My Scare With Taylor

[Dachsaholic]

In October of 2000 my mini smooth, Taylor started having trouble walking. He was never all the way paralyzed, but I was hysterical. He COULD walk, but he WOULDN'T. I took him to the vet ASAP and he confirmed that it was his back. (Sometimes I'd swear vets just assume that 'cause they're dachshunds) He stayed at the vet for a little while, and then they sent him home with steroids and strict orders to keep him kenneled. We did, and he's fine now. Once in a while I think it's happening again and start gettin' hysterical again, but so far so good...

(**WARNING** If your dachshunds abdomen is ever much firmer than usual, keep a VERY close eye on him/her. That was Taylor's first sign, along with crying for no reason. He did that for about a week before I realized why. http://dachsie.org/ubb/smilies/redface.gif)



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~ Lyn

[Timber]

Hope nothing serious ever happens! My Dachshund jumps and flips all the time, but has never expressed any pain.
Thanks for the tip...

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Tiffany
Winning Edge Show Dogs (http://www.geocities.com/showringhandling)

[dutchman]

Having a stiff neck or tail are two other signs to watch out for. And of course any toe dragging is one of the classics. IT's always good to keep our eyes open for these little changes. With Aggie when her back went out she held her tail out straight for several days and then went off her feed totally. This was my passive shy little girl who had previously had felt more comfortable with her tail tucked between her legs. It was just the last six months to year of her life that she had the confidence to keep her tail out more than it was tucked.

Tom and the boys (Frank and Tanner)

[HawaiiDoxieLover]

She never showed any of those signs. After the accident, she lifted up her FRONT leg so I thought maybe it was a little sore so I massaged it and she never did it again so I never thought about it again until she started walking wobbly in the back. She must've landed wrong. She jumped off the bed once when she was a pup, and once my father's hospice nurse (a CAT person)
held her in her lap then to my horror dropped her on the floor as if she were a cat going to land on her feet, and none of those worse incidents made her get hurt, so I guess I never thought the jump off the couch would cause something like this.

[snoopy]

It's funny you should mention about the abdomen. My mini smooth, Biddy, was a bit 'off colour' one thursday night. Nothing that i could put my finger on, i just knew she wasn't right. I took her to the vets the next day, and my vet diagnosed her having wind. He gave me some tablets that would get rid of the gas. Two days later she was no better, but no worse, i decided to take her back. A different vet diagnosed a ruptured disc. That night she went off her legs. It just goes to show how quickly it can happen.
I'm pleased to say that she is fine now, and made a full recovery.

[DachsieMoxie]

<IMG SRC="http://dachsie.org/ubb/cwmsmilies/cwm31.gif" border=0> While out for our evening walk Thursday before last, my Buster sat down and wouldn't move. As he's pretty stubborn, I thought he was saying it was time to go home. When I went to pick him up, his belly was ROCK HARD, and he was trembling all over. I thought it was just the cold. It happened again the next night--well after the chill had worn off. He got this funny look on his face and just froze. When I tried to reach for him, he ran under the bed and then around the house, looking for a 'comfort spot.' He was crying and kept trying to BACK INTO places! He had me in a panic looking for an emergency vet. After 10 minutes or so, though, he calmed down.
I took him to the vet first thing in the morning. I figured he was constipated or had a bad bladder infection. She floored me when she said it was his back! I kept wanting to believe it was something else. (I, too, thought the vet was jumping to conclusions because of his breed.) Anyhow, he had progressively more fits within 3 days following, so I took him back. She recommended a surgeon.
We went Wednesday--and we caught it early. The x-rays were clear. My baby's only 15 months old, and the specialist seemed concerned about the early onset. Right now we're trying the steroids and rest. Cross your fingers...

[HawaiiDoxieLover]

We wish your baby Buster all the best! Please
keep us updated! http://dachsie.org/ubb/smilies/heart.gif
How is Taylor? http://dachsie.org/ubb/smilies/happy.gif
puppy kisses from Sukoshi and Shumai http://dachsie.org/ubb/smilies/kiss2.gif