Baxter's IVDD

Baxter

Baxter is a black and tan dachshund we adopted from Little Shelter Animal Rescue in New York. He is what we in the United States call a tweenie, meaning he's too big to be considered a mini but not quite big enough to be a standard dachshund. Little shelter rescued him and many other dachshunds from a hoarding situation. He has turned into my little mommas boy. they estimated he was about four years old when I adopted him in 2014. I have been blessed to have him in my home for three years now.

Baxter is a very happy, wiggly dachshund who loves playing in the yard with my other two dogs. He also loves chasing squirrels and barking at every dog that walks past my house. We have ramps for our dachshunds to use to get up stairs and onto the couch. My first indication that something was wrong was his refusal to go up the ramps and he was walking very slow. His wonderfully cute wiggle was gone as he would walk very slowly and gingerly. He then cried when I tried to pick him up. Baxter's right back leg was weak and he would have muscle spasms. His Tail would tuck under and he was wobbly when he walked.  Baxter never went down paralyzed which I am grateful for.

I had a dachshund before that had IVDD so my first instinct was to set up a recovery space for Baxter and make an appointment at the Vet. I took him to our usual Animal Hospital but he didn't see our usual Vet at this visit. This Vet believed that Baxter's issue was in his neck. The Vet prescribed muscle relaxers and cortisone. He didn't want to prescribe a pain medication because he believes that it masks the problem. we however convinced him that we needed the pain medication.

We brought Baxter home and began the first two weeks of his crate rest. At first he was very unhappy. He wanted to be closer to everyone. we finally came up with a way to set up a space in the middle of everyone. He can see us and we can pet him and talk to him.

The first week was very hard and very sad. Heart-breaking really. We had a sling to help Baxter when outside to potty. The rest of the time he was resting. It was hard to pick him up because we were afraid to hurt him.  We and Baxter got through it. The second week was much the same as the first. We did not really see any improvement but keep on with his crate rest and medication.

Baxter in his recovery area

Baxter sleeping with his alien friend.

At two weeks we took him back to the Vet for a re-check. this time we saw our regular Vet. She believed that it was definitely IVDD and refilled all of the medications for Baxter. Those first two weeks were very tough. Baxter looked so so sad and pitiful. I wished I could do more for him. As dog owners it is always extremely difficult to see our dogs in pain. That was the hardest thing for me. I was crushed to see my mommas boy in pain and not being able to do anything more than lay in his crate. I had his crate near to the couch so that I could stay near him and sleep on my couch in the living room to watch over him.

I want to take a minute here to mention a couple of great resources.
1. dodgerslist.com     They are essential for information on IVDD. They also have a great forum to post in to discuss and ask questions. I found them back in 2006 when my previous dachshund went down and was paralyzed in the back end. 

2. IVDD and other back disorders Facebook group. They are helpful, encouraging and supportive.

Baxter before the crate rest began.

Next blog post I will cover weeks three and four of Baxter's recovery.

Thanks for reading. Hug your pups.😃💕🐩🐶🐾🐾