Ringo

On the evening of Monday, 30th November 2020, I noticed Ringo crying outside.  I kept going outside to see what was wrong - but he just kept walking over to his food.  I thought he was trying to show me something but I couldn't figure out what.  A little while later, he came inside and went he climbed into his bed, we noticed one of his hips looked a bit strange.  I was on high alert, but I didn't want to move him out of his bed, rest was the best option for now. 

When he finally got up to get a drink, he again looked a bit wobbly so my husband Justin rushed him to the emergency vet.  We are very fortunate to live nearby Advanced Vet Care Kensington, which comes highly recommended in the dachshund community for treating IVDD episodes.  He was sent home on strict crate rest for 5 days with anti-inflammatory medication.

The next morning, he didn't seem himself.  I saw him try to walk and his back legs gave out.  My husband rushed him back to Advanced Vet Care where he was given a CT scan.  This identified that he had severe spinal cord compression at T11/T12.  While he was already under the general anaesthetic, the surgeon called us to get the go ahead to proceed straight to surgery to remove the affected disc.

He spent two nights in hospital and came home on the Thursday to begin his recovery at home.  It's certainly not an easy road to recovery.  He is on strict crate rest for at least 4 weeks.  He can't walk or go to the toilet on his own so we have to express his bladder for him.  He will regain the ability to walk but of course, spinal surgery is not a simple procedure to recover from.  Every dog will recover at their own pace.

Ringo

Right now, it's been almost a week since the surgery and he is the same.  We haven't seen any improvement yet but it's still very early days.  

Did you know the 1 in 4 dachshunds will develop IVDD in their lifetime? You always hope that it won't happen to you but sadly, those statistics are worryingly  high.

Before Ringo joined our family in 2013, we did all the research, bought ramps, did everything we could but sadly, sometimes you can do everything right in your power but these things can still happen.  

If you'd like to learn more about IVDD, please visit https://www.ivdd.org.au.  This website has been invaluable during this phase.  

I hope I have a further update soon on his recovery.

Melissa