Why was this website created?
On the 3rd of May I lost my little dog, who for nearly two and a half years battled the incurable disease called degenerative myelopathy.
When we received the presumed diagnosis at the end of January 2025, I felt as if the world around me had come to a stop. Our journey was accompanied by countless questions, fears, uncertainty and pain. We had to learn to live with a disease that confronted us with more and more challenges day by day. Every small change, every lost ability was another heartbreaking milestone.
This website was created in her memory.
I created it to share our story, our experiences, our struggles and all the love that accompanied our journey together. At the same time, I would like this place to offer support to those owners as well who are now facing this diagnosis, or who are walking the very same path that we walked.
If you are reading these lines now, you too are worried about your dog. You are looking for answers, or you simply want to know that someone understands what you are going through.
The disease is a long, emotionally demanding journey that can bring with it many questions, uncertainties and difficult decisions. When Opi was given the diagnosis in January 2025 that suggested degenerative myelopathy, I had to face the fact that we were dealing with a disease that, according to our current knowledge, is incurable and progressively worsening. The period that followed was full of challenges, yet it also taught me what an extraordinary power there is in perseverance, in caregiving, and in unconditional love.
Although degenerative myelopathy is an incurable disease, the time spent together, the care, the love and the dignity we can give our companions are invaluable. I hope that our story will give you strength, comfort and support on the days when you need it most.
The website has a twofold aim. On the one hand, it presents degenerative myelopathy in a reliable and easy-to-understand form – its symptoms, its course and the practical questions that arise in everyday life (124 affected breeds, the Corgi specifics). On the other hand, it seeks to be a supportive space (Our story, help and support for dogs and owners), where affected owners can experience that they are not alone in their feelings, fears and struggles (anticipatory grief). The documents on this site and my own experience do not replace professional veterinary opinion, but they can help owners face the challenges the disease brings with more preparation, greater confidence and more hope.
I hope that this page will serve not only as a source of information, but will also provide strength, understanding and support to everyone who is walking this difficult path with their companion.
This website pays tribute to the memory of a little dog who remained brave until the very end of her life, who with her loyalty and love of life left a lasting mark on the world around her.
In loving memoriam Opi 🐾