Dax Snax

Leonard

It was a total surprise to get home from work and find Leonard dragging himself over to greet me at the back door. I’d had a long day and I couldn’t believe that something else could go wrong.  Although I knew about IVDD, I didn’t know enough to recognise it straight away, especially as our dogs had always passed their vet checks, including a feel of their spines.  But I knew that something was seriously wrong so I called the After Hours Vets and took him in.  After examining Leonard, the vet came out and said ‘’Have you got pet insurance?”  She explained that she thought Leonard had a damaged spine and that he needs to be seen by a specialist – SASH in Sydney – as soon as possible.

So off we went, with our other dog Penny tagging along, to arrive at SASH around midnight.  They checked Leonard and found that he had only the barest deep pain sensation.  Such tough little dogs that don’t let on that they feel pain, his response was a little flicker of the eyes.  Leonard had surgery first thing the next morning.  I couldn’t stay as I had to come home to take my husband home from hospital.  My husband was so happy to see me there to collect him, so I agonised over how I was going to tell him that one of his best friends was having surgery.  The long wait during his surgery finally ended and Leonard was awake and winning over the hearts of all the nurses.

Over the next week or so, we checked in for updates and visited Leonard every few days.  He seemed so fragile, but he was getting well looked after and lots of monitoring, treatments and massages.  We watched eagerly for any tiny movement – the twitch of a muscle, a slight movement of the tail.  The surgeon thought that he would probably walk again, but it was going to be a slow recovery.

Eventually, Leonard could come home and continue to recover.  The biggest challenge was getting his bladder empty.  I tried everything I had been shown but it still took about a week to find the right spot to squeeze!  Luckily, the local vet 2 minutes away would help out each day.

Those first few weeks he was confined to a small area and was NOT impressed but it was important to let his back heal.  The pen had to be padlocked as he worked out how to open it.  But the one thing he did love was the cuddle time he got when he did his stretches and massages.

Rocky

Our lives were forever changed on the Saturday of Easter weekend. 26/3/2016.

I was already a member of the IVDD group, not out of necessity, but because I knew Chrissy and had friends who’d had their precious ones go down to this and just wanted to support the group in any way.  We’d also had a Dachshund go down with IVDD over 20 years ago and I didn’t know there were options then. I had also had spinal surgery just this past January, and had been a Paramedic for 30 years, so I had a good knowledge of spinal conditions and what to expect. I felt for these fur babies.

Then the (almost) unthinkable happened to us.  Rocky had been fine.  No previous injury or any indication of any prior events.  We were careful about ramps up onto the lounges and onto the bed. No jumping allowed! We thought we had it covered.  But there was a blue face heron that used to annoy our dogs (3 Dachshunds) by pecking at the window.  Rocky had seen him this evening, and went racing out the door to let him know he wasn’t welcome!  He scooted on the loose mat in front of the door and slid sideways but bolted out the door like lightning. There was much excitement and barking and a squeal.  At first I thought he was just over-reacting to the heron, then came those words from Bruce, my husband “Rocky’s hurt!  he can’t move his legs”;  immediately my heart sank.

And just as immediately I knew what needed to be done. Immobilise and keep calm. (him or me?!)  A quick check over soon showed me he certainly had extreme pain and deficit of lower limbs and tail.  A call to Rosalia James.  “Rocky’s just gone down with IVDD” and she straight away put the processes in place to get him to the optimum care place for best outcome.  We live at the Sunshine Coast and nothing was open that weekend! So Rocky was placed in a washing basket with pillows under and around to keep him aligned and cushion the road trip bumps and off we set for Gatton UQ. Fortunately, we had a friend staying.  She doggy sat out other 2 for us. Coco, Rocky’s best mate, was beside herself.  She wasn’t going to let us take him away.  She made such a fuss.

