After I left Dandy at the hospital, Dr Hayashi called to confirm that a CT scan revealed that a disc had herniated; they would perform the hemilaminectomy on Dandy right away. Post-surgery (about 1.5 hours later), Dr Hayashi called to inform me that Dandy had done well (she indicated that there had been some calcification) and explained that she would be hospitalized a few more days and would begin therapy starting tomorrow. Due to the calcification, she indicated that Dandy might undergo longer recovery, but the doctor sounded optimistic.
After what seemed like hours of waiting, my vet finally contacted the hospital and I was able to take Dandy in for a nominal $250 emergency visit fee.
Her doctor, Emi Hayashi, performed some diagnostics and determined that she still had sensation in her back legs, but recommended surgery right away since 2 weeks of crate rest and medication has not done her any good.
I was able to apply for CareCredit online prior to the visit and obtain a $3000 credit. The estimated cost of CT scan, surgery and hospitalization is estimated to run from $3000 to $5000. According to the staffer, they will use the CareCredit right away toward the cost of her surgery, anaesthetic blood work, and hospitalization, since they required the minimum of $3k for a down-payment before starting Dandy’s care.
I hope to have left Dandy in good hands and hear how the surgery has gone very soon.
As of this morning, Dandy has lost the ability to use her back legs. However, she is still able to control her bowel movements and went when I took her outside. I’ve contacted my vet to get the information on the neuro-specialist. Upon contacting the practice, I was told that the next available appointment was Tuesday, and that if the vet contacted them to inform them this was an emergency, then they could squeeze her in. Luckily Dr Ali recognizes that this is indeed an emergency and promises to call the specialist.
Dandy now behaves as if nothing is bothering her except that she can’t seem to walk right. She doesn’t have the ability to lift her back, and I can’t determine if she has lost all feeling back there.
The prednisone isn’t working. Earlier this week, the pain kept Dandy immobile, and she cried nearly all the time when I attempted to move her or pick her up. As early as yesterday, I decided to separate Doogie and crate him in the kitchen so that Dandy can recuperate in peace. She visited the vet again and changed medication to an NSAID, Previcox. The next two months will be a grueling one as the household adjusts to a pup who will be confined to strict crate rest. She will be fed in the crate and only allowed outside to take care of business. Otherwise she will be carried everywhere. The vet insists on getting an MRI, and he also indicated that surgery might be likely.
Knowing the information on IVDD, surgery is not a guaranteed fix. I’m willing to take a chance to go the long route to get Dandy better. What will certainly not be in Dandy’s future is jogging. As much as I enjoy taking the pups out for a run, I am sure that it did nothing but aggravate a condition prevalent with low-slung breeds.
I purchased a crate divider online, having lost or misplaced the one that came with my Midwest double door 36″ crate. Total came to about $30 online from CagesDirect.com. Let’s hope they follow through and ship the divider in timely fashion.
I just recovered from a week of back issues when suddenly my pup decided to follow suit. Dandy went into the vet on Friday after 4-5 days of decreased mobility. She occasionally yelped if she moved suddenly or if Doogie collided into her. She slowly, very carefully, climbed up and down curbs when out for a walk. As much as tried to poke and prod her to see where the pain might be, she didn’t react. The veterinarian revealed some concerns that she may be suffering from a common ailment in dachshunds. Spondylosis was one item listed on her chart. Anyway, Dandy received a pain-killer shot and is currently on steroids. The vet prescribed strict crate rest and no activity for a week. That’s a tough thing to do if you’re an active-lifestyle pup!
