Our Sweet Little Hot Dog Makes Us Sad...

Yesterday our dog turned 5. Which isn't that old, except when you are a miniature daschund. Most people know her breed as a Hot Dog. She, being a miniature, is actually referred to as a cocktail wiener by Daddy D. We have had her for almost five years, since she was old enough to be with us. She is a red color, and we named her Ginger.

She is well loved. Lots of little boyz to run around with.

A momma who loves another female in the house. A daddy who spoils her with shoveled walkways in the winter and lets her snuggle up to on the couch.

 On Saturday morning Ginger was slow to wake up. When she did she was hobbling around a bit, and was nippy with the boyz-which is unusual for her. By late morning she was limping a lot. I sat down on the ground and put her in my lap and felt the paw and leg that she had been having difficulty with. Oddly enough there didn't seem to be a sore spot. I sat her on an afghan next to the fire, her favorite place to be in the winter.  But then a few hours later she got up to go outside and she couldn't move her legs.

Phone calls, the vet and more ensued. It seems that Ginger has a spinal injury. She is paralyzed from the mid-waist down. She has something called IVDD, which actually effects 20% of her breed in their lifetime. An astonishing number if you think about it. One in five daschunds will have debilitating damage to their back. That is a crazy number!

We knew all along that back injuries are a risk in this breed. We have been diligent all along with the amount of food she eats so that she did not gain extra weight which would have been more of a risk factor. But despite that, four days before her fifth birthday our dog could not walk. We do not know what her outcome will be at this time.

We are doing conservative crate treatment at this time, meaning that she is confined to her crate for all but pottying for eight weeks. This will give her back the best chance at healing. She also is taking pain meds and supplements to help with the healing process. When she does go to the bathroom she walks using a sling to keep her back aligned.

It is a very sad time. One boy cried on Sunday morning because he was used to her sitting by his feet while he ate breakfast. Eli, who Ginger has been around his entire life, cannot grasp what is going on at the age of 3. He keeps asking why Ginger's legs are broken. It makes my heart ache.

 We will have to see how things progress and if she will ever walk again. But in the meantime we are making sure to shower her with love and kind words as she deals with this. And no matter what happens, we love her and she is a part of our family.