We arrived at Gatton 2.5 hours later, driving through storms!  (What’s that about it don’t rain but it pours?!)  The team were already expecting us, and after a quick consult, it was decided that emergency surgery was indeed required.  We left him in their capable hands.  Dr Jayne McGhie rang us at 0430 to say they’d finished the surgery.  It had been an explosive disc at T13/L1 (yeah… that’s when I found out they’ve got a few extra vertebrae in there, than we humans have!)  The spinal cord was quite purple and there was no response to nerve stimulation. He had deep pain sensation prior to surgery.

Then a word I’d never heard of came into my vocabulary. ‘MYELOMALACIA.‘  It’s a haemorrhage into the spinal cord and causes a softening of the cord resulting in permanent paralysis. The risk is, it can spread up &/or down the cord and the nerve supply at each level is affected as it progresses.  Rocky was high risk for this because of the sudden catastrophic event that led to haemorrhage and disc material out of place in the spinal canal. His wasn’t a slow degenerative condition, which generally recovers better, as the nerves have had time to move and compensatory efforts from the dog, have protected the area.  The further away from surgery date we got, the less the risk became until after a couple of weeks, we were finally given the all clear. It was a worrying time.  Rocky had to stay down at Gatton for nearly 4 weeks having intensive therapy and teaching them that if you come close enough, with your mouth open, I can get my tongue down your throat!

We felt sad and guilty and mixed with “we know he’s in the right place for now, but what if he thinks we’ve abandoned him?” and every emotion in between!  If you’re reading this and have just started on your IVDD journey, then do yourself a favour.  Allow yourself to feel EVERYTHING!  Yes!  It’s YOUR IVDD journey too.  It’s ok to be strong one moment and a melting moment the next!

I’m not going to give a blow by blow account.  It’d take too long. But I do need to say, the staff at Gatton UQ were nothing short of amazing. Everyone, from the admin to the students to the physios and surgical team a huge THANKYOU. They gave regular (daily or twice daily) updates and accepted calls for every little query at any time. And trust me, being Nurse and Paramedic and spinal patient, I wanted to know everything. I asked for surgical reports and scans etc etc and they were most obliging.

Snickers the Sausage

On the 21st of March 2016 my partner and I took our bambino Snickers out for a walk with his big sister, Sally the labradoodle, after a long day spent moving house. The walk went as per usual, he sniffed, barked, tried to chase a few people and we carried on home. As soon as we got home Snickers (AKA Snicky) went into his sleeping bag and burrowed deep (as most sausages do) while my partner and I spent about 2 or so hours watching TV. When it was time to do the bed routine, such as a drink then toilet before nodding off for the night, I noticed something different in Snicky. I saw he was struggling to walk using his back legs, and he was looking rather ‘drunk’! My heart started to race, as I knew the nightmare all dachshund owners have was coming true – my boy was suffering from IVDD!

Without waiting even a second I was on the phone to the Canberra Emergency Vet, where I was advised to bring Snicky straight in, given the risks associated with his breed. After speeding from one side of Canberra to the other, we were able to get Snicky in to see an after-hours vet just after midnight, on the night of this IVDD episode. The vet confirmed our nightmare was real, and advised Snickers was a stage three.  However further examinations during business hours, would no doubt increase Snicky’s rating – where he was later categorised as a 4 to 5! I was completely devastated! The little naughty monster, I had since he was a pup, would need major surgery! My partner was trying to calm me down as I was falling apart. Not only was Snickers going to be in a strange vet hospital overnight, doped up on drugs away from his family, I knew based on all the stories I had heard, that a long and painful road to recovery was ahead of him.

The next morning I was phoned by the emergency vet, where I agreed to proceed with surgery. In less than 24 hours since the initial episode, surgery was completed. Later in the same afternoon, the vet gave the all clear for a visit and suggested that we bring one of Snicky’s toys, so he had something from home to keep him comfortable. After we had rushed back to the other side of Canberra for a visit, the vets brought Snicky out, where he was more than just a little pleased to see his pawrents – he was over the moon and full of kisses! However, after taking one look at Snicky, I knew the dog I had had for the last 5 and a half years was going to be a different dog….

