Ted hasn’t been feeling good for the past week or so. Unfortunately, it’s his back again. Most of you who know me know that Ted had cervical neck surgery in 2005.
At that time, we let him do anything he wanted…..Including jumping off the bed, chasing squirrels, jumping on and off the couch, and twisting in the air to catch balls. Then one day, he let out a little yelp when jumping on the couch and started walking like a turtle. All crouched down with his neck pulled in. Of course, we immediately took him to the vet that we were using at the time and they did x-rays and an exam….they then sent him home for rest and medication. A few days went by, but he was no better so we took him back again. This time, they kept him….for two weeks!!! In fact, they would not give him back to me and I had to fight to get him out. After talking to another vet, she suggested he needed surgery. To get the surgery we would need a referral from our vet. The problem was…our vet wanted to heal him “naturally”. Obviously, this method was not working as he had lost almost 9 pounds in two weeks because he was in so much pain, he could not eat or drink. I could literally see him wasting away at each of my daily visits. At that point, the second vet told me to pick him up ( I had to make them give him to me) and demand a surgical referral. In which I did. The very day they released him to me, he was taken to the surgeon where they did a myleogram and the cervical neck fusion. That was on a Thursday and we were able to pick him up and take him home that Saturday. And to think....if we would have gotten the referral right away, he would have had two less weeks of pain and suffering. I guess the important thing was that he got the surgery at all...however long it took to get there....
Since then….the last 3 and half years….he has healed and gotten much stronger……stronger than I think he was even before the surgery. We, of course, found a new vet….whom we interviewed to determine how much he knew about Dachshunds. We love him and trust him very much and call him Dr. Tim. Since Ted’s surgery, Jon and I do not let him do much on his own. We carry him up stairs, we pick him up and lift him off the couch, he is allowed to play ball but we don’t throw it anymore….now we roll it.
So….this past week when he started acting “funny” in the back, we both knew immediately something was wrong. And we were terribly worried because this time, the problem showed in his lower back. This can be much more serious as the dog can become paralyzed. We both were prepared for the worst…..especially since Ted is almost 9 years old. We met with our vet yesterday and the diagnosis is good. Or at least better than we thought. They do not think Ted has ruptured a disc, but instead, feels he has a touch of arthritis in his lower back near the point where his pelvic bone attaches to his spine. The doc feels this problem will fuse naturally, but that it will take time. Until then, we may have 'bouts' where he’s slow and not feeling well, but we just need to work through them with him. For now, we will do a round of anti-inflammatory medications and muscles relaxers and go from there.
That’s the thing about having a pet…..you see them grow older before your very eyes. And it is hard to watch. Ted is one of the sweetest, smartest animals I’ve known and I feel blessed that he came to us and is such a huge part of our lives. I know Jon and I, both, will do whatever it takes to make him as comfortable and loved when he doesn’t feel well and as he grows older. Our boys are our family….and we Thank God everyday that they are in our lives……..
