx blend called Mexiletine Capsules, 100mg. One thing to note, this last medicine was recently added. She was 1 week into her second months dosage when she got sick. One of the side effects is vomiting. We had decided to keep her off of this if she regained her strength when she got sick and then make a decision on whether WE wanted her back on it. Our vet strongly disagreed but we never had to make that decision. Please understand, these experiences are our own, any pet owner with a Lab with Hereditary Myopathy may have completely different health issues but we felt it was important to tell Dakota's full story. She lived a wonderful, full life with her disability to the ripe age of 11 years. Her hearing and eyes were still perfect. Please email us if you need to.

I have not seen in any writings of this disorder. Dakota has never had a normal appetite. There have been days where she would not have ANY appetite. We have had to be creative while NOT feeding her table scraps. Our vet has helped a great deal to what she should and should not have. No one can confirm that this is related, but we feel, in her case, it is. We continue to modify her diet to where she eats at least nutritious Science Diet but never in much quantity for a dog her age. We have finally noticed as she neared 2 yrs of age that she was better at consuming a full can of food in her a.m. feeding. It has definitely shown in her moderate weight gain. However, due to her early months we still suggest you consult your vet should your pup exhibit similar eating problems.

Finally! I am adding a current photo of our girls! Actually its from Christmas 1999 as can be seen by my Charles Dickens floor figure!

From left to right:
Daisy, our baby chocolate lab
Center Stage is Shelby, aka "The Queen"
Little Dakota, affectionately known as "Doky" is on the far right, plump enough at 53 pounds!

July 2001: Just wanted to add a note to those of you who have taken the time to contact us and share your stories of you myopic labs. Both my husband and I love hearing from you and knowing that you love your lab(s) as much as we do ours! It warms out hearts and I realize this site is working as I intended, to get the word out there on this disease. Our labs will survive but breeders need to know of this recessive gene to hopefully keep from breeding 2 carriers and adding to the HMLR population. This wonderful circle, connected by our Labs, is unique in itself and we wish you all hugs and licks! We love seeing pictures so please feel free to attach those as well. Take care and love your labs!