After getting over the initial shock of the huge bandage on Snicky’s back, and seeing him fail to move his back legs even slightly, we caught up properly with him and gave him his favourite toy – his girlfriend ‘Rat’ (featured below).

After one more night at the vet Snicky was given the all clear to come home – where I had arranged to take the day off from work to organise his crate, favourite treats and clean bedding and blankets. I thought the surgery was the tough part, however nothing braced Snicky and I for what the yet to come – the crate rest!

Initially Snicky took to his crate well, as he was really tired and still recovering from the meds the vet gave him. As the first weekend passed since his operation, all appeared to be going smoothly – until we had to head back to work. To keep an eye on Snicky whilst we were at work, I downloaded an app to watch him at home in his crate via my iPad and iPhone (Dog Monitor – brilliant app!). As soon as I touched down at my desk, I looked at the dog monitor to check on my baby. I was soon completely heartbroken – Snicky was in his crate howling and tearing everything in it apart!

I was immediately on the road again heading home, and as soon as I walked back in the house, Snicky was shivering, crying and still trying to bust through those bars! I immediately took him out of the crate, where he hugged up to me as best he could and wouldn’t let go. It was from that very moment we knew the next few weeks ahead were going to be purely about Snicky’s recovery, and both my partner and I needed to take a step back from our daily routine and focus solely on getting him better. We didn’t even need to think about the next few decisions, given that we owed it to Snickers to be there for him and make the months ahead as painless as possible. We arranged with our work places to work half days, and ‘tag team’ between morning and afternoon shifts, to ensure someone was home with Snicky at all times. This work arrangement continued for the next 5 or so weeks.

Maddie

Growing up with dachshunds as a young girl, they always had a special place in my heart and Madeline was my first very own sausage! I remember driving hours one weekend to pick her up. We had the pick of the litter; 8 little tan short haired dachshunds greeted us at the door, Maddie come running up and did a little piddle on my foot, I said to dad, I want her!!!! The most spoilt little girl of the house hold and that started off my obsession with dachshunds, now owning 5!!!!

Early one morning I was out walking the snags before work, a morning ritual. Maddie chased after a pine cone I had thrown for her, when suddenly she made a yelp. I ran over to see what was wrong as she was limping on her right back leg, I thought maybe she had stepped on something. Checked her from head to toe, couldn’t see anything and she wasn’t yelping from any pain. She just trotted off, like normal, back home.

I headed off to work and returned home later on that afternoon, everyone greeted me at the front door, but Maddie. She is always the first to greet me, so I knew straight away something was wrong! As I walked inside I noticed her dragging her right leg.  Straight away I knew the signs where not great, and she needed to see a vet as soon as possible.  I contacted my local vet, explained the situation and he said take her straight to emergency in Werribee.

Of course, being a Friday night at 5pm, I had a feeling they would be busy, and thought it may be difficult for me to see a vet straight away, so my local vet phoned them while I was on my way to Werribee.

Thankfully we were able to go straight though when we arrived and be seen by two wonderful vets, who each dealt with dachshunds going down with IVDD on a daily basis.

I was so emotional, expecting the worse outcome, as I knew many stories about dachshunds going down with IVDD. Thankfully my dad was there with me, and I also had the whole dachshund community with me every step of the way!

Maddie underwent examinations and tests, resulting in a diagnoses of level 3, of which the vets said, she was closer to a level 4.  They explained everything with much detail, and also gave us a couple of options; one being for Maddie to have an MRI the next morning, and she was to stay at the vets during the night.

Due to her deteriorating to level 4, we opted for her to have the MRI, and if surgery was needed, we would give the go ahead!

My snags are my babies, so I would give up my life to save their lives!

