the everything pony
who would really much rather eat all day
The Very Sad Dachshund
Unfortunately, through Thanksgiving week, Oscar became very painful, and we weren’t sure what was hurting him so much. By Thursday evening he seemed to feel very poorly, and was very much not his excitable self. When he yelped a few times, I decided he needed to get seen and quickly because he was very uncomfortable, and none of us like seeing our babies in pain. So, off to the emergency vet we trekked at 10 pm Thanksgiving night. Thankfully, he seemed okay after the whole ordeal, and they gave us a steroid and a pain medication for him.
Since they palpated his neck and found that’s where he was most painful, they wanted him to rest with no jumping on and off furniture. This meant that I’d need to keep him away from stimulation, so I had to take him over to my parents house where there is much less furniture on which to jump, as well as no Zeus. As much as Oscar loves his best friend, he and Zeus feed off of each other a lot, and with me gone at work I couldn’t ensure that Oscar was resting. So he stayed with my mom and dad, and was doing pretty well through the weekend. I’d made a follow-up appointment with our regular vet for last Tuesday.
Unfortunately, that day he seemed to be almost as painful as when we took him to the emergency vet two weeks prior. It ended up being a good thing that he was. He’d been very vocal about it before, and this time in the vet room he had a spasm and cried for a good ten seconds. It was the hardest thing to hear, and both my mom and I were close to tears but the vet and vet tech heard him, so they were able to better assess what might be hurting him so badly.
The x-rays show that he has decreased space between the vertebrae in the base of his neck, likely from jumping up and down and then also craning his neck back to look at people, being a dachshund and having short legs and all. He got a laser treatment, a pain shot, and three meds, along with strict instructions for lots and lots of rest. Which means he still cannot be at home, but my family adores him as much as I do, so I know he’s in good hands with my mom. I see him every day, and try to spend the night when I can.
A week out from that visit, and thankfully he was doing much much better. He started improving a lot only a day or so after all of those treatments, and has been improving wonderfully the past week. I’m optimistic about the laser therapy – he got his second treatment Tuesday and he even gets little tiny goggles for his wee face.
I’m still concerned, especially since he had a small relapse last Thursday but is looking better. I was given a number to get a consult with a doggy neurologist to see if he does need surgery. In thinking back, this isn’t a new issue – we’re pretty sure he had an issue ~4-5 years ago with Lindsay. It just unfortunately chose now to show up. This particular issue is common to doxies, and I’m hoping that after this regimen to really kick the pain and inflammation as well as some joint care in the future he’ll be good for a few more years before potentially needing surgery. I’d rather surgery be a last resort, but of course we all love him dearly so we’ll figure something out if need be.
Otherwise, there isn’t too much else to report! Amber is thankfully doing wonderfully – out of her, me, and Oscar she is miraculously the least expensive thing at the moment haha. I still haven’t managed to do much with her, but I’ve been at least greeting her every day with lots of carrots and apples because I go over to my parent’s place to see Oscar every day. She is my bestest girl, though, and I’m glad she’s such a stable horse. I can only stress about so many things at once haha. But she is being great, and I love seeing her again every day.
I hope everyone else is doing well! I may or may not post much before Christmas – we’ll see. I hope everyone isn’t too stressed with the coming holiday!
2 Comments on “The Very Sad Dachshund”
Leave a Reply
Places I Shop
Fav Photos
Fav Photos
the everything pony 
I hope Oscar is okay. We lost Pippin one of our dachshunds to similar he could have had surgery but he was really not a candidate. But it sounds like you guys and your vet are on top of it! Dachshunds are so notorious for this type of injury. Hugs to Oscar and hope he bounces (not really bounces) back soon!! Happy Holidays to you and all your family!!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you! So far he does seem okay – with limited movement, no toys, and no jumping, he’s continuing to look good so I’ve got my fingers crossed he’ll continue that way! I’m sad he can’t have his toys, but if that helps him that’s what we gotta do. Happy Holidays to you and your family as well!
LikeLiked by 1 person