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 and the last time it happened it was worse.  Within 30 mins of taking the meds she couldn’t move her back legs and 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 and 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 so happy and that was the turning point for us.

Lulu was very calm in the crate, and she slept a lot.  I borrowed a dog pram so I could wheel her from room to room and she wasn’t on her own.  I also added a fence onto her crate, so she had a bit more room to move around but was still contained.  I used to put Cookie in with her for company.  After Week 3 we went to see Carmel at Active Pet Rehabilitation and she was wobbly walking then.  Carmel was great and Lulu went in the water treadmill weekly for about 5 sessions.  I really do think rehab helps their recovery.  After 6 weeks of crate rest, Lulu was walking well, not limping.

Seeing her now, you would never know she went through what she did.  We are still very careful with her, no jumping on or off furniture and when we walk I only let her walk for about 25 mins then in the pram for a rest.  She has her last visit to Carmel next week.  It’s certainly been a learning curve for us all but at the moment she is great.  Fingers crossed she stays that way but with IVDD no one really knows.

The support and help you get from all the dachshund groups is amazing, I wouldn’t like to have gone through this on my own. I have learned so much having gone through this journey and with IVDD knowledge is power.  Being forewarned is being forearmed.  Start learning about IVDD today it could save your adorable dachshund from long term paralysis.

Adele and Lulu