After a terrible sleepless night, we received that dreaded call the next morning, when we were informed that Maddie was now at a level 4. She was currently undergoing the MRI and if we could give consent about the go ahead of surgery if needed. Of course, whatever was required, we gave the consent. After 6 long hours we received the call informing us Maddie was in recovery; the operation took longer than expected, but all went well. She had damaged her T1 and T2, and a disc was applying pressure on her right hip, which resulted in her being paralysed on her right side. They were very glad they had operated, as her spine wasn’t a healthy colour and she was deteriorating quickly.

Frank

My name is Lynne and I wanted to share my IVDD story with you all, in the hope that it can give you some hope and inspiration on your path through the tough journey.  My boy’s name is Frank and he is a smooth haired miniature and he was 4 and 1/2 when he went down.

It was Saturday 19th March 2016 that I first noticed he wasn’t himself. He seemed very swollen in the mid region and couldn’t get up onto anything.  He didn’t seem like he was in pain, and I thought he may be constipated. I took him straight to the vet, where they checked him over and found nothing.  Monday morning he wasn’t himself at all, so I took him back again to the vet, where they said they will keep him in for the day and do x-rays and blood tests. I went back that afternoon to get results; they found nothing at all. I put him on the floor to walk out and that’s where it was the first sign of the “drunk walk”.  My heart just broke and I asked the vet why he is walking like this.  She panicked and said he was not like that all day. She referred me straight away to either South Paws or Werribee Hospital.  When I got home I called Southpaws straight away, but they couldn’t see me till the Wed, so I panicked and took him to Werribee as I wanted an answer straight away.

I had absolutely no idea what I was dealing with and felt lost.  He spent the next 2 nights there, where they did an MRI and he was diagnosed with IVDD. I was given the option of conservative treatment or surgery, and was so upset and confused I had no idea what to do, as I couldn’t think straight.   That’s when I decided to put a post onto the I Love Dachshund Melbourne Facebook site. The response was unbelievable and it’s then for the first time, that I didn’t feel alone through all of this. It’s there I was also introduced to the DISA Facebook site. It was still a very hard decision to make, but through the encouragement of people who have been through it, I opted for the surgery.

Living in East Bentleigh, and travelling back and forth to Werribee was very stressful in itself, so under a very high recommendation, I took Frank to Southpaws where they operated on him on the Wednesday and I picked him up the next day.In that time I was speaking with Helga from DISA quite a lot, and she was so wonderful in guiding me as to what needed to be done. So that night I met Helga in person, where I collected an IVDD kit from her that has everything you could possibly need, when your head doesn’t think clearly enough to take action. When I picked him up, I had the very good news that he was standing and going to the toilet on his own, and the surgery was successful. What a relief!! And I was also prepared at home in everything that I needed for his 12 week crate rest.

Daisy

Daisy is a five year old black n tan standard and her journey with IVDD began one morning at the end of February, waking up to her completely paralysed from the waist down. It just happened overnight, with no warning signs at all.  She was rushed to the local vets, to be then referred to a specialist vet. I was told that she was presenting with stage 3 to 4 and was operated on straight away.

Her operation was deemed to have gone well and she was required to stay in hospital for a week.  Once she was home, she was on strict crate rest and only allowed to have toilet breaks outside her crate.  After two weeks she started to show signs of movement in back legs, and still had deep pain sensation.  After 4 weeks, she was starting to lift herself up and taking steps.  Then out of the blue she started shaking and seemed to be in a lot of pain while in her crate, so she was rushed back to the specialist and I was told that the disc they had operated on had fractured and a splinter had gone into the spinal chord.  They did another emergency operation, which now left her in a very bad way.  She was now considered to be stage 5, with no deep pain sensation, no toilet function and paralysed.

Wendell

Wendell is a 6 year old red mini short haired dachshund who came to our home at age 18 months. When he arrived he was extremely overweight, with rub marks under his forelegs as he hadn’t been exercised or socialised well. He had anxiety and aggression issues, but has settled in well with our first dog Norbert who he adores.

We worried about Wendell’s back from the beginning because of his weight, but we got him gradually fitter and healthier and he always seemed to be doing ok.

This all changed in May 2016 when he began giving a little cry when we picked him up or when he went over a door threshold, or he would refuse to walk. One day he stood and shook and cried if we touched him, and knowing this was a bad sign we rushed him to the vet.

He had painkillers, and the vet assessed him as Grade 1, so we rested him for eight weeks, gave him anti-inflammatories and tramadol and waited to see if he improved. Because of the low grade injury we felt we had time to see how he would go, and it gave us the opportunity to talk about what would be best for our dog.

As a highly anxious and reactive dog, we decided that surgery was not a good option. He shakes and pants with the stress of a regular visit to the vets, has tried to bite vets in the past, and we felt that leaving him there for surgery and recovery would be extremely stressful for him.

He recuperated well, and over two months we gradually increased his walking, built him a ramp for the doggy door, and returned to normal life. 

Poppy

Our encounter with IVDD started with a Yelp! It was the Friday evening of Mother’s Day weekend 2015. I picked Poppy up to put her in the car and she yelped. Oh no. Saturday morning we were at the vet who confirmed it was her back and gave her pain killers and advised keeping her quiet.  But, through the day, she didn’t seem to be getting better, in fact, she got worse and worse. At bedtime I thought “We’ll be back at the vet in the morning”, but hoped she would benefit from some sleep. By 2 am Sunday morning (Mother’s Day) Poppy’s back legs had lost function and she was in clear pain. I knew I had to move fast. I rang the after-hours number for the vet and met him at 3am for a very serious discussion.

Having attended a lecture on IVDD by Dr. Charles Kuntz of Southpaws in February of 2015, I already had an idea of what IVDD was and what could be done to remedy the damage. Also, an idea of what it would cost if surgery were required. But the most important thing I learned was that IVDD is a TREATABLE condition with a very good outcome for the dog. So that really took away my thought that if my dog had it, then that was the end. IVDD became a solvable problem.

So when, in May, my vet suggested surgery, I had made the decision ahead of him and said Yes. By 4am we were at Southpaws Specialty Surgery.

Surgery was Poppy’s only option. Crate rest was not for her as things were too bad. She had no deep pain and, going into surgery, she had a 50% chance of walking again. The surgery went very well and she had deep pain when she woke up, greatly increasing her chances. She came home the next day with a cone on her head, and a catheter at the other end, and a very large piece of sticking plaster in the middle. She was so relieved to see me.

In between I had been busy. Thanks to an excellent friend who had been through IVDD with her dog, I had a crate, some wee pads, a water bowl, some blankets and most of the things I would need to look after Poppy in her crate. We were also given some Rosehip Vital in a lovely care package from the Pay It Forward scheme.

Lulu

There were several occasions when Lulu had a sore back, she was trembling and hunched up.  After a vet visit we gave her pain meds and anti inflammatories and, with crate rest, she came good. When do you go that step further and get a scan?  No one can tell you….the last time it happened it was worse.  Within 30 mins of taking the meds she couldn’t move her back legs….we were devastated; not sure if it was the valium the vet gave her to relax.

After a sleepless night for all of us, we rang the vets as soon as they opened…told them she had no movement in her back legs.  We were referred to PVS and I had her there at 9.30am. Dr Punke saw her and informed me she needed an MRI and then an operation that afternoon…we said ok do whatever you have to do to fix her.  We visited her that evening, and she was still out of it.  The nurses in PVS were so nice and we could visit whenever we wanted, night or day. She recovered really well and was home on Monday (op was on Friday) but she still couldn’t stand.  The really stressful part was she wasn’t weeing!  We went to PVS to get her bladder scanned to see if her bladder was full;I tried to express her but failed…so after a few very worrying days she eventually did a wee on her own.  I was sooooo happy…that was the turning point for us.